Sidney Porter‚ this master of short stories is much better known under his pen name "O. Henry." He was born September 11‚ 1862 in North Carolina‚ where he spent his childhood. O. Henry’s stories are famous for their surprise endings‚ to the point that such an ending is often referred to as an "O. Henry ending." He was called the American answer to Guy de Maupassant. Both authors wrote twist endings‚ but O. Henry stories were much more playful and optimistic. His stories are also well known for witty narration
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after all: sacrifice and selflessness.”(DelaCruz) “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry is a short story about the selflessness of true love. Della and Jim are a poor couple on Christmas eve. Della cried about not being able to buy her beloved Jim a present with only‚ “One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all.” She longed to get Jim a good gift but little did she know that jim would come home with a beautiful present for her. This story is filled with symbolism and irony to explain this hidden
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The Gift of the Magi By O. Henry In “The Gift of the Magi” O. Henry makes the statement that the wisest kind of gift is one that comes from the heart. He makes this point by creating admirable characters and using an allusion to the Magi. His point can be supported by Della and Jim’s undying love for each other and their determination to get each other meaningful gifts‚ even if that means sacrificing “the greatest treasures of their house”. Della’s hair seems to be the very essence of
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Literary Analysis of The Gift of the Magi The twists and turns of the plot as it unfolds within O. Henry ’s “The Gift of the Magi” are what simply captivate the reader in such a short amount of pages. The story of Jim and Della on a cold Christmas Eve at the turn of 20th century America is centered around what is remarkably relevant to what many readers have experienced in their own lives; the inevitable stresses‚ sacrifices‚ and joys of the holiday season. Strapped for cash and wanting to give
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buy happiness because money can buy things that you want but it can’t give you certain things that make you happy. In the two short stories that were read the characters will do anything to make the people they love happy. By doing this the reaction from the person they love gives them happiness. Money doesn’t buy happiness because the characters in the two short stories gave up what makes them happy to make their partners happy. This proves that money doesn’t buy happiness because by showing that the
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Selfless Love‚ the True Gift of the Magi Kim Frazier ENG 125 Ms. Marvel May 2‚ 2011 Selfless Love‚ the True Gift of the Magi O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” is a timeless story of selfless love. At the beginning of this tale the reader is introduced to Della Young a wife who has saved every penny she can to get her husband Jim a wonderful Christmas present. Though she has tried to come up with more money all she had is a dollar and eighty seven cents‚ and she does not feel that this
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The Gift of the Magi shows many ironic aspects. How Della adores her hair‚ thinking so highly that no queen jewels could ever match the beauty of her hair. Or how Jim thinks his watch is so priceless that no king could ever have such a jewel‚ but when wanting to show their affection to one another they sell their priceless jewels just to find out that they each sold their priceless jewels to get something for one another. One a comb for the now missing hair‚ the other a golden chain for the now sold
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an event in a story that the reader doesn’t expect and is surprising. Irony gives a story the extra power that will make it more interesting. The irony in a story will be when the events take a turn‚ and a reader’s jaw drops with astonishment. This literary element give a story the ending that it needs in order to be remembered. Irony comes in many forms‚ and some are more surprising than others. In the short stories‚ “The Censors”‚ written by Luisa Valenzuela and “The Gift of the Magi”‚ written by
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Literary Analysis Final Mccaffrey Billings “Will you buy my hair?” In the story “The Gift of Magi” two loved ones are in a scramble to find money to buy their loved ones a gift‚ they each sell their most valuable possession to gain money. The author creates the theme that when two people are in love people will give up anything for their loved ones. In the story the author uses the characters dialogue to prove the theme‚ for example when Della’s husband came home Della said “Don’t look at me that
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Situational irony was a key factor in The Gift of The Magi. Without the irony‚ the story would have been less interesting to readers and have a lesser meaning. The irony connects the story together fully and catches the reader’s eye. Della and Jim‚ the two main characters‚ are married and live in a small flat together. They are poor and only have 2 items that they see to have great value‚ Della’s hair and Jim’s watch. Della’s hair is long‚ curly‚ and beautiful. Jim’s watch is gold and has been passed
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