In William Sydney Porter’s (pen name O. Henry) novel The Gift of the Magi, (1906), the young married couple, Jim and Della, the setting takes place during Christmas. The force that makes it difficult for the couple is having one dollar and eighty seven between the two of them and trying to find more money and of buying gifts for each other. The setting takes place during Christmas holiday. Jim and Della both admire what they possess already and want to enhance their worldly possessions (Jim’s gold watch and Della’s long hair). They both sell what they admire and possess in the world; the young wife has beautiful long hair and wants to buy her husband a chain for his shiny gold watch and Jim sell his gold watch for combs for Della’s hair.
When Jim and Della confront each other with their gifts for each other ironically, the gifts that Jim and Della bought for each other are useless. Della was sure that Jim would not be please. The look on Jim’s face said it all; “his eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her.” (O’Henry, 1906) However, “it was not anger, nor surprise,nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for.” (O’Henry, 1906) “He …show more content…
The setting takes place in the South where segregation, discrimination and oppression for the Negro is limited. Phoenix’s conflicts from the sun being hot, the winter being better and cold, the trees, the barbed wires, the hunter, dog and even her senses that were pleasant thoughts were playing tricks “her senses drifted away. A dream visited her, and she reached her hand up, but nothing reached down and gave her a pull” (line 35-38) on Phoenix.These obstacles that tries to discourage her and breaks her spirit from reaching her
When Jim and Della confront each other with their gifts for each other ironically, the gifts that Jim and Della bought for each other are useless. Della was sure that Jim would not be please. The look on Jim’s face said it all; “his eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her.” (O’Henry, 1906) However, “it was not anger, nor surprise,nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for.” (O’Henry, 1906) “He …show more content…
The setting takes place in the South where segregation, discrimination and oppression for the Negro is limited. Phoenix’s conflicts from the sun being hot, the winter being better and cold, the trees, the barbed wires, the hunter, dog and even her senses that were pleasant thoughts were playing tricks “her senses drifted away. A dream visited her, and she reached her hand up, but nothing reached down and gave her a pull” (line 35-38) on Phoenix.These obstacles that tries to discourage her and breaks her spirit from reaching her