The Gift Of The Magi Analysis

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Register to read the introduction… Henry also expresses the love that James and Della have for each other. Della doesn’t just cry when she realizes that she doesn’t have the money for a great gift for James, she howls. She greatly hugs him when he returns home and gets to his flat. After cutting her hair and receiving the money to buy his gift she was so ecstatic that her sacrifice seemed to not bother her until she got home and looked at it, and even then she was only worried that James wouldn’t like her without hair. She pleaded with him to be good to her because in her own words “I couldn’t have lived through Christmas without giving you a present.” (Clugston, 2010) She is only briefly sad when she realizes that she has no hair to wear the beautiful combs that James has bought her. Her sadness subsides when gives him his gift to open. She is so happy to have given him such a wonderful gift for his watch. We then see that James loves her just as much as she loves him because he has sacrificed his watch in order to give her the …show more content…
They did it for the love they have for each other and the need to see each other happy. They each sacrificed their most prized possessions to enhance the other’s most prized possession.
The biggest metaphor used in this short story is when O. Henry says “They are the magi.” (Clugston, 2010) This supports the theme of the story. It explains that it is not only important but wise to make sacrifices in the gifts you give the ones you love. Even if the sacrifices seem to be unwise sacrifices on the surface, they are the best ones for the heart.

References
Clugston, W.R. (2010) Journey into Literature. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Shmoop Editorial Team. (November 11, 2008).The Gift of the Magi. Retrieved September 10, 2012, from http://www.shmoop.com/gift-of-the-magi/
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. (2002, Dec 16). Sudbury Star, pp. 8-8. Retrieved from

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