Essay on The Gift Of The Magi, By O. Henry

In O. Henry’s short story, “The Gift of the Magi,” there are two constant themes that O. Henry focuses on. The two main themes that O. Henry focuses on are love and sacrifice. In the story, O. Henry manages to make the themes of love and sacrifice coordinate with each other. He shows how the two themes go together by showing how love persuades people to sacrifice anything just to make their loved ones happy and helps the loved ones realize how much they are loved and appreciated. The theme of love is expressed throughout the story by both the character Della, and the character Jim. O. Henry indirectly shows how much Della loves and adores Jim when the narrator states, “Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling – something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim” (176). The previous quote shows just how much Della adores and praises Jim by showing how she wants to find a present that is “worthy” of Jim’s possession. O. Henry also directly shows how Jim loves Della when Jim states, “I don’t think there’s anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less” (178). By showing how Jim will not stop loving Della over a physical appearance change, O. Henry successfully demonstrates how much Jim loves and cares for Della. The presents that the couple buys for each other are an example of love…