Monday 26 December 2016

The Gift of The Magi - O. Henry



The gift of the magi
O. Henry

          O. Henry was a pen name of William Sydney Porter. He was a pharmacist, draftsman, bank teller and journalist and he also began writing. Later he was known as an American short story writer and his short stories were known for their surprise endings with witty narration.
        


      In this story O. Henry has talked about the life of middleclass and how they have brought a Christmas gifts for each other. The title of the story is significant. It represents Biblical Magi. Magi is referred as Wise men or Three Kings who have visited Jesus after his birth and brought gifts also. They have officially begun to present gifts on Christmas. In this story the title contains the reference of ‘Magi’, as they were known as Wise Man, in this story the couple is with a wise intention and also their sacrifice for each other proves them a wise couple.
       
      The story starts with the description of money Della has before the Christmas Eve.

“One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. There times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.”
     
       She wants to buy a gift for her husband but she does not have enough money for that. The couple was poor and living in a flat which was not so good but the love of both for each other was wealthy and pure. They both have only two things which can be considered as a precious, first was the golden watch of Jim and second was the long hair of Della.

“now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride, One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s and the other was Della’s hair”
       
   There is a beautiful description of her hair in the short story.

“Della’s beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knees and made itself almost a garment for her.”
       
       Finally Della decided to sell her hair for money and buy a gift for her husband. She sold her hair to Mme Sofronie for twenty dollars. She has now twenty one dollars and eighty-seven cents. She brought a platinum chain for his husband’s gold pocket watch. When she went to the house she found that Jim brought a set of combs for her by selling his watch and now it was not useful for her. The description of the Della is opening a gift is interesting,

  “White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! A quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.”
     
        Both have brought gifts for each other by selling their favourite and things on which they can take pride. At last both gifts were of no use. Though it is a story of comparing a true love gifts with Biblical story of Magi, we can observe the concept of poverty, materialization and artificial way of living the life. Both were poor but gifts were important to give and their sacrifice for each other is the most precious gift for each other.
      

      At last the narrator presents a last paragraph in comparison of these two couples with Magi.

The magi, as you know, were wise men – wonderfully wise men – who brought gifts to the new-born King of the Jews. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the Magi.”

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