Compare And Contrast Lamb To The Slaughter And The Gift Of The Magi

Short stories everywhere all have exceptional ideas, and interesting plots. They are able to share literary terms of murder and irony, or even love and romance. The stories The Gift of the Magi, by O.Henry, and Lamb to the Slaughter, by Roald Dahl, both have great plots, author's craft, and symbolism. One, The Gift of the Magi, about two lovers who cannot afford a Christmas gift, and will sacrifice it all for love, and another, Lamb to the Slaughter, about a murder, and its cover up. While both stories are compelling to readers, The Gift of the Magi is the better compared to Lamb to the Slaughter because of its symbolism, imagery and is able to identify with readers.
In the short story Lamb to the Slaughter, by Roald Dahl, has many examples

Henry, uses imagery, symbolism, irony, and details to enhance the story. The tale is about two lovers who are very poor. They cannot afford to buy each other a very nice gift, so they both decide to sell their own prized possessions to earn money for each other. Della, sells her beautiful hair, and Jim, his gold watch. That being said, Della buys him something for his watch, and Jim a fancy comb for Della. They have no longer any use for these things, but they showed they would sacrifice even their most precious items, for love. Details help show us many facts about the characters and setting. Right off the bat, Henry introduces Della, and she exclaims how much she loves Jim, and how Jim loves her. Henry writes “Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim”.(117) Jim, feels the same way. “There were two possessions of the James Dillingham Young’s in which they both took a mighty pride. ONe was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s hair.”(Henry,118) This enhances the story by giving a personal meaning to it. The readers will be able to understand and can sympathize with the couple, and more readers will enjoy and connect to the story. Next, imagery played a very important role in enhancing the story. In the beginning, Henry chooses specific imagery to describe Della and Jim. He writes about their living styles, and devotion. For example, on page 116, “A furnished flat at $8 per week.

Initially, the story of The Gift of the Magi has great examples of symbolism. The couple’s mishap with their gifts shows that they would sacrifice their prized possessions for each other. This is true love, and wise according to the magi. Readers can identify easily with the subject of love. Spending every last penny just because one were to care about someone so deeply, and wanting them to be happy. This makes the story romantic as well, and everyone loves a good romance. In Lamb to the Slaughter, Mary murders her husband. Not many can relate with her actions. Because of this, people don’t understand where Mary is coming from, while many can relate with Della. Second, In The Gift of the Magi, the details given are better than Lamb to the Slaughter. The reader knows from the start that Della and Jim love each other very much, as it is stated in the text. Keeping this in mind, the story flows better, and readers want to know the fate of this couple. It keeps readers reading. In Lamb to the Slaughter, the reader does not receive valuable information. The reader does not know why Mary committed the crime and other background information. This causes confusion, and a lack of understanding for the reader. This does not leave the reader happy. Finally, language is used in both stories, but The Gift of the Magi, is superior to Lamb to the