Biblical Allusions In The Gift Of The Magi

1010 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Characterization of the gift of the magi

The Gift of the Magi deals with love, sacrifice, as well with wealth. It teaches people the importance of these qualities. In this story, Della, the wife of Jim, is facing Christmas with one dollar and eighty seven cents. She and Jim are struggling to be able to buy each other Christmas gifts, but in the end, they realize that Christmas is more than just about getting a present. King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, and the Magi are the three biblical allusions in this story. They support the theme, that sacrifice is the ultimate generosity. One biblical allusion that is used in the book is to the Queen of Sheba. The Queen is someone who is gorgeous, and rich. She is a “Queen of her own right a royal woman used to get her own way and confidently …show more content…

Jim is also trying to buy Della a Christmas gift, so what he does is sell his watch which is his most prized possession. The way that Henry described the watch in the book would bring envy to King Solomon: “Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in his basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy” (Henry 151). This line explains that the watch Jim got would have made King Solomon jealous. The reason being was of how much it was worth by the treasures compared to the items that Solomon owned. Which is another reference to King Solomon because he is wise, wealthy, and powerful. So he sells his watch, and the gift he buys for Della are the combs she had been wanting. King Solomon got used by Henry because he had a relationship with the Queen of Sheba and they gave gifts of wealth to each …show more content…

Of all who give and receive gifts such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the Magi” (Henry 155). They were like the wise men because they learned to sacrifice something that had value in their lives to buy each other Christmas gifts. The Magi is the last allusion that Henry uses to compare Jim and Della to the Magi. “The Magi also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, were, in the Gospel of Matthew and Christian tradition, a group of distinguished foreigners who visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” ( Wikipedia). Jim and Della do the same they present very expensive gifts as a way to show each other that they love one another. Henry uses the Magi to show the lengths Jim and Della went through to relate the journey the wise men took in order to deliver the gift to find Christ and present him the gifts. He uses the Christmas story in the Bible because it is a story mostly everybody knows

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Sesame Street Video And The Gift Of The Magi

    323 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although the Sesame Street video and the story versions of "The Gift of the Magi" were both different, there were some similarities between them. One difference was the relationships between the characters in both versions. In, the video Bert and Ernie are best friends living together. But, in the story Della and Jim are husband and wife. Another difference is the gifts the characters got and what they traded for it. On the video Bert trades his paperclip collection for a soap dish intended for Ernie's rubber duck. Also, Ernie traded his rubber ducky for a empty cigar box intended for Bert's paperclip collection. However, in the story Della trades her hair for a Fob that was intended for Jim pocket watch, which was nicknamed "The Watch." While,

    Read More

  • Los Tres Hermanos Analysis

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    Towards the beginning of the tale, it is stated that “Give alms to the poor. If you expect God’s help it is necessary that you also help the church. You know that when you make a donation to God, He returns it a hundredfold” (1616). This conveys to the reader that as long as one were to dedicate his or her time to bettering themselves and staying true to their word in everyday life as well as to God, that they would be blessed by God, whether it be through means of good fortune or the promise of future opportunities for themselves and their family. This would serve as an important lesson for children to keep in mind throughout their lives because this would in turn make them Godly

    Read More

  • Grapes of Wrath - biblica comparison

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rose of Sharon is a character that is most directly related to the Bible. Her name in found in the Song of Solomon, “I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys” (Ganticles, 7:7). Most of Rose of Sharon’s parallels to the Bible take place in the last chapter of the novel. After the birth of her stillborn baby she nourishes a starving man with her milk. This is symbol...

    Read More

  • Father Flynn in John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    Father Flynn gave Donald Miller a toy. It was no big deal, just a little dancing ballerina that spun in circles with magnets. "That’s for you, take it." (Shanley, 2008) Donald liked the toy, and found it fascinating. Father Flynn gave him the toy, possibly because he was an underprivileged child, and did not have many toys at home. However, maybe Father Flynn gave it to him with ulterior motives. Perhaps he gave it to him just to give the boy a gift, to make Donald like him. It was a girl’s toy, and Father Flynn, being a priest, giving a little boy a toy is slightly inappropriate when the purpose of why he did this is unclear. "Every perfect gift has its origin in God- it comes from above." (James 1:17, King James Bible) Shanley leaves it completely open for interpretation. The segment is brief and vague of Father Flynn’s intent. Later on, there is a scene where the toy was stepped on and broken by the other kids at school. Father Flynn helped him pick it up and gave him a hug; comforted him. Either in a parental way, or a roma...

    Read More

  • Biblical Allusions In 'Candide' By Voltaire

    307 Words  | 1 Pages

    According to the interactive oral, there were several biblical allusions in the book Candide by Voltaire. Prior to this presentation, I wasn’t aware that this was true. The reason being, I am not a biblical scholar, and that Voltaire’s writing was just a tad bit confusing. This presentation helped me because it made the biblical allusions much more evident. For instance, there is one scene where Voltaire references the garden of eden versus the earthly heaven. According to the group, Candide was also punished in this scene. I believe that Voltaire makes allusions like these to symbolize Candide as a christ figure. Candide, is a very flawed character, just like Christ, but it almost seems like the power Candide has is equivalent to that of Christ’s.

    Read More

  • The Battle of the Sexes Continue in The Revolt Of Mother

    1556 Words  | 4 Pages

    The second reference to a historical figure comes when Sarah calls to Adoniram, her husband, to stop his work and speak with her. When he repeatedly refuses to talk with her, she exclaims, "Father, you come here," in a voice which booms with authority. Even her stance is as regal as her inflections, for she stands in the doorway holding her head as if she were wearing a crown. Despite her original intentions, this dignified behavior doesn't last long. As she is expressing her feelings about her husband's new barn, her stance turns to that of a humble woman from Scripture. This sudden change in behavior represents her volatil...

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Genesis And Housekeeping

    1772 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Genesis, the reader see the stories of Lot and Noah but don’t get any insight into their wives. Through closer examination of the allusions of Lot’s wife and Noah’s wife from the novel Housekeeping, readers are able to see another side of these women. The allusions are used to greater enhance the novel’s theme of critiquing a male dominated society, because we see in these Bible stories that these women were in the shadows of important men. However, they distort the original Bible stories by giving the women a voice with new characteristics and motivations for their actions that alter the initial message. In the novel, although there are many more biblical allusions, there are none of the stronger women from the Bible like Rahab or Deborah, which downplays the importance of women in the

    Read More

  • Theme Of Religion In The Odyssey

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel demonstrates these concepts in many ways. The novel contains entirely original thoughts, with clear influence from world religions. It is organized in as a chronological story of Zeb’s struggle to save Ontelles. First, the novel contains countless, clear connections to religion. The Book of Samuel from the Old Testament appears to have the largest influence on the novel. Well not entirely the same, many characters in Burks novel connect clearly with the characters of the Book of Samuel. For example, Zeb clearly represents King David. Likewise, Vertunda relates to Samuel. Vertunda appears more as an angel or manifestation of God. However, Vertunda serves largely the same purpose as Samuel. Next, Topo compares to Saul. Topo and Saul have distinctive differences. But, they both are portrayed as illegitimate kings. To continue, more minor connections between other characters are present. For example, Desiree, whose name sounds a lot like desire, connects to Bathsheba, because they both leave

    Read More

  • King Jesus Fragment Essay

    446 Words  | 1 Pages

    This fragment is taken from THE NEW TESTAMENT (King James version). More importantly, the fragment appears in THE GOSPAL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW, which is the first gospel out of four. While there is no speaking character in the fragment, it is possible to witness several characters in it. First, there are the wise men who came to visit and see baby Jesus. Second, when they entered the house, they saw Jesus with “Mary, his mother.” In this fragment, one can notice the significance of the wise men (Magi). Seeing that, the wise men function as evidence to display Jesus’s godliness and his relation to God, by seeing him they “fell down, and worshiped him.” Due to God’s intervention in the wise men’s dreams, they have changed their actions, understanding

    Read More

  • Free Epic of Gilgamesh Essays: Character of Gilgamesh

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main character in the novel is Gilgamesh.  Gilgamesh is a character who is very self-confident.  He feels that he is superior to others, due to the fact that he is two-thirds god, and one-third man.  This arrogance leads to his being cruel at the beginning of the story.  Gilgamesh is described as, ãtwo-thirds of him divine, one-third human... Gilgamesh does not allow the son to go with his father; day and night he oppresses the weak... Gilgamesh does not let the young woman go to her mother, the girl to the warrior, the bride to the young groomä (tablet I, column ii, 1, 12-13, 27-28).  Gilgamesh is a man with no equal, so he feels superior.

    Read More

  • The Relationship of Jesus with Women in the Bible

    1465 Words  | 3 Pages

    “A poor widow came and put in two small coins….” (Mark 12: 42-44) Jesus uses the example set by the widow’s offering as a gesture her giving all she possessed. He tells his disciples that her giving was important as she shows how you should give...

    Read More

  • Gift Of Magi Compare And Contrast

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    Henry, who wrote “Gift of the Magi”, showed the crazy love between a man and a woman in a serious relationship. Even though giving up their most prized possession was difficult, they did it out of loe for each other. They wanted to give each other the best life possible, even though that meant taking some of their own happiness

    Read More

  • Analysis of King Solomon's Mines and its Undertone of Sexism

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Allen Quartermain and company gets closer and closer to the diamonds, the description of the scenery is very feministic: "For the nipple of the mountain did not rise out of its exact center."(Haggard 101) As someone had pointed out that the map included in the book also has a hint of a female body, if turned upside down. The Sheba's breasts resemble the breasts of a female, and the location of the diamonds and treasures, which is further down the map, signifies the private of a female. "Woman is a wholly sexual creature, to be defined entirely in terms of sexual relations and the reproductive function."(Pykett 23) When a man meets a woman, his ultimate goal is to get, as Haggard implied in the book, the treasures of the woman; therefore, one can also relate to the scene where Allen Quartermain and company makes a great effort to reach Sheba's breasts. During that phase of the trip, they face many hardships, such as starvation and dehydration. This part of the book could be interpreted as the time when a woman tells her man to slow down because she is not ready to be intimate, yet man, like the characters in the book would continue to strive to their ultimate goal. It is also important to note that after the characters reached Sheba's breasts; they found a stream, killed an inco and had a big feast. Here is a quote from Allen Quartermain after the treat, complementing the view of Sheba's breasts: "I know not how to describe the glorious panorama which unfolded itself to our enraptured gaze. I have never seen anything like it before, nor shall, I suppose, again."(Haggard 104) Another point that should be observed is the fact that the road to the treasure becomes wide and smooth: "It was a very different business traveling along down hill on that magnificent pathway…. Every mile we walked the atmosphere grew softer and balmier, and the country before us shone with a yet more luminous beauty"(Haggard 107). This part of the literat...

    Read More

  • Analysis of O'Henry's Short Story, The Gift of the Magi

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    The irony of the stories ending is even though their gifts was not wise because they both cannot use them but they sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house, which is their true love for each other, making it the wisest. They are the Magi.

    Read More

  • The Gift of the Magi

    4443 Words  | 9 Pages

    Many critics agree, “The Gift of the Magi” is, in all respects, an amazing and one of a kind story. One critic says, “Ironically, Fagin arrives at something utterly crucial to the success of 'The Gift of the Magi': that it has everything—an absorbing (if short) narrative drive and a twist ending that makes it wholly original” (Korb). Even renowned critic, Rena Korb, agrees; O.Henry did an excellent job with this story. Though O. Henry wrote many great stories, one of his most famous, and favorite, stories of all time is “The Gift of the Magi.” “The gift of the Magi” is a classic about a couple who sacrifices their happiness for the other. It is one of Henry’s most popular stories by far; even being remade many times. Such a popular story must have a powerful base with which to explain its message. That message is incorporated quite well into a few major themes; though, many different themes were used in this story. These themes ranged from materialism, generosity and love to more subtle undertones like selflessness and poverty. Of course, the most prominent is materialism; though, Henry goes to great lengths to show such a complex theme to his audience. He uses excellent literary devices like setting, conflict, creative syntax, and even figurative language all to his advantage. O. Henry uses many different, complex, literary elements to portray these different themes in “The Gift of the Magi.”

    Read More

More about Biblical Allusions In The Gift Of The Magi

Open Document