The “Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry is a short story that has an interesting theme.
The main themes in this short story are that people do not need money to express love,
and the true meaning of Christmas. Things such as the characters, setting, and events
contribute to the theme.
The characters Della and Jim have very little money, and yet they express their
love by each selling their greatest treasures. Della sells her hair and Jim sells his watch. If
they were both wealthy people, the story would have most likely have changed for the
worse. Since these people make very little money, their gifts come more from the heart
and show how much they care about each other.
Having the story set in a big city impacted the theme of the story. Life is more
stressful in the city, especially for those who are less fortunate. The difference of the
setting being in the city rather than a small town, is that the cities often have many people
who cannot afford expensive presents. The city has people just like Della and Jim who
can only afford to have presents from the heart.
The events have a large role in the theme of people expressing their love without
money. Della sells her hair to buy a watch chain for Jim. Jim sells his watch to buy an
set of combs for Della. In the end they each end up not being able to use the
gifts but realize how much affection they each have. O. Henry describes the scene where
Della is preparing to go sell her hair very vividly. “So now Della's beautiful hair fell
about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters...Once she faltered for a
minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.
I think it’s symbolic that Bradbury never identified the city. This makes me feel like it could have happened anywhere, even L.A. I think the purpose was to make the reader think about their town when they read the book. Also, I think it’s significant that this was pictured in the future. Since it was about this society that had basically crashed and burned, it can be seen ...
all the details of the city that often fly over the heads of most and recreates
O. Henry is a very inspirational person, in “The Gift of the Magi,” he makes the story go a lot deeper than the words on the page, with a little something called symbolism. One thing he really specializes in is symbolism, certainly with adolescence, worriness, and timelessness in this story. Symbolism plays a huge role in the narrative, a role so big that without it, the story would be quite dull. Without symbolism, this story would not have half the meaning it does now, when you dig into the story, you discover how much Della and Jim really love one
young couple’s admiration for money. The couple’s names are Joe and Missie May. When Joe
love, is shown by an elderly couple involved in a bad accident. Both of them
Kathy and Tommy’s special connection has been evident since the beginning of the story when Kathy tries to calm down Tommy during one of his tantrums. When they are around 16 years old, Tommy and Ruth start dating and for a brief period of time, Ruth and Tommy break up. Many of Kathy’s peers noticed the connection between Kathy and Tommy and deemed her the “natural successor” of who should date Tommy next. However, Ruth believed that she and Tommy belonged together and asked Kathy to convince Tommy to get back together with her. Tommy and Ruth begin dating again and remain dating until they leave the Cottages. With Kathy’s loyalty to both Ruth and Tommy, Ruth and Tommy’s relationship constantly complicates the dynamics of their friendship. However, Ruth saw the special relationship between Kathy and Tommy all along and did not admit it until she and Tommy are donors and Kathy is a carer. Ruth asks for Kathy’s forgiveness and admits that keeping Tommy and her apart was the worst thing she did. Ruth then says, “ I’m not even asking you to forgive...
However, the setting of a story is more than simply a where or when that makes a nice background to a story. In a story, the psychological setting or cultural definition of a scene are associated with the values,
Imagine for a moment it is your big sister's 17th birthday. She is out with her friends celebrating, and your parents are at the mall with your little brother doing some last minute birthday shopping, leaving you home alone. You then hear a knock on the front door. When you getthere, nobody is there, just an anonymous note taped to the door that says Happy Birthday, along with a hundred dollar bill. You've been dying to get that new video game, and your sister will never know. You are faced with a tough decision, but not a very uncommon one. In both Fences, by August Wilson, and A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansbury, tough decisions have to be made about getting money from someone else's misfortune. But money's that important right?
A lot has changed in the past few decades, not to mention centuries. Perhaps you’ve heard your grandparents, or any adult in general, talking about how much the world is changing. In the past few decades, commitment has gone on a rollercoaster. At times it’s going uphill-marriage rates are up, divorce rates are down, and people are happy in their relationships. At other times, it has been quite the opposite. In A Brave New World, they show a glimpse of a possible future society; the novel serves as a warning to help the world slow down when it comes to technology and love. The expression of love has evolved throughout time due to the decrease of chivalry and the increase in divorce rates because of the change of “steps” in a relationship.
O. Henry’s short story “The Gift of the Magi,” is about a couple who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. The story takes place on Christmas Eve in a furnished apartment at eight dollars a week. I feel that the narrator mocks Jim and Della for being poor. “It did not beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.” (O. Henry 165). Della and Jim’s income shrunk from thirty dollars a week to twenty dollars a week causing them a great deal of financial problems. They both are troubled that Christmas is tomorrow and they cannot afford to buy each other a nice gift. Jim’s gold watch and Della’s hair play an important role in the story.
The setting is very important to the story because it allows the reader to identify where the story takes place. The town is full of miners: “Miners, single, trailing and in groups, passed like shadows diverging home” (798). The miners are going back home after a hard day at work.
and fortune.Poor to rich (Bruccoli). Daisy wanted to didn 't want to be with someone who was
It is a known fact of life that true love is hard to find in this day and age; one could say it is more plausible to find a needle in a haystack. True, sincere love, when found, is a real test to humanity. O.Henry, the author of the short story “The Gift of The Magi”, has written a masterpiece about a young couple who give everything they have for each other in order to show the great magnitude of their love. Della and James Young live in a poor suburb of New York where the young couple resides in a shabby apartment. They do not have much to give; however, it is Christmas Eve, so both are searching for a gift for the other. Both Della and James sacrifice their most valued gifts in order to please the other. O.Henry
There are four types of love in this world, philia, eros, agape, and storge. Philia is the love of friends. Eros is romantic love. Agape is unconditional love. And storge is the love of family. In the four stories “A Secret for Two”, “The Gift of the Magi”, “Thank You M’am”, and “Too Soon a Woman” they all portray a type of love. This essay will show you how each of the stories portray a type of love.
Generally speaking, life in the city is more hectic and clamorous. While a vast majority of Americans pack themselves into our major cities, there are still millions who live outside of the cities. Certainly, there are a lot more activities in the city: shopping malls and restaurants galore, thrift stores, libraries, and concert...