Tasks: The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

Below are some quotations from the short story The Gift of the Magi. Explain what the quotations mean and how they add to your understanding of the two main characters in the short story.

• "One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies."
• "The 'Dillingham' had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, the letters of 'Dillingham' looked blurred, as though they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D."
• "Whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called 'Jim' and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della."
• "She stood by the window and looked out dully at a grey cat walking a grey fence in a grey backyard."
• "With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she cluttered out of the door and down the stairs to the street."
• "As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim's. It was like him. Quietness and value--the description applied to both."
• "Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della."

• "Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled. ‘Let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present.’"

  
  
  

1. Can you describe the setting of the story? Where and when does it take place? Use examples from the text.
2. Della and Jim are poor. Find at least five different passages in the short story that describe their social standing in society.
3. Describe the two characters: Write a list of adjectives describing Della and Jim and find specific examples in the short story supporting your description.
4. Are Della and Jim static or dynamic characters? Give reasons for your opinion.
5. Describe the relationship between the two main characters. They clearly have strong feelings for each other. How is this conveyed in the story?
6. The short story is told by an omniscient / all-knowing narrator who sometimes takes control and zooms in and out of the story. Could you find examples of this? How does it affect your understanding of Della? How does it affect your understanding of the short story in general? Would the story have been different if Della had been the narrator?
7. Comment on the title of the short story. What does it mean?
8. An allusion is a short, indirect reference to a well-known person, place, historical event, work of art or literature etc. which is used as a reference to something else. (E.g. ‘We do serious work in my classroom, it isn’t the Mickey Mouse Club over here' or 'He's no Einstein'). Can you find any allusions in the short story? What are they referring to? (You might have to do a web search...)
9. How does O. Henry employ irony in the story?
10. What are the themes of the short story? (There are often more than one). Give examples from the text.
11. Comment on the final paragraph. Do you find any hints as to the message of the short story?

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.

1. Write a character analysis of Della and Jim where you also look at the relationship between the two. Use extracts from the text to support your arguments.

2. Write a text where you discuss the various themes that you find in the short story. Use extracts from the text to support your arguments.

3. Write a personal text where you discuss your philosophy of gift-giving (and receiving). What makes for the most meaningful gifts? Relate your personal experiences to the story.