preview

How Is Della Presented In The Gift Of The Magi

Decent Essays

O. Henry author of the short story “The Gift of the Magi” the main characters Jim and Della go to great extents to get their loved one a gift for Christmas. They go to such great extent that they both give up their most prized possessions to buy their loved one the perfect gift. In “The Gift of the Magi” the theme of love can be seen in Della’s selfless act, her desire to buy Jim a gift that she cannot afford, and her husband’s reaction when he receives the chain for his pocket watch. An example of love in “The Gift of the Magi” can be seen in Della’s selfless act. Della sacrificed the one most prized possession that she could claim as her own. This was her hair, it was so long and pretty, it was what she was known for. O. Henry goes in to such detail as stating “Della would have let her hair hang out the window someday to dry just to depreciate the Queen of Sheeba’s jewels”1. Her love was so great for Jim that she was willing to give her hair up so that she could afford the perfect gift …show more content…

“Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling – something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim”1. She searched all the shops and went through all the pocket chains until she found the perfect one. She went home and pondered on how she was going to get Jim this gift. When she came to the conclusion of selling her hair, she went straight to the hair dresser and asked her how much she would buy her hair for. ““Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practiced hand. "Give it to me quick," said Della”1. After cutting her hair off, she went and bought the chain for Jim pocket watch. This shows great love that she has for him because she was willing to give her most prized possession up just to make Jim happy and to get him the perfect gift for

Get Access