Symbolism in the Gift of the Magi by O Henry Essay

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Value of Sacrifice in O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi"

The short story by O. Henry entitled "The Gift of the Magi" is about Della and Jim, a very young couple who want to buy a Christmas gift for one another -- but neither has the money to afford it; so each sells his/her most prized possession: Della cuts off her hair and sells it, and Jim sells his watch. Ironically, the gifts that they buy one another are related to the most prized possessions each has sold: Jim buys combs for Della's hair and Della buys a watch-chain for his watch. O. Henry uses the symbol of the Magi -- the three Wise Men who visited the Christ child on the first Christmas day -- to explain the meaning of Jim and Della's sacrificing and gift-giving, which appears foolish at first glance. What O. Henry states is that their selling of their most precious gifts for the sake of the other was not foolish, but wise -- just like the very first Wise Men to give gifts in honor of the Christ child. The Christ child Himself serves as a symbol that is only gleaned by reading between the lines -- because it is the Christ Who grows up to sacrifice His own life for others, which makes the theme of sacrifice complete in the story.

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The point-of-view of the story is the 3rd person omniscient narrator, who sees all and even includes commentary. It can be assumed that this is O. Henry's own personal assessment of this tale, as he is the writer. His own background is this: O. Henry was a short story writer who wrote many short pieces for publication and won a wide following -- but like Jim and Della he was often penniless because he was fired from his job at a bank where he was a careless bookkeeper and his pay for his stories, first from The Rolling Stone and then from the Houston Post was meager. Later he was indicted for embezzlement relating to the bank for which he had first worked, and he fled to escape charges after his bail was posted. He eventually returned and faced trial and spent time in prison as a result -- but he continued writing all the while. Henry had a knack for observing life and representing character and story so faithfully….....

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