How does Jim react to Della's haircut in "The Gift of the Magi"?

When Jim walks through the door, he possesses an unreadable expression that utterly terrifies his tremulous wife.  

It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared as her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

Della quickly explains that she cut and sold her hair because she wanted so badly to buy him something nice for Christmas. She also assures him that her how grows very fast and that she's bought him a really lovely gift with the money she got for her hair.  

"You've cut off your hair?" asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labor [....].  Jim looked around the room curiously.  "You say your hair is gone?" he said, with an air almost of idiocy.

Jim's initial, and somewhat lengthy, response seems to be disbelief. After all, the narrator tells us that he's neither mad, nor shocked, nor disapproving, nor horrified. He speaks "laboriously" and slowly, as though he has some deficiency of understanding, almost like an "idiot." In other words, he seems, simply, to be unable to believe the supreme irony of what has happened. After all, he knows before Della does that they each have done the same thing—sold their most valuable possessions to buy something nice for the other—and he initial disbelieving response does fade quickly.

How does Jim react to Della's haircut in "The Gift of the Magi"?

Just before Jim arrives home from work Della says a little prayer: "Please God, make him think I am still pretty." Della has just sold her beautiful hair (her prized possession) in order to buy a watch chain for Jim's watch (his most prized possession).

Della is apprehensive about Jim's reaction to her new look. When he arrives home, O. Henry uses a simile to describe the look on Jim's face: "Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail." O. Henry further remarks that Jim was neither "surprised," "horrified" or in a state of "disapproval." Della's appearance simply puts Jim into a "trance." Two things must have gone through his head. First, his wife has cut off her beautiful hair and, second, the new "tortoise shell" combs he has bought are not as appropriate as they once were. Nevertheless, he still loves her as he remarks,

"Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But, if you'll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going at first."

Jim's reaction has more to do with the revelation about the combs than any positive or negative reaction to Della's hair. The point of the story is that this couple have overwhelming love for each other that goes beyond physical beauty. They are willing to sacrifice their most prized possessions to demonstrate that love.

How does Jim react to Della's haircut in "The Gift of the Magi"?

Della cuts and sells her pride and joy, her long, beautiful hair, so that she can afford to buy a fine Christmas present for her husband, Jim. She purchases him an expensive watch chain for his beloved watch and is thrilled to be able to do so.

When Jim comes home, Della at first doesn't know how to react to the look on his face, though she is "terrified:"

His [Jim's] eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face

We soon learn, however, that Jim is so utterly stunned because he has sold his watch to buy a costly comb and brush set for Della's now non-existent long hair. However, we also find out that he is deeply touched and moved by the sacrifice she has made for him.

The irony of the story is that because of their mutual sacrifices, each of them has an expensive gift that they can't use. In the end, however, as the narrator points out, it is not the gift that matters so much as the intention behind the gift. Della and Jim have given each other the assurance of love, and this gift will cement their marriage and relationship for the years to come.

The narrator says that Della and Jim might look foolish in the eyes of the world, but they have given each other the greatest gift of all.

What is Jim's reaction to Della's short hair in "The Gift of the Magi"?

This question isn't necessarily easy to answer because the narrator doesn't expressly tell readers how Jim reacts to Della's new hairstyle. The text does tell us a lot about how Jim doesn't react.

His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

The narrator lists a lot of things that Jim's expression was not, but there are still plenty of expressions that the "peculiar expression" could be. I like to think that his expression is a nice mixture of humor, acceptance, and irony. Jim doesn't get mad at his wife, and he tells her that he likes her no matter what her hair looks like.

"Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less."

Jim does know what he bought Della for Christmas; therefore, he immediately knows that he is holding a gift that can't be immediately used by his wife to beautify her hair. It is the last thing that he expected to see when he got. Jim probably immediately sees the irony in the situation, and he has to check a couple of times to make sure that he is seeing things correctly.

"You say your hair is gone?" he said, with an air almost of idiocy.

Jim's peculiar expression is a perfect way to describe his reaction because it is so vague. It lets readers imagine exactly what his expression is that even his wife can't figure out. We are given enough detail to know that his expression isn't negative, and then the narrator strings us along until we finally understand why his expression was so unique.

They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.

What is Jim's reaction to Della's short hair in "The Gift of the Magi"?

Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

O. Henry intentionally refrains from specifying the nature of Jim's reaction when he enters the flat and sees Della without her hair. The author says what the expression is not: It is "not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for." It is just "peculiar." O. Henry is saving the big revelation for a bit later when Jim will explain that he has sold his watch to buy Della a set of tortoise-shell combs.

Jim's "peculiar" look is partly attributable to the fact that at first he must think Della has decided to try out a bold new fashion in hair styling. He thinks she thinks she looks pretty! That is exactly the opposite of what she thinks of herself. This necessitates the explanation that she sold her hair to buy him a watch fob for Christmas, and that in turn necessitates his speaking the line that contains O. Henry's surprise ending.

"I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs."

O. Henry knew that Jim would have to show some kind of reaction when he entered and saw Della without her long hair. But if Jim looked shocked and horrified, it would detract from the surprise ending O. Henry planned, because it would suggest that Jim had some special reason for expecting to see Della still adorned with her beautiful hair. So O. Henry intentionally describes Jim's reaction as "peculiar," which really tells us nothing. O. Henry can justify the use of the word "peculiar" because Jim doesn't understand what is going on. He may think Della has adopted an extreme new hair style. He is really not so shocked by his wife's appearance as he is dismayed at the realization that her new hairstyle has made his gift useless. He is telling the truth when he says he loves her just the same with or without her long hair.

In "The Gift of the Magi," how does Della think Jim will react to her haircut?

Della impetuously sells her beautiful long hair in order to raise enough money to buy her husband a Christmas present. Then when she buys the present, a platinum watch fob, and gets back home, she begins to worry about what Jim is going to think of her when he comes home from work.

“If Jim doesn't kill me,” she said to herself, “before he takes a second look at me, he'll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do—oh! what could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?”

Her anxiety increases throughout the rest of the day while she is waiting for her husband to return. By the time she hears him coming up the stairs, she is actually praying.

She had a habit for saying little silent prayers about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: “Please God, make him think I am still pretty.”

So Della expects Jim to have a strong reaction to her new look, with her head covered by little curls held in place with hairpins. She thinks he will say she looks like a Coney Island chorus girl. No doubt chorus girls were among the first young women to start cutting their hair short. They were hard working girls who had to perform in four shows over a long afternoon and evening. They didn't have time to take proper care of long hair in the days when they didn't even have electric hair dryers. "The Gift of the Magi" was first published in 1905. It wouldn't be long before young American women would begin cutting their hair short as a early form of women's lib. They may have been inspired by girls who appeared on the stage and in the early motion pictures. F. Scott Fitzgerald's story "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" would appear in The Saturday Evening Post in 1920, only fifteen years later.

O. Henry prepares the reader for a violent reaction when Jim sees Della without her long hair. Instead, he looks at her with an expression she is unable to interpret.

Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

Jim is a relatively minor character. He exists mainly in Della's thoughts and is seen only through her point of view. The story is really about how a young woman sells her hair to buy her husband a Christmas present. O. Henry uses the fact that Jim sold his watch as a surprise ending, but he does not give equal weight to the sacrifices of both young lovers. Della's anxiety about Jim's reaction is intended to highlight the contrast between what she expects and what really happens. This is "situational irony." Jim is shocked, stunned by the fact that she has shorn the long hair for which he sold his watch to buy her a set of tortoise-shell combs.

Della's fears are calmed when Jim tells her:

“Don't make any mistake, Dell,” he said, “about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less." 

The fact that he has sold his treasured gold watch in order to buy her a Christmas present adds tangible proof of his abiding and reassuring love for her.

How does Jim react to Della's new haircut in "The Gift of the Magi"?

Jim frightens Della because she can't understand his expression as he sees her short hair. We are told,

His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for.

Jim at first is stunned and dismayed because—he has just sold his watch to buy her a Christmas gift of beautiful tortoiseshell combs for her to wear in her long hair. He can't, initially, absorb what she has done, so he simply stares and tries to process the new reality. Jim obviously never expected her to do this.

Once Jim realizes, however, that Della sold her beloved hair to buy him a watch chain, he feels deeply moved by her sacrifice and enfolds her in his arms. Jim realizes she has sold her hair because she loves him so deeply that she was willing to give up what was most precious to her for his sake. This makes his love for her grow more than any physical gift she could give him.