illustration of two people, a woman and a man, looking at one another in profile with an ornate hair comb between them

The Gift of the Magi

by O. Henry

Start Free Trial

Discussion Topic

Symbolism and Characters in "The Gift of the Magi"

Summary:

In O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," Jim and Della Dillingham Young are depicted as "foolish children" who sacrifice their most valued possessions—Della's hair and Jim's watch—to buy gifts for each other, illustrating the theme that love surpasses material wealth. Their actions mirror the Magi, wise men in the Bible who brought gifts to Jesus, symbolizing selfless love. The story's symbols include Della's hair and Jim's watch, representing personal sacrifice and the couple's deep love.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Who are the "two foolish children" in "The Gift of the Magi"?

In O. Henry's classic short story "The Gift of the Magi," he refers to Jim and Della Dillingham Young as two foolish children who unwisely sacrificed the greatest treasures of their house for each other. In the story, Jim and Della are extremely poor and struggle to make ends meet. Despite their small allowance, both spouses wish to give their partner a valuable, worthy gift. Della realizes that she can sell her beautiful, long hair for a significant amount of money and does so to acquire twenty dollars, which she uses to buy an expensive fob for Jim's prized family heirloom, his watch.

Similarly, Jim also sells his most valuable possession, which is his watch, to acquire enough money to purchase Della a worthy gift. Jim ends up selling his family heirloom and uses the money to buy an expensive set of combs. When Jim returns to...

Unlock
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

his flat later that evening, both spouses discover that their gifts are useless, which is why O. Henry refers to them as "foolish children." Jim and Della failed to consider what each other would purchase and sacrificed their most prized possessions.

Despite being foolish, O. Henry also mentions that they were the wisest because they possessed the greatest gift of all, which is love. Although their gifts were useless, Jim and Della's willingness to sacrifice their most valuable possessions demonstrates their unconditional love, which means more than any material possession.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What are the symbols in "The Gift of the Magi"?

One of the main themes in “The Gift of the Magi” is that love is more valuable than material wealth.

In the story, a young couple does not have much money so they each sell something that matters to them in order to buy the other a better gift.  The moral of the story is: talk to each other!  Of course, the real moral is that not all wealth is in material possessions, and love is a much more valuable wealth.

The young couple has not much money, but they do have things they value.

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride.  One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. (p. 3)

Della is aware that her hair is beautiful.  She is very proud of it.  Her hair is a symbol of her youth, and a symbol of vanity.  She sells her hair to buy her husband a watch chain.

The watch is another symbol.  It symbolizes time, of course.  Time gets away from us, and we make decisions that we cannot get back.  However, the watch also symbolizes material possessions or wealth.  James sells the watch to buy Della s set of combs for her hair.

“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. (p. 5)

The irony, of course, is that each sells his or her best possession to get something nice for the other, when they value each other more than any possession.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Who were the "magi" in The Gift of the Magi?

In the story, "The Gift of the Magi," the characters of Jim and Dehlia, the husband and wife in the story are representative of the Magi, described in the other two answers.  O Henry uses this title particularly to highlight the uniquely sacrificial love that Jim and his wife share.

It is a rare occasion for self-sacrifice to dominate a relationship in the way the it does Jim and Dehlia's marriage.  Their personal sacrifices made for each other, symbolize for O Henry the great love and respect that the Magi showed the infant Jesus.  Like the Magi, who traveled far and with great risk to personal safety, Jim and his wife surrender their most valued personal possessions to buy gifts for the other.

The other is more important than the self in this story, that is at the heart of the theme, love, sacrifice, and an understanding of a greater gift that has nothing to do with material possessions.  

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The word magi is the plural of magus, which means wise man or even sorcerer (the English word magic comes from the same roots). It is an Old Persian word that was taken into Greek. In the Gospel of Matthew, expanded by later Christian tradition, the magi were the Wise Men who made a long journey from the East, guided by the Star of Bethlehem, to worship the newborn baby Jesus as King of the Jews:

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. (Matthew 2)

The Bible nowhere says that there were three magi, but since there were three gifts, this number was assumed.

The magi thus symbolize wise and devoted figures who bring precious gifts in the face of great difficulty to themselves.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The three Magi were three kings from the Biblical telling of the birth of Jesus.  These kings brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus.  The title The Gift of the Magi comes from these Biblical kings who came bearing gifts.  In the O. Henry story, Della sells her long hair to buy a watch chain for her husband, Jim.  Jim sells his watch to buy combs for Della.  The story centers around their sacrifices and the gifts that they purchased.  At the end of the story, O. Henry writes that the three Magi invented the art of gift giving at Christmastime.  He also states that Jim and Della were the wisest of all.  He adds that all those "who give and receive gifts" are wise because "they are the magi."

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The word "magi" means wise men.  The term is used to refer to the three wise men who came from the east to worship the newborn Jesus in some of the Gospels.

The word is used in the title sort of as irony and also to refer to the idea that Jim and Della are actually wise.

The word is ironic because the wise men had really splendid gifts to give Jesus -- gold, frankincense and myrrh.  They were clearly rich.  But Jim and Della don't have hardly anything to give one another.

The word also refers to Jim and Della being wise for being so in love and appreciating each other so much.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What are two symbols in "The Gift of the Magi"?

The sum of one dollar and eighty-seven cents serves a symbolic role in the story. It is the meager amount of money that Della has been able to save from the household grocery allowance. She has the money earmarked to buy a Christmas gift for her husband, Jim. It has taken months to save it, and the sum symbolizes a few things: the couple's poverty, Della's frugality, and Della's love for Jim.

Della's hair and Jim's heirloom pocket watch are also symbols. Though both are prized possessions, neither means more to Della and Jim than the expression of love that each is determined to demonstrate to the other. Though there is pathos in the sacrifice that each makes, the sacrifice of these beloved objects is symbolic of the depth of the love that Della and Jim share.

Approved by eNotes Editorial