Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" and O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" are both short stories, famous for their ironic twist endings. Furthermore, both stories are heavily concerned with themes of socioeconomic frustrations and poverty. In "The Necklace," Mathilde Loisel, desiring the glamor and status associated with wealth, borrows a diamond necklace from a friend. When she loses the necklace (and purchases a new necklace to replace the old one), this sequence of events pushes the Loisels into actual debt. Meanwhile, "The Gift of the Magi" follows a married couple, Jim and Della, during the Christmas season. Each wishes to buy a gift for the other but, living in poverty, they each lack the money to do so. Thus, each sells their dearest possession (Jim his watch and Della her hair) to raise the money needed to buy the other a gift. Despite these similarities, I'd suggest that these stories are very different in their tones and themes.

"The Necklace" is much more cynical, particularly in its depiction of its lead character. Where Madame Loisel is driven by vanity and pride, Jim and Della are driven out of love for one another, and each is acting out of a spirit of self sacrifice. This reflects in the attitudes that their respective authors take towards the characters in question. At the end of his story, O. Henry celebrates this married couple, comparing them with the Magi from the Gospels. The same cannot be said of Maupassant when depicting Loisel and her misfortune.