The Gift of the Magi Video Summary
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- Опубліковано 10 лис 2021
- Visit us at www.gradesaver.com/the-gift-o... to read the full video transcript and our study guide for this classic novel, which includes a full list of characters, themes, and much more.
“The Gift of the Magi” is a short story written in 1905 by O. Henry, the pen name of William Sydney Porter. Set on Christmas Eve, the book is about a husband and wife who sacrifice their most prized possessions and, in an ironic twist, realize the richness of their love for one another. The story has been widely adapted and remains a treasured Christmas tale.
The story opens on Christmas Eve. Della, a selfless and frugal woman, is distraught. For months, she has been saving up to buy a Christmas gift for her beloved husband, Jim.
However, Jim’s pitiful salary of 20 dollars per week has only afforded her $1.87 for a present, far from the amount she would need for a gift worthy of Jim’s love.
Forlorn, Della begins to cry but suddenly catches a glimpse of herself in a mirror. She admires her long hair, which falls past her knees. Along with Jim’s gold watch, which was passed down from his grandfather, Della’s beautiful hair is one of the couple’s most treasured possessions.
Della has an idea. Putting on her weather-beaten coat, she walks down the street to a shop. Della asks the joyless shop owner, Mrs. Sofronie, if she will buy Della’s hair. After examining it, Mrs. Sofronie offers Della 20 dollars for her hair, and Della agrees.
Hair shorn, Della browses the nearby shops in a kind of trance, desperate for the perfect present for Jim. After two hours of shopping, she decides on a gift: a platinum chain to replace the worn leather strap on Jim’s watch. The chain costs 21 dollars, leaving Della only 87 cents.
Returning to the apartment, Della prepares Christmas dinner and frantically curls her short hair, trying in vain to look less like a schoolboy. She hears Jim’s footsteps on the stairs and suddenly worries that he will no longer find her beautiful.
When Jim finally sees Della, his face is inscrutable, and Della cannot tell if he is surprised or angry. She cries out that she sold her hair to buy him a Christmas present and hopes that he is not cross with her.
Suddenly, Jim puts his arms around Della, placing her Christmas gift on the table. She opens the gift and shrieks. It is a pair of jeweled tortoise shell combs that Della admired in a shop window for months-a present that is now useless to her.
After assuring Della that nothing could make her less beautiful in his eyes, Jim opens her present to him, the watch chain. Dumbfounded, Jim admits that he sold his watch to buy her the combs.
Realizing the irony of their sacrifices, the couple decides to put away their Christmas gifts and have dinner. In a brief epilogue, the story’s narrator compares Jim and Della to the Biblical Magi, who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. “Of all who give gifts,” the narrator says of Della and Jim, “these two were the most wise.”
I absolutely love this short story. Always have since my school years. I appreciate my English teacher for having us read and study this story.
The watch for Jim and the hair for Della represented a form of pride for them. And to sacrifice these two prized possessions for the other exhibits love and sacrifice.
“No greater love than this that a man lie down his life for his friend”.
A man and his wife. Simply beautiful if you ask me.
Truly “the gift of the magi”.
May we all love and be loved this way.
So many of us love yet we find difficulty in receiving love.
Open your heart and allow yourself to be loved too.😢
I speak from experience.
❤️
You're really saving my grades. I don't wanna read a 4 page story so I'll just watch it.
One of my favorite Christmas stories, makes me tear up because they sold the most important things to them to buy something special for someone they love, and at the end they loved both of their gifts so much it doesn't matter about the material things, but the principal of doing something for someone you love.😢 ❤
Read this story as a kid. One of my fav of all time.
Great summary for O Henry's greatest short story 👍👍👍
Thanks for this wonderful presentation. Showing it to my literature class.
Thanks for sharing. Truly helpful for students; and teachers, too.
thank youuu this helped sm!!
This story always makes me cry
It was a nice story thank you
This is useful instead of reading those long paragraphs of the lesson ❤😁
Linda historia de amor y sacrificio!
Very good sir!
thank you so much for saving my grades and time hahah
Hellped so much thank u ❤
Nice story.
So cool i love this❤❤❤
Love you life saver
Summarize Huckleberry Finn! Summarize Holes! Summarize The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian!
What kind of gifts can you get in 1894?
I have a question 🙋♀️ what connection is there between the pocket watch and hair?
I don't think there is a connection, but Jim bought Della the hairpin by selling his watch and Della bought Jim a watchstring by selling her hair.
They didn't have any connection it was actually there pride. The Pocket watch was passed down to him(Jim) from his father and his grandfather. And Dallas hair was beautiful,long and brown that reached below her knee which made itself almost a garment for her.
I just heard this
Thank you 'Blue Bloods' s13-e14 for taking me here!
Must read'up about O Henry.
Also,
Slava Ukraina!