Review: The Gift of the Magi

The Gift of the Magi

The Gift of the Magi was written by O. Henry (a pen name for William Sydney Porter) and firstly published in The New York Sunday World under the title "Gifts of the Magi" on December 10, 1905 before the book form was released in the O. Henry Anthology “The Four Million” in April 1906.

It is a story of a young couple, Mr. James Dillingham Young ("Jim") and his wife, Della, and their struggle of buying Christmas present for each other. Even though they are poor, there are two valuable things they possess, Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's and Della's hair. Della, only hold $1.87 on Christmas Eve. She cries desperately because she wants to buy Jim a present for Christmas but what would $1.87 can do? She already saves every penny she could for month and that is all she has. Suddenly she gets an idea, she will sell her hair to get money. Then, she go to a nearby hairdresser named Madame Sofronie and sell her hair for $20. After getting the money, she go down to every stores in town looking for present for Jim, eventually she finds a platinum pocket watch fob chain priced $21. It matched Jim’s watch. She buys and takes home the pocket watch and prepares dinner. At 7 o’clock, the dinner is ready and Della is waiting for Jim while praying that she will still looks pretty to Jim. But, that day unusually, Jim is late to come home. When he walks in, he stop his sight at Della with 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 Della has been prepared for. She then admits that she sold her hair to buy Jim Christmas present. Hearing that, Jim gives Della her present, a comb, which is now useless because Della’s hair is short. Although both of them now are left with the gift neither of them can use, they get something more valuable. They realize that they love each other so much and will do anything to show their love for each other.

In my opinion, the short story is so touching. The young couple, even though they are poor and do not have money, they still trying to give the best for each other. They go that far, sacrificing the valuable things they have to make their soul mate happy. The real give is not the pocket watch chain or the comb, but their priceless love.

Ulfah Azizi Putri