“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry Introduction
O. Henry does not specify where or when "The Gift of the Magi" takes place. The reader may assume that "the city" he refers to is New York City and that the story occurs around the time he wrote it—in the early 1900s. Details from the story, such as the clothes the characters wear, the physical descriptions of the apartment and of the city, and the language in the story (both the slang used by the characters and the vocabulary of the narrator) help support this assumption. For instance, the Youngs' flat has an electric buzzer (even though it is broken), but Della must use the gas to heat her curling irons, showing that the story takes place before electricity was as widely used as it is today. Wigs are made with real human hair, and watches are commonly carried in a pocket rather than worn on the wrist.
When this story was first published, in 1906, the roles of American men and women were fairly clearly defined. Jim and Della show several signs of meeting conventional expectations: he works outside the home, while she shops and cooks and takes care of the household; he is emotionally secure, comforting her during her crying spells. Women did not yet have the right to vote, although the suffrage movement had begun.
In the United States, an economic crisis was building, made worse by the tremendous amount of federal aid needed to help the people of San Francisco, California, after the infamous 1906 earthquake, the worst ever to hit an American city. The quake was calculated to register 8.3 on the Richter scale, cracking water and gas mains and igniting a 3-day-long fire that burned two thirds of the city. Twenty-five hundred people died, 250,000 were left homeless, and over $400 million in property was destroyed.
O. Henry did not allude to the current events of his day in "The Gift of the Magi" or in many of his other stories. This may have been because his characters were mainly working-class people, too involved with getting along in their day-to-day lives to pay much attention to international or even national events that did not affect them directly and immediately.
“The Gift of the Magi” Questions for Critical Reading p. 116
Review these questions. Take time to create your responses. These are not RACE formula answers. Use complete sentences with the question in your answer.
1. What was the best gift you ever RECEIVED? Why? Who gave it to you? What was the occasion? Did you ever tell the person how much the gift meant to you?
2. What was the best gift you ever GAVE someone? Why? Who did you give the gift you? What was the occasion? Did you the person ever tell you how much the gift meant to him/her?
3. If money was no issue, what is the best gift you would give someone? Who would you give it to? Why do you think it would be such a great gift for the person?
4. What is an instance of irony in the short story?
5. What is the significance of “3” in the story?
6. Several passages in the story give subtle clues about Jim. Identify at least three passages that reveal aspects of Jim’s character and explain their significance.
7. Why does the author refer to the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon?
8. What aspects of the story would be revealed or hidden if it were told from another point of view? For instance, how would the story change if it were told completely from Jim’s perspective?
9. Who is the protagonist? Who or what is the antagonist?
10. How would the story change if the setting were different? Would this be an effective story if it were set in today’s time?
11. Explain the author’s use of foreshadowing in the story.
12. Does the story end the way that you expect? Why or why not? (no personal pronouns)
13. Pretend Jim sold his gold watch in a newspaper ad instead. Write the newspaper ad for Jim’s gold watch. What details would he include? Would he divulge the reasoning behind him selling his possession?
14. If Della had had short hair in the beginning of the story, what do you think she would have done/sold in order to pay for the gold chain? (no personal pronouns)
O. Henry does not specify where or when "The Gift of the Magi" takes place. The reader may assume that "the city" he refers to is New York City and that the story occurs around the time he wrote it—in the early 1900s. Details from the story, such as the clothes the characters wear, the physical descriptions of the apartment and of the city, and the language in the story (both the slang used by the characters and the vocabulary of the narrator) help support this assumption. For instance, the Youngs' flat has an electric buzzer (even though it is broken), but Della must use the gas to heat her curling irons, showing that the story takes place before electricity was as widely used as it is today. Wigs are made with real human hair, and watches are commonly carried in a pocket rather than worn on the wrist.
When this story was first published, in 1906, the roles of American men and women were fairly clearly defined. Jim and Della show several signs of meeting conventional expectations: he works outside the home, while she shops and cooks and takes care of the household; he is emotionally secure, comforting her during her crying spells. Women did not yet have the right to vote, although the suffrage movement had begun.
In the United States, an economic crisis was building, made worse by the tremendous amount of federal aid needed to help the people of San Francisco, California, after the infamous 1906 earthquake, the worst ever to hit an American city. The quake was calculated to register 8.3 on the Richter scale, cracking water and gas mains and igniting a 3-day-long fire that burned two thirds of the city. Twenty-five hundred people died, 250,000 were left homeless, and over $400 million in property was destroyed.
O. Henry did not allude to the current events of his day in "The Gift of the Magi" or in many of his other stories. This may have been because his characters were mainly working-class people, too involved with getting along in their day-to-day lives to pay much attention to international or even national events that did not affect them directly and immediately.
“The Gift of the Magi” Questions for Critical Reading p. 116
Review these questions. Take time to create your responses. These are not RACE formula answers. Use complete sentences with the question in your answer.
1. What was the best gift you ever RECEIVED? Why? Who gave it to you? What was the occasion? Did you ever tell the person how much the gift meant to you?
2. What was the best gift you ever GAVE someone? Why? Who did you give the gift you? What was the occasion? Did you the person ever tell you how much the gift meant to him/her?
3. If money was no issue, what is the best gift you would give someone? Who would you give it to? Why do you think it would be such a great gift for the person?
4. What is an instance of irony in the short story?
5. What is the significance of “3” in the story?
- The story has three main characters: Della, Jim, and Madame Sophronie
- Della counts her money three times (para. 1).
- The narrator says that “Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles” (para. 2).
- A reference is made to the Queen of Sheba, who gave King Solomon three types of gifts: spices, gold, and jewels.
- A sentence in para. 5 states, “She stood by the window and looked out dully at a grey cat walking a grey fence in a grey backyard.”
- The narrator alliteratively describes Della as speaking with “sudden serious sweetness.”
- Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar are the three magi, with three homelands.
- The magi offered three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
- The story centers on three valuables: Jim’s gold watch, Della’s hair, and the love that Jim and Della share.
6. Several passages in the story give subtle clues about Jim. Identify at least three passages that reveal aspects of Jim’s character and explain their significance.
7. Why does the author refer to the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon?
8. What aspects of the story would be revealed or hidden if it were told from another point of view? For instance, how would the story change if it were told completely from Jim’s perspective?
9. Who is the protagonist? Who or what is the antagonist?
10. How would the story change if the setting were different? Would this be an effective story if it were set in today’s time?
11. Explain the author’s use of foreshadowing in the story.
12. Does the story end the way that you expect? Why or why not? (no personal pronouns)
13. Pretend Jim sold his gold watch in a newspaper ad instead. Write the newspaper ad for Jim’s gold watch. What details would he include? Would he divulge the reasoning behind him selling his possession?
14. If Della had had short hair in the beginning of the story, what do you think she would have done/sold in order to pay for the gold chain? (no personal pronouns)