THE GIFT OF THE MAGI Explanation:
"The Gift of the Magi" begins at the small and meager flat of James (Jim) and Della Dillingham
Young on the day before Christmas. Della has just finished paying the bills and finds that all she
has left to spend on a present for Jim is $1.87. At first, she bemoans her situation as the narrator
takes note on the broken mail chute and doorbell, the small pier glass mirror, and the "grey cat
walking across the grey fence in the grey backyard".
Della struggles to find a solution to her predicament: she wants to get Jim a present that he will
treasure and rightly deserves for all of his hard work, but she only has $1.87 to spend. Then she
gets an idea. The most valuable thing she has is her hair. Her hair is long and beautiful and she
compares it to the beauty of the Queen of Sheba. She quickly puts on her "old brown coat and her
old brown hat" and hurries off to a hairdresser named Madame Sofronie. Sofronie cuts off Della's
hair and gives her $20 for it.
Della then begins to search for the perfect present for Jim. After being disappointed by the gifts
she sees because they just aren't good enough, she remembers Jim's most treasured possession: his
grandfather's gold watch. She also remembers that Jim had to tie a leather strap to the watch after
the original chain broke, and that was precisely the type of gift she wanted to buy for him. She
goes from shop to shop looking for just the right watch chain until she at last finds a handsome,
platinum chain that is perfect. It costs $21. Della buys it, returning home with $0.87 leftover.
Upon reaching their flat, Della begins to worry that Jim might not find her attractive without her
hair, so she spends the rest of the evening trying to make it as presentable as possible. She then
begins preparing dinner. Jim comes home right on schedule and, as soon as sees Della without her
long, beautiful hair, he stops in shock. Della doesn't know what to make of his reaction; he isn't
angry, or sad, or disgusted - just sort of surprised and confused. When she questions him, he hands
her a gift and tells her that it is his Christmas present to her and that she will understand his reaction
once she sees it. She opens it and sees that it contains a set of combs that she had been yearning
forever since she had seen them in a Broadway window. He had bought her a gift to go with her
beautiful hair, and now she had no hair to put them in.
Then Della remembers her gift for Jim and gives it to him to cheer him up. But it doesn't. Jim tells
her that in order to get enough money to buy the combs, he had to sell his watch. Then Jim smiles
and says that they should keep the gifts to remind themselves just how much they love one another.