ISSN:
2181-3906
2023
International scientific journal
«MODERN SCIENCE АND RESEARCH»
VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 9 / UIF:8.2 / MODERNSCIENCE.UZ
115
THE LECTURER OF HISTORY AND PHILOLOGY DEPARTMENT, ASIA
INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Rakhimova Sarvinoz Tolibovna
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8346577
Abstract.
This article intends to reveal underlying messages in the short story “The gift of
magi” by O.Henry. In the first sight the story seems to have no message other than love of a couple
who gifted each other something precious. However, deeper analysis of the story gives the reader
something more to discover, such as devotion, loyalty and at the same time poverty which put
people in difficulties relating to finance specifically. The key topics and characters will be
examined, the plot will be described, and individual viewpoints will be expressed in this article.
Keywords
: Christmas, Della, Jim, gift, possession, message, love, economic struggle.
ПРЕПОДАВАТЕЛЬ КАФЕДРЫ ИСТОРИИ И ФИЛОЛОГИИ АЗИАТСКОГО
МЕЖДУНАРОДНОГО УНИВЕРСИТЕТА
Аннотация.
Эта статья призвана раскрыть основные идеи рассказа О.Генри «Дар
волхвов». На первый взгляд кажется, что в этой истории нет ничего, кроме любви к паре,
которая подарила друг другу что-то драгоценное. Однако более глубокий анализ истории
дает читателю открыть для себя кое-что еще, например, преданность, верность и в то
же время бедность, которые создают у людей трудности, особенно связанные с
финансами. В статье будут рассмотрены ключевые темы и персонажи, описан сюжет,
высказаны отдельные точки зрения.
Ключевые слова:
Рождество, Делла, Джим, подарок, владение, послание, любовь,
экономическая борьба.
Introduction
American author O. Henry is well known for his short stories with surprising endings. One
of his masterpieces, The Gift of the Magi, which has become a classic Christmas story. The author
of this article demonstrates how true love between young marriages is more valuable than anything
material.
Summary
Della Young is worried about what she should get her husband, Jim, for Christmas at the
time of the story. She totals her savings, but she only has $1.87, which is insufficient to buy a
decent present. She wants to give her husband something he deserves for all of his hard work, but
she is frustrated. Della looks for a way out of the predicament before coming up with a solution.
Her long, shiny brown hair is the most priceless possession she possesses. She examines it in the
mirror, gets dressed, and then visits Madame Sofronie, a hairstylist. Della's hair is promptly
chopped by the woman, who also gives her $20.
With adequate money, Della shops in several places to locate Jim a gift. Until she is
certain that she has found exactly what she needs, she is not content with anything. Della recalls
that her husband values his gold watch above all else, but because the original strap has been
damaged, he must use a leather one. The woman discovers a platinum chain that will fit the
watch exactly, pays $21 for it, and leaves.
Jim arrives and is startled and perplexed to see his wife without her magnificent hair. Until
Della opens his gift for her, she is unable to comprehend his emotions. She finds a set of combs
ISSN:
2181-3906
2023
International scientific journal
«MODERN SCIENCE АND RESEARCH»
VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 9 / UIF:8.2 / MODERNSCIENCE.UZ
116
that she had been wanting for a while, but because she no longer has her long hair, they seem to
be of no use. When she gives her husband the platinum chain to console him, she learns that Jim
had sold his gold watch to pay for a gift for her. Jim advises that they have dinner and store their
Christmas presents. Della and Jim are acknowledged as the story's wisest gift-givers in the
conclusion.
Characters
One of the story's two main characters is Della. She is youthful and attractive, and she
stands out for being wholly devoted to her husband. Since he deserves something special, Della is
so grateful for him that she declines to offer him a trifle. She dares to sell her hair, the only treasure
she owns, because of this. According to her, she "couldn't have lived through Christmas without
giving you a present" (O. Henry, 5) and tells Jim as much. Della is not only madly in love with her
husband, but also a very emotional person. When she is in need, she does not suppress her tears,
and when she is joyful, she does not suppress her laughter. Furthermore, she is prone to mood
swings; for example, one moment she may be upset about getting a haircut, and the next she may
be excited to give Jim his Christmas present. Perhaps the plethora of feelings had a part in Della's
intense love for her husband.
Readers don't know Jim's thoughts because he doesn't show up until the very end of the
novel; instead, they watch his actions. Jim, like Della, gave up his gold watch, which was the most
valuable possession he owned, to purchase a gift for his wife. He must therefore be as madly in
love with Della as she is with him. After all, the author designed his characters so pure because
the plot is meant to demonstrate genuine affection.
Themes
The story's main message is that true love is the most precious thing in the world. Since
Della and Jim are content to be together and do not demand anything exceptional from one another,
their love is unconditional. Della does not even consider blaming her husband for his meager
income when she tallies her limited resources. Instead, she is content to be his wife and desires to
offer him the best gift she is able to. The author compares the pair to the magi who gave gifts to
the infant Jesus because of the couple's sacrifices (Zhang and Wang 657). He claims that Jim and
Della, however, are wiser because they gave each other the most priceless gift there is—pure
love—making them wiser (Zhang and Wang 657). As a result, the narrative suggests that everyone
should try to find true love.
The subject of wealth and poverty is also covered in The Gift of the Magi. The story, in
Nagel's words, "resonates throughout American marriages, many of which went through periods
of economic struggle at some point" (102). The Young family is indeed extremely underprivileged,
and Della must bargain with merchants for every last cent (Tong 207). Even though they barely
scrape by, Della and Jim are content because they have something far more valuable than money:
their love. To quote Zhang and Wang, "There is no pure love in the world of money while there is
no money in the world of love" (657). The moral of the story is that genuine affection is the only
thing that matters in life and does not depend on worldly riches.
Review of The Magi's Gifts
Although the novel is meant to inspire readers to experience true love, it comes across as a
little unrealistic when read from a pragmatic viewpoint as opposed to a romantic one. If the spouses
ISSN:
2181-3906
2023
International scientific journal
«MODERN SCIENCE АND RESEARCH»
VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 9 / UIF:8.2 / MODERNSCIENCE.UZ
117
had discussed their goals and aspirations, the exchange of pointless presents would not have
occurred.
Conclusion
The Gift of the Magi is a nice and inspirational tale about two young individuals who
genuinely love one another. Their willingness to give up the most priceless possessions they hold
in order to make each other happy is a sign of their love. In addition to the theme of love, the story
also addresses the ideas of poverty and money. It contends that wealthy individuals are not
necessarily those who are wealthy but rather those who love and are loved in return.
REFERENCES
1.
Nagel, James.
The American Short Story Handbook
. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.
2.
O. Henry.
The Gift of the Magi
. Strelbytskyy Multimedia Publishing, 2018.
3.
Study Guide for O. Henry’s ‘The Gift of the Magi.’
Gale, Cengage Learning,
2015.
4.
Tong, Lu. “A Brief Analysis on the Typical Writing Styles of O.
Henry.”
Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research
, vol. 30,
2016, pp. 205-208.
5.
Zhang, Yue, and Lijun Wang. “On Different Types of Love Stories Written by O.
Henry.”
Journal of Language Teaching and Research
, vol. 6, no. 3, 2015, pp.
656-661.
