Critical Analysis of The Gift of Magi By O Henry

4. •Birth name: William Sidney Porter
•Pen name :“O. Henry,” (said to come from the frequent calling of, “Oh, Henry,”
the family cat.)
•Quit school at age 15 to become a pharmacist
•At age 19, became a fully licensed pharmacist and worked in
his uncle’s drug store.
•He took a job as a cowboy in Texas.
•He was known to walk around the ranch with a pocket dictionary
and a book of poems.

5. •In 1891, he became a teller at the First National
Bank in Austin, Texas.
•In 1896, he was accused of embezzling money from
the bank.
•He fled to New Orleans, and later to Honduras,
leaving behind his wife and young daughter.
•He learned that his wife was dying, returned to
America, surrendered to police.
•Much debate over his guilt, but he was convicted
and sentenced to five years in jail.

6. •In prison, he began writing short stories to support his young daughter. He
published 12 stories while in prison. He was released after three years for good
behavior.
•Emerged from prison as, “O. Henry,” to shield his identity.
•Moved to New York City in 1902, published over 300 stories and gained
worldwide acclaim.

7. •“This is William Sydney Porter speaking, better known to you, no doubt, as O.
Henry. I’m going to let you in on a few of my secrets to writing a short
story.
The most important thing, at least in my humble opinion, is to use characters
and plots that are life like. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. All of my
stories are actual experiences that I have come across during my travels.
My characters are facsimiles of actual people I have known.
Most authors spend hours, I’m told even days, laboring over outlines of stories
they have in their minds. But not I. In my way of thinking, that’s a waste of
good time. I just sit down and let my pencil do the rest.
Many people ask me how I manage to get that fine little twist in my stories. I
always tell them that the unusual is the ordinary, rather than the
unexpected.
Now, if you people that are listening to me now start thinking about
your own lives, I’m sure you’ll discover just as many odd experiences

9. •The story contains many of the elements for which O. Henry is widely known,
including poor, working-class characters, a humorous tone, realistic detail, and a
surprise ending.
•unselfish love.
•Such love, the story and its title suggest, is like the gifts given by the wise men,
called magi, who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn Jesus.
•The story tells us the unconditional love of Della and Jim for each other. They
are generous and willing to sacrifice everything just to make their partner
happy.

10. In "The Gift of the Magi," O. Henry uses a folksy narrator to tell the story.
There is a narrator with personality and presence. Although the story
focuses on Della's point of view— the reader sees primarily what Della
sees—the story is told in another narrative voice that directly addresses the
reader as "you." It is almost as if the narrator is an additional character
that is heard, but never seen, engaging the reader as a friend and sharing
his insights into the Youngs' situation. The narrator tells the story in a
joking, neighborly way, with several funny asides directed at the reader.
He uses casual expressions such as "took a mighty pride'' and interrupts his
tale with humorous phrases like "forget the hashed metaphor." Another

11. •Della: a loving, warm, selfless, and devoted
woman to her husband.
•Jim: he is the husband of Della who works long
hours but the salary is low.
•Mme Sofronie: the owner of a hair shop where
Della sold her hair.

12. •Gold: represents love, purity, money (which the couple
lacks), and eternity (gold does not rust or tarnish) or
divinity, such as Jesus or God himself.
•Watch: represents time, the future (which the couple
hopes to spend together), the end of the year, or eternity.
•Hair: can symbolize many things: youth (young
women generally wear their hair longer), vitality and
sexuality. In a way, by giving up her hair, the woman in the
story is agreeing to give her youth, sexuality, and "best

13. •Combs: are a symbol of the young
husband's love for his wife, as he gave up
his most precious possession so that his
wife would be happy and beautifully
adorned.
•Chain: symbolize their marriage, an
institution that provides a "link" between
two people.
•Christmas: Since the story takes

14. •A reference in one work of literature to a historical event, person, or another
work of literature, often used to deepen the meaning of the story.
•According to Christian tradition, the Magi were three wise men or kings that
presented gifts to the infant Jesus.

15. Stream of
Consciousness:
The story is told so that the reader
feels as if they are inside the head of
one character and knows all their
thoughts and reactions.
Foreshadowing:
“…Now, there were two possessions
of the James Dillingham Youngs in
which they both took a mighty pride.
One was Jim's gold watch that had
been his father's and his
grandfather's. The other was Della's

16. Love: Generosity:

17. Wealth And Poverty
:
Sacrifice:

18. Women and
Feminity:
Beauty: