The story opens with $1.87. That's all Della Dillingham Young has to buy a present for her beloved husband, Jim. And the next day is Christmas. Faced with such a situation, Della promptly bursts into tears on the couch, which gives the narrator the opportunity to tell us a bit more about the situation of Jim and Della. The short of it is they live in a shabby flat and they're poor. But they love each other.

Once Della's recovered herself, she goes to a mirror to let down her hair and examine it. Della's beautiful, brown, knee-length hair is one of the two great treasures of the poor couple. The other is Jim's gold watch. Her hair examined, Della puts it back up, sheds a tear, and bundles up to head out into the cold. She leaves the flat and walks to Madame Sofronie's hair goods shop, where she sells her hair for twenty bucks. Now she has $21.87 cents.

With her new funds, Della is able to find Jim the perfect present: an elegant platinum watch chain for his watch. It's $21, and she buys it. Excited by her gift, Della returns home and tries to make her now-short hair presentable (with a curling iron). She's not convinced Jim will approve, but she did what she had to do to get him a good present. When she finishes with her hair, she gets to work preparing coffee and dinner.

Jim arrives at 7pm to find Della waiting by the door and stares fixedly at her, not able to understand that Della's hair is gone. Della can't understand quite what his reaction means.

After a little while, Jim snaps out of it and gives Della her present, explaining that his reaction will make sense when she opens it. Della opens it and cries out in joy, only to burst into tears immediately afterward. Jim has given her the set of fancy combs she's wanted for ages, only now she has no hair for them. Jim nurses Della out of her sobs (weeps). Once she's recovered she gives Jim his present, holding out the watch chain. Jim smiles, falling back on the couch. He sold his watch to buy Della's combs, he explains. He recommends they put away their presents and have dinner. As they do so, the narrator brings the story to a close by pronouncing that Della and Jim are the wisest of everyone who gives gifts. They are the magi.

The Gift of the Magi The Gift of the Magi Summary * All Della has is $1.87. The next day is Christmas. What to do? * Della collapses on the couch and cries up a storm. * As Della transitions from sobs to sniffles, the narrator takes the opportunity to describe the setting. A cheap flat ($8 a month, in 1900), which belongs to one "Mr. James Dillingham Young." * His name is even on the non-functional mailbox downstairs. * "Jim," Della's beloved husband, has had a wage cut – from $30 to $20 a week. The couple is going through hard times. * Hence the $1.87. * Meanwhile, Della looks out the window and contemplates the situation. It's now Christmas Eve. She loves Jim more than anything else in the whole world, and has long dreamed of the fantastic present she's going to get him. But that's a bit hard to do with $1.87. * Della turns from the window to examine herself in the mirror. Well, not exactly a mirror – a "pier-glass" – but close enough. She lets her hair down. * We learn from the narrator that Della and Jim have two prize possessions. One is Jim's gold watch, passed on in his family since his grandfather. The other is Della's hair. * Yes, Della's hair. As it falls, it looks like a "cascade of brown waters" (10). It's gorgeous, and long: it goes past her knees. * Della quickly puts her hair up again, and sheds a couple of tears. * Then she bundles herself up and leaves the flat. * She stops at Madame Sofronie's, store, for "Hair Goods of All Kinds," and runs up a flight of stairs to see the Madame herself. * Della asks Madame Sofronie if she will buy her hair. The Madame wants to see it, so Della lets it down. Madame Sofronie offers her twenty dollars. * Della tells Madame Sofronie to "give it to me quick" (17). * And the hair is gone. * The next two hours, Della is busy rushing about to find a good present for Jim. And then she finds one. * A platinum watch chain. Simple, but classy. Perfect for Jim, and a fitting replacement for the little piece of leather he currently uses as a watch-strap. * Since it's $21, she'll even have a bit of money leftover. * Della rushes home with the watch chain, wonderfully happy, but then remembers her hair, and starts the difficult task of repairing the devastation with a curling iron. * After 40 minutes, the now curly-haired Della is ready. She hopes Jim won't kill her. * By 7pm, Della has made the coffee and has the stove ready to cook dinner (pork chops). It's time for Jim to come home, and Della waits by the door. * As she hears his steps, she becomes nervous: will he still think she's pretty? * Jim comes in and begins to stare at Della. She can't make out what the expression on his face is, and is terrified. * Della runs to Jim, and explains that she needed to have her hair cut to buy him a Christmas gift. She promises it will grow back soon. And what a nice gift she bought. * Jim seems unable to get over the fact that her hair is gone. * Della assures him it's gone – gone because of her love of him. She asks if she should put the dinner on the table. * Jim returns to his senses and embraces Della. Meanwhile the narrator mentions something about the magi bringing valuable gifts, and promises that "this dark assertion will be illuminated later on" (33). * (Read on to understand what the narrator means.) * Jim throws a little package on the table. He tells Della that hairless or not he'd love her the same, but assures her that once she unwraps the package she'll understand why he reacted with such shock. * Della tears open the package, screams with joy, and then promptly falls into the depths of despair. Jim tries to comfort her out of her hysteria. * What did Jim give Della? * Combs – gorgeous, jeweled tortoiseshell combs for her hair that she'd wanted for ages. Now at last she has them, but no hair. * Once she's recovered, Della hugs the combs, promises again that her hair grows quickly, and excitedly holds out Jim's present to him (it's not wrapped). * Della asks Jim to take out his watch, so they can see how the chain matches. Jim just falls onto the couch and smiles. * Jim suggests they put their Christmas presents away. He sold the watch to buy the combs. Now, about those pork chops… * Returning to the "dark assertion" mentioned earlier, the narrator tells us that the magi were wise men, who invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Since they were wise, their gifts must have been wise too. * "Of all," the narrator intones, those who give gifts, Jim and Della were the wisest. Which means that they must be the magi.

* Themes * -------------------------------------------------
Love
* -------------------------------------------------
Love quotes * -------------------------------------------------
Sacrifice
* -------------------------------------------------
Wealth
* -------------------------------------------------
Women and Femininity
Advertisement
* Love quotes * Table of Contents * AP English Language * AP English Literature * SAT Test Prep * ACT Exam Prep

ADVERTISEMENT
The Gift of the Magi Theme of Love
"Gift of the Magi" is the story of a poor, young couple whose love for each other is the most important thing in their lives. Such is their love that they're led to sacrifice their most valuable possessions to find Christmas gifts for each other. The warm home they make together contrasts with the drabness of their poverty and the dreary world outside. Their love seems to know no bounds, though Della (the wife) worries about how her sacrifice will affect her husband because of how it affects her looks. If ever there were a story with the message that all you need to be happy is love, this is it.
Questions About Love 1. Before we learn of their sacrifice, what is the evidence in the story that Della and Jim love each other? Can you point to specific passages? 2. Is Della confident that Jim loves her? Why or why not? 3. Is Della motivated by anything besides her love for Jim? Does she have any desires besides her desire to please Jim? Is Jim himself the same way? 4. Are we given any reasons why Della loves Jim so much? Or why Jim loves Della? If so, what are they?

The Gift of the Magi Theme of Sacrifice
The two main characters in "Gift of the Magi" are a husband and wife who give up their most precious possessions to be able to afford gifts for each other on Christmas Eve. The story seems to be all about sacrifice. We watch Della go through the process of deciding to make the sacrifice and going through with it, only to discover that her husband has made the same sacrifice. The story's narrator assures us that in their willingness to give up all they have, they have proven themselves the wisest of all gift-givers. It might remain unclear, though, exactly what their sacrifice has accomplished, or how it has affected them.
Questions About Sacrifice 1. Does Della perceive the loss of her hair as a sacrifice? Is she affected by it? How can you tell? 2. Does it seem to you as if either Della or Jim makes a greater sacrifice, or are their sacrifices equivalent? Why? 3. Do Della and Jim make a wise decision in sacrificing their most precious possessions? Do you agree with the narrator's conclusion?

The Gift of the Magi Theme of Wealth
In many ways, "Gift of the Magi" is a story about what it means for something to be valuable. Does something's value lie in how much money it is worth? Or are other things more valuable than money? The main characters are very poor – this is repeatedly emphasized – and yet the story suggests that their love for each other makes them very rich. It is that love, which motivates them to give up the only things of monetary (or personal) value they have to buy presents for each other. Perhaps their poverty is what enables them to appreciate what really matters.
Questions About Wealth 1. What is it that makes Jim and Della's two prize possessions valuable? In what ways are they valuable? 2. What are the different ways of understanding "value" in the story? Where do you see them in the text? 3. After their gift exchange, are Della and Jim richer, poorer, or just about where they were at the beginning? From what perspectives can you answer that question? 4. Is it a bad thing that Della and Jim are poor? What does the story suggest?

The Gift of the Magi Theme of Wealth
In many ways, "Gift of the Magi" is a story about what it means for something to be valuable. Does something's value lie in how much money it is worth? Or are other things more valuable than money? The main characters are very poor – this is repeatedly emphasized – and yet the story suggests that their love for each other makes them very rich. It is that love, which motivates them to give up the only things of monetary (or personal) value they have to buy presents for each other. Perhaps their poverty is what enables them to appreciate what really matters.
Questions About Wealth 1. What is it that makes Jim and Della's two prize possessions valuable? In what ways are they valuable? 2. What are the different ways of understanding "value" in the story? Where do you see them in the text? 3. After their gift exchange, are Della and Jim richer, poorer, or just about where they were at the beginning? From what perspectives can you answer that question? 4. Is it a bad thing that Della and Jim are poor? What does the story suggest?

Synopsis | The Gift of the Magi. | | | | O. | Henry | The Gift of the Magi & other stories | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Jim and Della are a husband and wife living in a rented room in New York. They are quite poor and recently Jim has had his salary cut back to only $20 a week from the $30 a week he used to make. After rent and groceries, the couple hardly have any money left. Christmas is only a day away and, for a Christmas present, Della wants to buy Jim a gold watch chain for his gold watch. They do not have much to be proud or happy about, but Jim is very proud of that watch. And Della? Della is most proud of her beautiful long hair. But she really wants to buy that gold chain for Jim's watch. Too bad she only has $1.87. So, she decides to sell her hair to a woman who makes wigs and other hair articles. The woman pays Della $20 for her hair. The chain costs $21, so she now has enough money. She buys the chain to give to Jim. She goes home and prepares Jim's dinner and waits for him to come home, a little bit worried that Jim will be shocked when he sees her with all her beautiful hair cut off. When Jim comes home, he does look shocked when he sees Della with short hair. He stares at her in a strange way and it scares her. She explains to Jim how she sold her hair to buy him | | a nice Christmas present. Jim tells her not to worry and that nothing can change his love for her. The reason he is shocked to see her without her long hair is that he also wanted to get a nice Christmas present for Della. He gives her the present wrapped in paper and Della unwraps it to see that Jim had bought her a set of beautiful combs for her hair. She had seen them in a shop before, but they were so expensive. How was Jim able to afford them? Suddenly, she remembers Jim's present. She gives him the gold chain. The chain is beautiful, but when Della asks Jim to put it on his watch, Jim surprises her. He sold the watch to buy her those nice combs. Were they both foolish to sell their favorite possessions? O.Henry tells us that, no, they were wise. They were wise because they had each sacrificed their most valuable possessions for the person they loved. They were like the three wise men — the Magi — who brought presents for Jesus Christ after he was born. Keep in mind, that this is why Christians still give presents on Christmas Day: to remember the gifts the Magi brought Christ on that very first Christmas. | | Vocab Checkpoint | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | cut back phrasal verb To cut back is to reduce salary or spending which is usually done in times of recession or slow business. It can be used as a phrasal verb or as a noun.groceries nounGroceries, as a countable noun, are food provisions. We usually consider these as essential food items (milk, eggs, rice, vegetables, etc). As a non-countable noun, grocery is used to describe the store where groceries are purchased.watch chain nounA watch chain is a chain that attached to an old-fashioned pocket-watch. The other end of the chain was attached to a waistcoat button hole so that the watch would not be lost if it fell out of the pocket.Too bad adjective (colloquial)Too bad is an expression which is similar to it's a shame, or it's a pity. It expresses a feeling of disappointment at not being able to do something.wigs nounA wig is a false hair covering for the head. Wig makers pay for real hair by its length. A person like Della, with extremely long hair, would be able to get a good price for cutting it short. Other words such as hairpiece and toupee (pronounced too pay) are also commonly used to describe smaller coverings that are not full wigs. | | shocked adjective To be shocked is to be very surprised. It is also a noun (shock) and a verb (to shock).strange adjectiveStrange means unusual. In this case it refers to the way Jim looks at Della in an unexpected manner.possessions nounPossessions are personal belongings. The things that we own. It is related to the verb possess which means to hold, to keep or to own.sacrificed verbHere sacrificed is used as a verb. To sacrifice something is to give away something valuable in order to help somebody else. It can also be used as a noun, together with the verb "to make", e.g. He made a big sacrifice to help his family.valuable adjectiveWhen something is valuable it is either worth a lot of money, or it has strong emotional value and is something that can not easily be replaced. |

Synopsis | The Last Leaf | | | | O. | Henry | The Gift of the Magi & other stories | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Johnsy and Sue are artists who move into Greenwich Village in New York City. As Winter approaches and the weather gets colder, Johnsy becomes ill with pneumonia. She gets so sick that she believes that when the last leaf falls from the vine outside her window, she will die. An old artist, named Behrman, who lives in the same building as the girls, braves a storm one night to paint a leaf on the wall — a leaf that will never fall. Cold and wet from painting in the icy rain, he catches pneumonia and dies. This gives Johnsy the hope to survive her illness, and it also creates the masterpiece Behrman had always dreamed of painting. | | Vocab checkpoint | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | approaches verb To approach is to move towards. It is often used with seasons and special occasions (New Year, Christmas, birthdays) as in the example here, as well as with people and moving objects (vehicles, etc).becomes verbIn this example, becomes has the same meaning as "gets". With illnesses, we often use "to fall", or "to be taken":Johnsy fell ill/Johnsy was taken illpneumonia nounPneumonia is a serious illness of the lungs.vine nounA vine is like a branch (of a tree), but is actually a stem of a climbing plant (it may also be used to describe the climbing plant itself, e.g. grape vine). | | braves verb To brave as a verb, means to face an adverse or difficult situation, even though the person may not be brave (as in the meaning of the adjective: courageous).survive verbTo survive something is to overcome a problem, illness or adverse situation. It may also be, simply, to stay alive. The noun is survivor. masterpiece nounA masterpiece is a great work of art, like a painting, sculpture or piece of music or writing (poetry, fiction, etc.) | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

The Devoted Friend
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search The Devoted Friend | The Happy Prince and Other Short Stories; a collection of Oscar Wilde fairy tales including "The Devoted Friend" | Author | Oscar Wilde | Country | England | Language | English | Genre | Fairy Tale | Publication date | 1888 |
"The Devoted Friend" is a short fairy tale written by Oscar Wilde, published in The Happy Prince and Other Tales in 1888.[1] The tale concerns Big Hugh, the miller, and his best friend Hans. The story is told by a linnet to a water-rat following a conversation about what it means to be a devoted friend. Like many other stories by Wilde, the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen are considered to be the primary literary influences for "The Devoted Friend".[2] The Happy Prince and Other Tales is available for free online via Project Gutenberg here.
Contents
[hide] * 1 Plot * 2 Scholarly Debate Regarding Wilde's Intended Audience * 3 Homosexual Themes * 4 Critical Reception * 5 References
Plot[edit source | editbeta]
The story begins by a pond where a water-rat has just awoken and a mother duck is teaching her ducklings to stand on their heads. The rat observes how incompetent the young ducklings are at the task and remarks that "they really deserved to be drowned".[3] The mother duck responds that parents must be patient, but the water-rat states he knows nothing of love and finds devoted friendship to be far more valuable. Several other creatures begin asking the water-rat what he means by devoted friendship, to which the water-rat replies: "a devoted friend is one that is devoted to him." This inspires a green linnet to tell the water-rat a tale about a devoted friend.
The tale told by the green linnet begins by describing a well-liked man by the name of Hans. Hans has little money but has a beautiful garden that no other garden in the countryside can compare. His best friend big Hugh, the miller is described as very wealthy and a very devoted friend to Hans, yet does not give Hans anything in return for their friendship. The miller does not visit Hans during the winter as this is the most financially stressful time for Hans and the miller believes that people in trouble should "not be bothered by visitors".
One spring, the miller comes by to check up on Hans. Hans tells him that he has had to sell his wheelbarrow over the winter but now that his flowers have come in he plans on buying it back. The miller tells him that he will give Hans his old, dilapidated wheelbarrow seeing as he has just gotten a new one. Hans is very grateful and in return, the miller asks for Hans to fill a basket with some of his flowers and a plank to fix his roof with. Hans agrees and the miller leaves with the flowers and the plank.
The next day, the miller comes to Hans with a large sack of flour which he asks Hans to take to market for him. Hans is reluctant as he as his garden to attend to. The miller reminds him of his generosity in giving Hans his old wheelbarrow and tells him that it would be "rather unfriendly of him to refuse". Hans agrees and takes the flour to market but the trip takes him all day and does not get any garden work done.
The next day the miller comes to Hans and asks him to repair his roof for him. The garden has not received any attention for two days now and so Hans hints to the miller that he is busy. Once again the miller reminds Hans of his great generosity in giving him his wheelbarrow (which he has still not given Hans) and so Hans agrees. He fixes the miller's roof and afterwards the miller tells him that he needs Hans to drive his sheep out to the mountain the next day. Afraid to offend his friend, Hans agrees and loses yet another day of garden work.
One stormy evening, Hans is at home by the fire when the miller knocks on the door. The miller explains that his son has fallen off a ladder and needs a doctor. The miller had intended to get the doctor himself, but with the vicious storm he instead asks Hans to go and reminds him of the generosity he had shown promising Hans his old wheelbarrow. Hans agrees but asks for the miller's lantern but the miller refuses as he worries that Hans might break it. Through the torrents of rain and whirling winds Hans manages to tell the doctor of the miller's son. But Hans loses his way coming back home, falls into a deep hole full of water and drowns.
At the funeral, the miller appoints himself at the head of the procession for he was Hans' best friend. When the blacksmith remarks at how much of a loss the death is, the miller responds at how it is a great loss to himself; the old, worthless wheelbarrow is in the way at home and now the miller must find some way to dispose of it himself. He resolves never to give anything away again for "one always suffers for being generous".
The green linnet asks the water-rat if he has realized the moral. The water-rat is appalled that the story had a moral and states that he would not have listened to it if he had known. He leaves and the mother duck remarks to the linnet that to tell a story with a moral is "a very dangerous thing to do" which the narrator (presumably Oscar Wilde) states that he agrees with her.
Scholarly Debate Regarding Wilde's Intended Audience[edit source | editbeta]
There are various opinions amongst scholars regarding what age group Wilde wrote The Happy Prince and Other Tales for.[4] Some scholars feel that the stories are far too satirical and critical of Victorian society to be truly intended for children, and that the socialist themes in "The Devoted Friend" are intended for an older audience. However, other scholars feel that compared to some of Wilde’s other stories, The Happy Prince and Other Tales is certainly intended for children, and that Wilde was aiming to "compose tales which would enlighten both child and parent to cultural injustice and the transformative powers of art”. Scholars who believe that The Happy Prince and Other Tales were intended for children also claim Wilde's publishing and marketing techniques (wide margins and illustrations) as evidence that Wilde intended the stories for children.
Homosexual Themes[edit source | editbeta]
Like many of Wilde’s stories, there are homosexual themes that can be found throughout “The Devoted Friend”. Out of the five most prevalent homosexual themes in Wilde’s works noted by John-Charles Duffy, devoted male friendship and pederasty are the most prevalent in “The Devoted Friend". The importance of male friendship is emphasized throughout the entire story by Hans’ kind actions. It is also emphasized when the water rat states “I know nothing about the feelings of parents…I am not a family man. In fact, I have never been married, and I never intend to be. Love is all very well in its way, but friendship is much higher. Indeed, I know nothing in the world that is either nobler or rarer than a devoted friendship”. Not only does this passage describe friendship as something noble, but it also disregards heterosexual relationships and marriage, claiming friendship to be “higher”. Devoted friendship with his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, was something Wilde later claimed at his trial in 1895. Pederasty is also an indicated theme by the use of the name “Little Hans”. Wilde often pursued younger men himself, and defended his acts at his trial when he said the “great affection of an elder for a younger man…that deep, spiritual affection which is as pure as it is perfect”. Although Wilde was defending himself and trying to pass his acts with Douglas as non-sexual with this, “spiritual affection” is still what Wilde believed relationships should be.
Critical Reception[edit source | editbeta]
The Happy Prince and Other Tales received favorable reviews when it was published, and most reviewers commented on the influence that Hans Christian Andersen had on Wilde. The Paul Mall Gazette stated if Wilde “echoes (Hans Christian) Andersen, he echoes him very pleasantly”,[5] and spoke favorably of "The Devoted Friend". The Graphic also printed an article declaring that The Happy Prince and Other tales are "echoes and ghosts" of Hans Christian Andersen,[6] and The Belfast Newsletter wrote that The Happy Prince and Other Tales was the most charming collection of stories printed since Hans Christian Andersen's last collection. The Belfast Newsletter went on to praise Wilde as an artist for his "childlike simplicity and grace".[7]