“The Gift of the Magi” (1906) remains one of the most recognizable and frequently anthologized stories in American literature. In its time the tale was extremely popular, both commercially and critically, and O. Henry was called the “Yankee Maupaussant.” Today the story is considered juvenilia and has not garnered much serious critical attention. “The Gift of the Magi” initially appeared in one of O. Henry's best-known collection of stories, The Four Million, which was published in 1906. Plot
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Mrs. Carole Borowski Eng 1102 May 6, 2013 Gift of the Magi “Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to (Albom).” In this essay I will take a look at O Henry’s background, his life experiences and how it reflects in his work, “The Gift of the Magi”. As I travel through O Henry’s life you will see how there was no life event he regretted. Nor did he allow his life’s challenges to overtake him. If anything he used those challenges
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Analysis of The Gift of the Magi ENG 125 Introduction to Literature Analysis of The Gift of the Magi Love is a powerful feeling and when you are in love there is not anything you would not do or sacrifice to see a smile on their face and happiness in their eyes. Almost everyone can relate to the main characters wanting to find that perfect present. O. Henry’s short story The Gift of the Magi is about love and reveals to the reader the sacrifices one will make for the
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The Analytical Magi William T. Long ENG125 Instructor Kurt Mueller January 5, 2013 In O. Henry’s short story, “The Gift of the Magi”, a young couple must give all they’ve got to give each other the best Christmas present possible. The wife (Della) needs a gift for her husband(Jim). She has very little money, but a priced possession in her hair. She has her hair cutoff to pay for a gift for her husband (a gold chain to match his priced gold watch). When Jim gets home, she finds
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Many great stories have been compared and contrasted. "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant and "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry have many similarities and differences. In both stories, the main character struggles financially, however, their reaction to their circumstances differs greatly. In "The Necklace", Madame Loisel receives an invitation to an upper-class ball. After insisting that she has nothing to dress up in and assuming “there’s nothing more humiliating as looking poor in the middle
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“The Gift of the Magi” Milton Wiscovitch Jr. ENG 125 Prof. Jennifer Chunn November 26, 2012 Theme and Narrative Elements of “The Gift of the Magi” O Henry’s short story written in 1906 “The Gift of the Magi” identifies the theme elements as poverty and love. The lack of money and living in a poor neighborhood affected both Della and Jim. They expressed their unconditional love for each other by sacrificing their most prized possessions in order to buy a Christmas gift. Through this act
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2011 8 http://www.overseaen.com Tel:+86-551-5690811 5690812 Narrative Patterns Research in O Henry's Novels · ， （ ， 332000 ） Abstract：O· Henry is living in the time when novelists are in the great pursuit of narrative pattern research. Hence his works is inevitably Henry's novels in my opinion is also marvelous for his outinfluenced. Beside his humorous language, surprising ends and expressions, O· standing narrative patterns arrangement. In this article, a research will be conducted onto
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LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY THE GIFT OF THE MAGI The Gift of the Magi is one of the most popular short stories by O. Henry, a pen name for William Sydney Porter - a renowned American author. Originally published in 1906, in O. Henry’s second collection of short stories, The Gift of the Magi which displays all of the major O. Henry traits in abundance has given him credit for his genuine talent. It has been retold in various forms since then, especially at Christmas time. The story
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The main, general theme of this story by O'Henry is that giving is the greatest gift of all. Della gives up her most cherished possession, her beautiful hair, to get a gift for her husband, Jim. She buys him a fob for his favorite possession--a pocket watch. Jim sells his pocket watch to buy beautiful combs for Della to adorn her hair. Both gave up their most valued possession in order to give something to the one they loved. The story is classic O'Henry with well developed characters, a city setting
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“Having dropped out of school, dealing with the loss of his wife, and being subjected to prison life, O. Henry was totally aware of the cruelty of being a “small potato” in society” (“O. Henry’s…”). Henry’s stories deal a lot with poor people of daily life. “When people try to describe O Henry’s writing style, they always use the term “smile with tears” (“O. Henry’s…”). Many would say that Henry’s writings were of great consolation when going through
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