24

Gift of Magi

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

A presentation on the short story by O. Henry- The Gift of Magi.

Citation preview

Page 1: Gift of Magi
Page 2: Gift of Magi

About The Author

William Sydney Porter known by his pen name- O.Henry was born on 11 September 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina.In 1879, he started working in a drugstore and 1881 at the age of 19 he was licensed as a pharmacist.

Page 3: Gift of Magi

About The AuthorPorter led an active social life in Austin , including membership in singing and drama groups. Porter’s most profilic writing period started in 1902,when he moved to New York city.Usually Porter was a heavy drinker and his health deteriorated in 1908,thus affecting his writing .He died on June 5 ,1910,in New York city.

Page 4: Gift of Magi

Some of his major works were Cabbages & Kings

(1904) Roads of

Destiny(1909) Whirligigs(1910)

About The Author

Page 5: Gift of Magi

INTRODUCTION"The Gift of the Magi" was

originally published in 1906, in O. Henry's second collection of short stories, The Four Million. "The Gift of the Magi" is probably his greatest hit, and displays all of the major O. Henry traits in abundance. Since it was first published, it's buried itself deep in popular culture. It's also one of those classic "Christmas stories" that people usually read during the holidays.

Page 6: Gift of Magi

GENREParable

The key feature of a parable is that it uses a situation, which feels very simple to make a more complex or general point, often a moral one. (Also, unlike a fable, a parable does this with people, not animals.) This story is about what it means to give a gift. All of the elements of the story serve to bring that point across. The last paragraph, especially, is a slightly more stylish version of the "moral" that predictably comes at the end of an Aesop fable.

Page 7: Gift of Magi

CENTRAL IDEAThe main idea of "The Gift of the Magi" is that the value of a gift is in the giver, rather than the gift itself. Jim and Della, out of their love for each other, purchased gifts that required them to sacrifice something that was precious to them.

Page 8: Gift of Magi

The idea of the story is that the greatest gift we can receive is not any material but a feeling -"love". It teaches us the bondage of unconditional love where we don’t look at our possessions but are ready to sacrifice for our loved ones…

CENTRAL IDEA

Page 9: Gift of Magi

DELLA : Della is the loving, warm, selfless, and occasionally hysterical heroine of the story. She spends all of her days in a cramped flat,as "mistress of the home“. Jim, her husband, may not be bringing in much money, but heis the cat's pajamas for Della. She might seem unrealistically emotional. Throughout the story Della seems on edge, as if she were continuously overexcited.

Characters

Page 10: Gift of Magi

JIM : Jim's job is not so great. He works long hours, but his salary is low. Jim seems a little tired, serious, overworked, and a tad underweight.The one thing that keeps Jim going is his love for Della. Jim's definitely the more level headed one in the relationship. While she reacts to his present with shrieks and wails, he just reacts to hers by rolling onto the couch and smiling.

Characters

Page 11: Gift of Magi

MADAME SOFRONIE is the owner of a hair shop, which sells "hair goods of all kinds". She is "large," "white," and "chilly". Her manner is direct and to-the-point. Her attitude creates a sharp contrast to that of Della and Jim. We could say she represents "the cold, uncaring world" which exists outside the haven of love Della and Jim have built for themselves.

Characters

Page 12: Gift of Magi

SUMMARY

Page 13: Gift of Magi

SUMMARY

Page 14: Gift of Magi

SUMMARY

Page 15: Gift of Magi

SUMMARY

Page 16: Gift of Magi

SUMMARY

Page 17: Gift of Magi

SUMMARY

Page 18: Gift of Magi

SUMMARY

Page 19: Gift of Magi

LoveSacrificeValueAnd Wealth

Beauty

Themes

Page 20: Gift of Magi

DELLA’S HAIR

JIM’S GOLD WATCH

SYMBOLS

Page 21: Gift of Magi

The last paragraph compares Jim and Della to the three wise men who, according to the Christian New Testament, delivered gifts to Jesus on the first Christmas.

Della's hair is said to be so gorgeous that it would inspire envy in the Queen of Sheba. Jim's watch would have been the envy of King Solomon. Both the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon are famous figures from the Old Testament.

Biblical Imagery

Page 22: Gift of Magi

The Biblical imagery also beefs up the story's credibility as a parable. By invoking the Bible at moments, O. Henry makes "Gift of the Magi" feel more morally weighty.

Biblical Imagery

Page 23: Gift of Magi

At the end of the story Della cuts and sells her hair to buy Jim a chain for his watch, and Jim sells his watch to buy Della combs for her hair. Here we have a classic case of irony. The determination to find the perfect gift leads each character to make a sacrifice; that sacrifice makes each gift useless. The result is the exact opposite of what Jim and Della intended. It's the sudden, unexpected irony, which only strikes at the very end that makes the ending a twist.

From one perspective, it's disastrous. Jim and Della seem much better off before the gift exchange.  Since each person wanted to buy the other the perfect gift, this means they have both failed colossally.

Ending-Explained

Page 24: Gift of Magi

But then there's the narrator's perspective in that last paragraph, according to which the gifts they've given each other are the "wisest" gifts of all, the "gifts of the magi.“. That makes their "useless" gifts incredibly valuable after all: the selfless love each feels for the other is embodied in those gifts. That kind of thing can't be bought.

Which leads us to another point. Before the exchange, Jim and Della each had one prize possession. Each possession was valuable on its own and belonged to each person individually. That love isn't something they have as individuals, it's something they share together. So in the gift exchange, the two of them come closer together in a very concrete way.

Ending-Explained