The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry Essay Sample

Literature has been around for thousands of years. It provides us with lessons we can take and use in our everyday life. O.’ Henry’s short story “The Gift of The Magi” shares a story of a woman who is too broke to get a present for her husband who she loves so dearly. It gives insight into the stress we as humans go through with money and trying to afford gifts, especially around Christmas. The narrator in “The Gift of The Magi” by O.’ Henry represents a perfect example of how one will do absolutely anything for the people that they love, no matter the cost.  

In “The Gift of The Magi” the wife, Della has no money and struggles to find a gift for her husband, Jim on Christmas as many people do. The narrator states that she had “one dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.” (O’. Henry 272). Della finds herself distraught and highly upset. The narrator in the story also states that Della felt as if there was nothing to do so she flops down on the shabby little couch and howls. As I had stated, many people find themselves in this situation. It is not rare to feel stressed and upset from the pressures around Christmas, especially financially. In the article, “Why are the Holidays So stressful?” by David Levine, it states that “the investment firm Principal Financial Group Revealed that 53 percent of people feel financially stressed by holiday spending, even though more than half of the 1,000 respondents had created spending budgets.” (Levine). Even people who save up all year just for Christmas still struggle financially. This would make anyone's stress levels increase. David Levine also states in their article that thirty-eight percent of people also said that their stress levels increase during the holidays. This is not that surprising. It can be hard to be able to give more than we have.  

This short story portrays how people will do anything for the people that they love. The narrator in the story describes how Della figures out how to be able to get a present for her husband. They state that Della walks into a “Hairs of all kinds” store and asks the Madame if she will buy Della’s hair, “Will you buy my hair?” asked Della. “Twenty dollars,” said Madame, lifting the mass with a practiced hand. “Give it to me quick.” Said Della.” (O.’ Henry 273). Della was highly motivated to do something for Jim. She cuts all her hair off for just twenty dollars. Family is a huge motivator in getting things done. About anyone will do anything for family. In the article, “3 Types of Motivation that can inspire you to do anything” by Brianna Steinhilber, she states, “think about your family. This has emerged as a third source of motivation proven to be a strong source of inspiration” (Steinhilber). Family is inspiring. Della was inspired, motivated, and did whatever she could to provide for her husband, Jim. No matter what. The article by Steinhilber also states that, “Family motivation can relate to both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. If family is a top value of yours, then your family can serve as an intrinsic motivator.” (Steinhilber). An intrinsic motivator is when you feel rewarded by just the act itself. We can look at Della and see that her husband was an intrinsic motivator for her. She felt rewarded and happy to cut her hair off to be able to get him a gift.  

The story “The Gift of The Magi” shows the love of family and provides a heartfelt lesson on how money cannot get in the way of doing something nice for someone that you love. It is the tale as old as time. When you love someone, you tend to do whatever it is you think that they deserve. You bend over backwards for them. The narrator in the story states, “twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the eighty-seven cents.” (O’. Henry 274). We know that Della only had a dollar and eighty-seven cents at the beginning of this story. When she cut her hair, she had twenty-one dollars and eighty-seven cents. His present cost her everything that she had. She did not even think twice about it. This is a beautiful example of doing something out of love. In the article “Are you doing everything out of love?” Nance Schick states, “I have been reading Light in the Darkness by Father Jonathan Morris. He reminds his readers of the Saint Augustine request to do everything out of love.” (Schick). We can take this expert from this article to remind us to be more like Della and ask ourselves if we are doing everything out of love.  

Literature like O.’ Henry’s “The Gift of The Magi” teaches us a sweet lesson that people will do anything for the people that they love, no matter the cost. The story portrays a wife who cannot afford anything for her husband on Christmas. She is persistent in getting something for him and cuts her own hair to get just twenty dollars. She spent every dime she had on him, just so he could have a Christmas she thought he deserved. This represents the strong presence of love throughout the story. The stress on finances and pressures during the holidays plays a significant role in why the author wrote what he wrote. This story illustrates the lesson that we, as humans, will do anything for the people that we love.