Saturday, October 7, 2017

What are the two incidents in "The Gift of the Magi"?

The first incident in "The Gift of the Magi" is when Della makes an important decision.  She wants to give Jim a special Christmas gift, but she only has $1.87.  Della knows that less than two dollars can buy very little.  She decides to sacrifice the one thing of value she possesses, which is her long hair.  Jim loves her hair, which "[falls] about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters."  Despite...

The first incident in "The Gift of the Magi" is when Della makes an important decision.  She wants to give Jim a special Christmas gift, but she only has $1.87.  Della knows that less than two dollars can buy very little.  She decides to sacrifice the one thing of value she possesses, which is her long hair.  Jim loves her hair, which "[falls] about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters."  Despite this, Della believes that he will like her chosen gift even more.  Della has her hair cut short and sells her long locks.  She takes the money to buy Jim a "platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design."  This is for his family heirloom pocket watch, which he loves.  


Filled with excitement about the gift, Della hurries home.  Jim comes home and is shocked to see her short hair.  This is when the second incident occurs.  Jim confesses to Della that he sold his special watch in order to buy her a pair of fancy hair combs.  They both realize that their gifts cannot be used as intended.  Instead, they are rendered useless. Despite this shock and disappointment, Jim and Della are content with their love for one another.

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