Our Lady of Lourdes College

Valenzuela City

The Couple’s
Love and
Generosity

Name: Cunanan, Elijah Gabrielle T.

Grade and Section: ABM 12-1
1st Literature: The Gift of the Magi 3rd Literature:
2nd Literature: 4th Literature:

THE GIFT OF THE MAGI

A. Author
 Who is the author of the literary piece assigned? 
 O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) was an American short story
writer who lived from 1862 to 1910. Henry's extensive body of work
reflected his diverse experiences and is notable for its wit, clever
wordplay, and unexpected twist endings. The Gift of the Magi, The
Last Leaf, The Ransom of Red Chief, and After Twenty Years are just
a few of his well-known works. O. Henry related to the story The Gift
of the Magi because he, too, experienced poverty and hardship in
order to provide a good life for his family.
B. Character 
 Who are the characters in the story?
 Della Dillingham Young, the story's main character, is a young
housewife. She is also Jim's loving and caring wife. Della is a selfless
and generous woman who will go to any length to buy and present a
gift to her husband. James Dillingham Young, also known as Jim, is
regarded as the main character. Jim is Della's loving husband, and
despite his poverty, he is a very hardworking and selfless man. Jim is
also willing to go to any length to give his wife a gift. Furthermore,
Mrs. Sofronie, She is the only supporting character of the story. Mrs.
Sofronie: Hair Articles of all Kind," the cold and intimidating owner
of the hair salon where Della sold her beautiful hair to earn money
and buy a gift for her husband.
C. Setting 
 What is the setting of the story’s time, date, era?
 The story was set in Jim and Della's apartment/flat, where Jim and
Della lived and celebrated Christmas, as well as at Mrs. Sofronie: Hair
Articles of All Kinds (hair shop), where Della sold her beautiful hair
to earn $20 to buy Jim the perfect Christmas present. This occurred on
Christmas Eve, as Della was deciding what present would she give
Jim on Christmas Day. in the early 1900s, during a progressive era.
D. Plot 
• Exposition
  Jim and Della are a married couple who live in a furnished flat and are
struggling to find a Christmas present for each other. Della and Jim do
not have enough money to buy each other a Christmas present. That is
why Della decided to sell her most valuable possession in order to
give her husband a good Christmas present. Della sells her beautiful
hair to Mrs. Sofronie for $20 because $1.87 cents is insufficient to buy
Jim a perfect Christmas present.
• Rising Action
 When Della was perplexed as to how she could buy Jim a present with
only $1.87 cents that she had saved every day. Della believes that
buying Jim a gift is insufficient. Della decides to sell her lovely hair to
Mrs. Sofronie. "Hair Articles of All Kinds." Della approached Mrs.
Sofronie and asked if she wanted to buy her hair. Mrs. Sofronie
examined Della's hair and sold it for $20. Della quickly leaves
Madame Sofronie's store and goes to another store to look for a
Christmas present for Jim. Della discovered a perfect Christmas
present for Jim: a gold watch chain that was simply made and valued
in rich and pure material. When Della saw the gold watch chain, she
knew Jim would love it and must have it because it reflects Jim's
quietness and value. Della returned home to give Jim her gift after
selling the gold watch chain for $21.
• Climax
 Della arrives at their home and begins to cry because she believes her
husband will despise her because she cut her hair and sold it to give
him a Christmas present. Della is nervously anticipating what her
husband will say and do to her once he sees her and arrives at their
home.
• Falling Action
 Jim and Della exchange their Christmas gifts. Jim gave his wife a
beautiful comb with jewels that Della had seen and admired for a long
time. Della bursts into tears of joy as soon as she receives the gift
from her husband. Della excitedly hands his gift to his husband, but
Jim says they should put it aside and eat their dinner first.
• Denouement
 Della sells her most valuable possession to buy Jim a present. Della
and Jim both succeed in giving each other a Christmas present. Both
gifts they purchased are lovely and meaningful. They are both pleased
with the gift they received. Later, Jim and Della set aside the gift they
purchased and kept them for a while Jim lovingly and happily
requests that Della eat their dinner.
E. Conflict 
 Internal or External Conflict 
 The conflict in the story The Gift of the Magi is when both main
characters Jim and Della struggle to give each other a Christmas
 present on Christmas Eve. Jim and Della both want to give each other
a Christmas present, but they are both penniless. Della is debating
whether she should sell her most valuable and sentimental possession
in order to buy a present because they both want to show their love
and generosity for each other by giving each other a meaningful
Christmas present.
F. Point of View 
• First-, Second-, or Third-Person P. O. V.
 The story is told in the third person by a constrained omniscient
narrator. The narrator only describes Della's thoughts. The narrator of
The Gift of the Magi is an exile. The narrator refers to all of the
people and other elements in the story using pronouns such as he, she,
it, and others. The narrator describes Della and Jim's physical
characteristics as well as their innermost thoughts.
G. Theme 
 What is the major theme of the story? 
 The story's major theme is the couple's genuine or unconditional love
for each other. In the story, both of the main characters express their
love for each other by giving each other a gift and sacrificing the most
valuable thing Della owned. The couple in the story also demonstrates
that it is not the material things that matter, but the love they have for
each other.
H. Mood 
 What is the mood of the story?
 The story is both romantic and sentimental for me. They are romantic
because they want to give each other meaningful Christmas gifts
despite the fact that they're both penniless. And sentimental because
they both gave up something they treasure the most in order to have
money to give to each other as a gift.
I. Tone 
 What is the tone used in the story?
 The tone of the story of the magi's gift is affectionate. The author
wishes for the readers to feel how loving and compassionate Della is
to her husband Jim, as well as how loving and stable Jim is to his
wife. Both the author and the story's main character want us to feel
fond, warmed, and devoted as we read the story of the magi's gift, the
story of Jim and Della.
J. Symbolisms 
 Give 3 symbolisms used in the story
 The first symbolism that is used in the story is $1.87 cents, it
represents Della's love and hardship in saving her money every day in
order to give Jim a meaningful Christmas present. The second
symbolism that is used is Della's hair, it represents Della’s beauty.
Della's hair is the most precious and sentimental item to her. Her hair
symbolizes her everlasting beauty. And the thirds symbolism iis the
gold watch chain. As Della says, the gold chain represents Jim's
quietness and worth.
K. Literary Approach Used 
 What is the foremost literary approach/ theory that was used in the story?
 The feminist literary approach was used in the story of The Gift of the
Magi. As a feminist approach, I noticed that the female lead character
in The Gift of the Magi was more prominent. The story is about a
poor married couple who are struggling to give each other gifts for
Christmas, but the story focuses on Della, the female lead character.
The story focuses on Della's problem, as she struggles to find the
perfect gift for his husband for the upcoming Christmas. That is why
Della decides to make a sacrifice and sell her own hair, believing that
doing so will solve her problem of having enough money to buy her
husband a perfect and meaningful gift.