Della Dillingham Young
Up until the gift-giving climax, Della is the only fully realized character in the story. We intimately follow her pursuit to buy the perfect Christmas present for her husband, Jim, as well as her anxious anticipation of his reaction to her haircut. Della's devotion to Jim drives her tears at various points in the story: she sobs after counting the mere $1.87 saved for Jim’s present, and she releases “hysterical tears and wails” after realizing that she cannot use the combs Jim procured for her (14).
In spite of Della's histrionic tendencies, the narrator still constructs her as a selfless, generous, and admirable protagonist. Most notably, she sacrifices her most beloved possession—her stunning, knee-length hair—out of her love for Jim. The chain fondly strikes Della because its unique simplicity reminds her of Jim's own understated, quiet value and traits. As such, Della's purchase of the chain both displays her sincere thoughtfulness and her system of values, which prioritizes sentiment and meaning over opulence and material worth. Moreover, she never laments her and Jim’s current economic constraints, and she regularly prays about “the simplest everyday things,” rather than yearn for Jim to get a higher-paying job, a more comfortable apartment, or an otherwise ascended socioeconomic position.
Jim Dillingham Young
As the “lord of the flat,” Jim is Della’s twenty-two year old husband who can barely afford their cheap, ramshackle apartment. The narrator describes Jim’s appearance as “thin and serious,” and deems him a “poor fellow” due to the burdens he faces as a young head of a household (12). Despite these social and financial burdens, Jim displays the same generosity and selflessness as Della. He affectionately expresses his love for her, as proven by his claim that superficial external changes, such as a haircut, do not lessen his love for her. Like Della, he also sacrifices his most prized belonging—the gold watch passed down from his grandfather—to buy a perfect Christmas present for Della. After realizing that his and Della’s mutual sacrifices render each other’s gifts useless, Jim exhibits his relaxed good-naturedness, as he simply drops to the shabby couch, smiles at the absurdity of the situation, and suggests to Della that they forget about their presents.
Madame Sofronie
As the only other named character in the story, the “large, too white, chilly” Madame Sofronie serves as a foil to Della and Jim's warm-heartedness (10). When Della visits Madame Sofronie’s shop, Madame Sofronie brusquely demands Della to take off her hat before promptly evaluating and assigning a dollar value ($20) to her hair. Madame Sofronie's blunt demeanor and preoccupation with profit contrast with the attitudes of Della and Jim, who accord value through a symbolic and sentimental, rather than monetary, lens.
