The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories Essay Questions

Explain the tone and style of the story’s narrator. How does the narrator construct or interact with the story’s themes and sequence of events? How might this style and role of narration differ from other third-person omniscient narrators?

The narrator maintains a wise, yet casual and colloquial, presence throughout "The Gift of the Magi." Hardly the “objective observer” associated with most conventional third-person omniscient narrators, the narrator often digresses from the story’s action to share their insights on characters or to communicate grand ruminations on love or life. For example, when Della attempts to style her hair, the narrator comments, “She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends—a mammoth task” (11). Here, the narrator expresses one of the story’s central themes: love can be a challenging or tumultuous “mammoth task” in addition to a rich source of meaning, fulfillment, and comfort. By referring to readers as “dear friends,” the narrator maintains a conversational atmosphere, mimicking the common expressions used in oral storytelling. Such direct addresses to the audience prompt the audience to become more engaged in the story’s events and pay heightened attention to the narrator’s proclamations.

Explain the significance of the story’s last three sentences, “Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are the wisest. Everywhere they are the wisest. They are the magi” (16). Why does the narrator deem Della and Jim “the magi” and “the wisest”? How do the concluding lines characterize Della and Jim, and how does this tie to the story’s portrayal of gift-giving?

Della and Jim sacrifice their greatest possessions—their hair and their gold watch, respectively—to buy perfect Christmas gifts and thereby express their love for each other. These sacrifices ironically result in the couple offering each other two useless gifts: hair combs and a watch chain. However, while the gifts are practically worthless, they nonetheless embody the couple’s selflessness, generosity, and devotion to each other. As such, the narrator hails Della and Jim as “the wisest” of all gift-givers and receivers and compares them to the magi, the biblical figures who “invented the art of giving Christmas presents” (16). According to the narrator, the generosity of Della and Jim’s sacrifices illustrates the authentic spirit of gift-giving, the magi-invented “art” form rooted in selfless intentions and benevolence—rather than material value.

Explain how situational irony appears in the story’s ending. How does this irony impact the story’s depiction of love and gift-giving?

Situational irony punctuates two distinct moments in the end of the story. First, because we only follow Della’s quest to purchase a perfect Christmas present for Jim, we are shocked when Jim offers the expensive combs to her. The gift reveal becomes even more shocking when Della, and the readers, realize that she cannot use the combs on her short hair. This moment is thus rife with situational irony: we do not expect Jim to have such a costly present procured for Della, nor we expect Della's own sacrifice to negate the usefulness of the gift.

The situational irony of the gift-giving exchange grows when Jim admits that he sold his watch to afford the combs. This additional abrupt “twist” further defies readers’ and the couple’s expectations. Because Jim no longer owns a watch to attach the chain to, neither gift can be used for its intended purposes, thereby thwarting the couple's expectations. The situational irony unearths the pointlessness of the couple's sacrifice: if they hadn’t sacrificed their possessions, their gifts would have been practical and usable. However, this ironic “plot twist” nonetheless evokes the harmonious equilibrium of Della and Jim’s relationship: both marriage partners view Christmas presents as worthy means to practice unselfish generosity and, in turn, externalize their love for each other.