Summary
After recovering his lucidity, Jim removes a package from his overcoat and places it on the table. He reassures Della, telling her that there is no “haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make [him] like [Della] any less” (14). He suggests that Della unwrap the package to understand why he reacted so strangely to her haircut.
Della opens the package, releasing “an ecstatic scream of joy,” quickly followed by a “quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails” (14). Jim has given her a beautiful set of combs made of tortoise shells adorned with jewels. The narrator reveals that Della has long yearned for the expensive combs without ever expecting to own them—and now that she has them, she is unable to use them due to her haircut. Teary-eyed, Della looks up at Jim, once again telling him, “My hair grows so fast, Jim!”
Della then presents Jim’s chain, which seems to "flash with a reflection of her [Della’s] bright and ardent spirit” (15). Della explains that she searched all over town for the chain and then asks to see Jim's watch so they can evaluate how the chain fits with it. Jim collapses to the couch, puts his hands under the back of his head, and smiles, suggesting that they should put their Christmas presents away for now, for they are “too nice to use just at present” (15). He admits that he sold his watch to purchase Della’s combs.
The narrator concludes the story with an allusion to the magi (also known as the Wise Men and the Three Kings)—the biblical figures who gifted Jesus gold, frankincense, and myrrh on the night of his birth. The narrator claims that the magi invented the art of Christmas gift-giving, and then compares the magi to Jim and Della, who “unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house” (16). According to the narrator, Della and Jim rank as the wisest of all gift-givers and receivers—despite their “unwise” sacrifices to each other. The final lines of the story read, “Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi” (16).
Analysis
Until these final moments of "The Gift of the Magi," Della is the sole fully-realized character in the story. We intimately follow her quest to give Jim the perfect Christmas present, as well as her anxious anticipation of his reaction to her haircut and the chain. Conversely, we learn very little about Jim, apart from his limited income, thin and fatigued appearance, his pride in his watch, and Della’s immense love for him. The details of Jim’s inner attributes and professional life remain vague, and, more importantly, we do not know if he reciprocates the fierce devotion to his spouse. Jim’s sparse characterization—along with his protracted, enigmatic response to Della’s haircut—infuses the final moments with suspense: we do not know enough about Jim to soundly predict if he will rebuff or appreciate Della’s sacrifice.
Eventually, though, Jim affirms his love for Della, claiming that external changes, such as her haircut, do not threaten or diminish his love for her. Like Della, Jim links worth and value to internal and intangible entities like love, sacrifice, and generosity. Additionally, we learn that Jim uses colloquial nicknaming to express his affection toward Della. While speaking to Della, he informally shortens her name to “Dell,” which mirrors Della’s practice of calling him “ Jim” instead of “James,” his birth name. Jim also refers to Della as “my girl,” just as she views him as “her Jim” (14, 8). Della and Jim thus employ similar methods of expressing their affection toward each other, which exemplifies the fundamental accordance and harmony of their relationship in turn.
Situational irony pervades the closing moments of the story, beginning when Jim finally unearths the reasoning behind his puzzling reaction to Della’s haircut: he has gifted her a beautiful, expensive set of combs for her long hair. The narrator reveals that Della has long yearned for the combs but never expected them to be in her possession. However, with the loss of Della’s long hair, the combs have lost their utilitarian value in tandem. The offering of the combs is thus rife with irony: Della is shocked to discover that Jim has purchased such a stunning, lavish gift for her, and her shock intensifies when she realizes she cannot use this gift after her haircut. Della’s extreme, histrionic reaction to the combs—as evidenced by an “ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails”—underlines and punctuates her shock (14).
Also, since we only follow Della’s process of surrendering her most beloved material possession, we remain oblivious to the fact that Jim has already sold his watch so he can afford to purchase the combs. Jim’s admission of his comparable sacrifice thus deepens the layers of situational irony, as we do not expect such a sudden, unexpected outcome or “twist” in the narrative. Both Della and Jim intended their individual sacrifices to enable them to offer the other a valuable gift. However, as the gift-giving exchange unfolds, their intentions become subverted and thwarted. Because Della cannot use combs on her short hair, and Jim no longer has a watch to attach the strap to, neither of their gifts can be used for their intended purpose, rendering their sacrifices futile. This is the opposite outcome Della and Jim expect: if they each hadn’t given up their respective beloved possessions, their gifts would have remained practical and usable; but each was only able to afford their gift because of their sacrifice.
In the last paragraph of the story, the narrator makes a final narrative digression and pronouncement on Della and Jim’s sacrifice, which is first deemed foolish and unwise: “And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house” (16). Indeed, Della and Jim are arguably foolish, as they act against their self-interests to surrender their most symbolically and materially significant possessions—all for an irrational commitment to give each other Christmas presents they cannot afford. Della and Jim end the story in the same position they started in—but without these possessions. Because of the failed outcome of Della and Jim’s irrational sacrifices, the narrator’s judgment of them as “foolish children” is reasonable and persuasive (16).
However, the narrator proceeds to contradict themself in subsequent sentences, comparing Della and Jim to the magi and hailing the couple as “the wisest” of all gift-givers and receivers (16). While the gifts now lack tangible purpose and value, they nonetheless embody Della and Jim’s profound love for each other. Both Della and Jim selflessly sacrifice their greatest possessions for each other’s happiness—a form of love that cannot be purchased. According to the narrator, the generosity of Della and Jim’s gift-giving debacle illustrates the real spirit of gift-giving, which underlines the bold claim, “They [Della and Jim] are the magi” (16). To the narrator, a gift’s value lies in selfless intentions, sacrifice, and benevolence—rather than material or external value. Della and Jim’s “unwise” sacrifice thus culminates in the most valuable gift of all: unconditional and selfless love, which triumphs over all material possessions and belongings (16)
Moreover, the motifs of equilibrium and symmetry throw into sharper relief the strength and durability of Della and Jim’s relationship. Before the gift-giving climax, Jim and Della each individually own one valuable possession: Della’s hair firmly belonged to Della, and Jim’s watch firmly belonged to Jim. Della and Jim both surrender these possessions, resulting in a loss of external materials that asserted their individuality—and a subsequent gain of their love for each other. In other words, Della and Jim follow nearly identical narrative arcs, and the parallelism of their sacrifices not only serves as the ultimate manifestation of their love for one another, but it also signifies the reciprocity of their relationship and subsequent merging of their two souls into one. Della and Jim no longer need individual, tangible items when they can simply share and requite their love compassionately and selflessly.
