The Gift Of The Magi Short Story Analysis

Stories usually have hidden meaning put there by the author to entertain the thoughts of those patient enough to dig deeper into the meaning. Meanings in stories are expressed in various ways. An example is O. Henry’s story The Gift of the Magi. O.Henry in his story uses a few themes to describe the story and the characters. He does this to get the reader engaged in the story and want to read more. Authors use literature elements to convey multiple messages in many ways to their audience. Every story is a quest. This means that the main character(s), or the questor, are trying to accomplish something. When the character is first introduced, he is first starting the quest, usually not knowing the end game. This is shown when Della is in the window, wondering what she could do that would mean a lot to her husband Jim. Then the questor starts the voyage where they run into

Digging deeper into a text can usually involve looking at the author's life and what they have been through and accomplished. In the Gift of the Magi, O. Henry when Jim is expressing his love for Della by giving up a family heirloom which had belonged to his father and grandfather, and maybe in the future his own son. Instead, he gave it up so he could see his wife happy. O. Henry when he worked at a bank in Austin, Texas was charged for embezzling money. He fled to a foreign land only to return because his wife became terminally ill. Because he returned, he was sent to jail for a few years. He was willing to risk his freedom, and everything he had only to see his wife before her time came to an end. A normal reader not being able to know this would probably have just thought that it was an interesting story. Those who have read the story and also read a little deeper would know that this story probably had a deeper meaning to O. Henry, reminding him of his wife and how he would give everything in the world only to have one more day with