THE

GIFT OF THE MAGI

(EXTRACT 1)

1.Who is Della? How has she managed to save $1.87

cents? Why was she feeling depressed?

Ans: Della or Mrs. James Dillingham Young, the wife of James

Dillingham Young, is one of the two protagonists in the story “The
Gift of the Magi" by O Henry.

Della managed to save the meagre one dollar and

eighty-seven cents most of which was in pennies, saved one or
two at a time by bargaining hard with the vegetable man and
the grocer.

It had not been easy for Della to save even the little
amount that she did because of her pressing financial
condition. She was depressed because the next day was
Christmas and one dollar and eighty-seven cents was far
from enough to buy a worthy present for her beloved
husband Jim. She needed to buy something rare and fine
which would be worthy of the honour of being owned
by Jim.
2. What has been told about Jim and Della's financial
condition? How and when had the income shrunk to $20?
What had happened to the card bearing the name of "The
James Dillingham Young?

Ans The financial condition of Jim and Della was

miserable as we get to understand from the manner in
which Della had to bargain with the vegetable man and the
grocer, and from the rather sad and shabby look of
the residence.

There has been no clear mention in the story regarding

why the income had shrunk from thirty to twenty dollars,
but whatever the reason might have been, the couple was
hard-pressed to manage with just twenty dollars a week.

The name on the card looked blurred, clearly from the

lack of use or perhaps coincidentally, keeping with the
deteriorating financial condition of the family, the word
'Dillingham' had lost all its prominence as though
seriously considering the prospect of shrinking
themselves to modest 'D'.

3.How does the author convey the fact that

they were very important to each other?
Ans. Despite their acute poverty, Mr. and Mrs. James
Dillingham Young or Jim and Della had no dearth of love
for one another. Every time Jim came home and reached
his flat he was lovingly welcomed with a warm hug by his
wife. Neither the blurring letters on the name card nor the
general shabby look of the flat could ever come between
their love for one another.

4. Why in your opinion is the colour 'grey' emphasized?

Ans. The author empathizes on the colour 'grey' which he

finds to be a reflection of Della's current mood. The
expression, that Della sees a “grey” cat, walking on “grey”
fence in a “grey” backyard serves as an objective
correlative, whereby the external objects have been used
to correlate the internal state of a character. Thus, Della
sees the world outside as dull or grey not because it
actually is but because she feels the dullness in her own
heart.

5.How had she spent many a happy hour? What kind of

gift did Della wish to buy for Jim?
Ans. Della had spent many a happy hour planning a nice
Christmas present for Jim, on Christmas.

(Refer to answer 1 part 3)

(EXTRACT 2)

1.What she had been doing near the window? Why did she
suddenly whirl from the window and go near the glass?

Della had been saving every penny she could for months
So, that she could buy Jim, her husband a worthy present
on Christmas. Having failed to save enough money for the
purpose, Della felt frustrated and depressed and cried
profusely. Then she stood by the window, feeling dull and
low and there as she looked out the window, everything
outside looked ‘grey' or dull to her just like her own state
of mind. Thus, standing by the window Della reflected on
the many happy hours she had spent planning a nice, fine
and rare present for Jim, something worthy of the honour.
of being owned by him.
While she was at the window, a sudden thought
struck Della. She remembered the two precious
possessions of her family, one of which was her beautiful
thick, brown, rippling mass of hair which, when let loose,
looked like a shiny brown waterfall. She contemplated
sacrificing her prized possession to be able to buy
something priceless for her beloved Jim.
2. Why were her eyes shining brilliantly and why had her
face lost its colour? Who is the other person mentioned in
this extract?
Ans: Della's eyes were shining brightly; perhaps because she
could suddenly think of a solution to her problem. All the
while, she had been wondering how to buy a worthy
present for her beloved husband with just one dollar and
eighty seven cents that she had managed to save. But, a
close look at her own reflection reminded her of one great
asset she owned. If she could sell that asset, she would
be able to arrange the money she needed to buy Jim a
present. The asset was her beautiful shiny brown hair.
So,, though she was happy knowing that her hair would fetch
her a good price, her face lost its colour for a moment, at
the thought of losing her beautiful possession.

The other person mentioned in the extract is Della's

husband, Mr. James Dillingham Young, fondly called Jim
by Della.
3. What simile has been used by the author to describe
the beauty of Della's hair?

Ans: The author has used a direct comparison or a simile

by comparing Della's beautiful shining brown hair to a
rippling shining cascade of brown waters. He also
mentioned that her hain reached below her knee and
made itself a garment for her.
4. What was Jim's precious possession? Why did he
sometimes look at it on the sly?
Ans: Jim's precious possession a was a gold watch, an
heirloom that had been handed down by his grandfather
and father.
Despite having the gold watch of great value Jim Could
never afford to buy a worthy chain for the watch. He used
an old leather strap instead which greatly undermined the
value of the watch So, Jim felt hesitant To take out the
watch in public and only looked at it on the sly as the
watch was too majestic for the old leather strap.
5. Why has the author referred to King Solomon in the
story?
Ans: The author O’ henry has made two interesting biblical
references in the story, one of them is the character of
king Solomon of Israel known for his wisdom and wealth.
The author has said that the poor couple Jim and Della
had two precious possessions, their only assets. One of
those was Jim's gold watch, an heirloom The author says
that this watch was So, grand in terms of its worth that it
seemed it could even make the legendary king Solomon
covet it, the author humorously stated that if king
Solomon had been the janitor of the building in which Jim
iced and had all his treasures piled up in the basement he
could not help plucking at his beard in envy every time he
saw Jim looking at his watch whale passing him by.
(EXTRACT 3)
1.Who was Madame Sofronie? For what was she offering
twenty dollars? Describe Della's encounter with Madame
Sofronie?
Ans: Madame Sofronie was a lady who Owned a hair
shop. She was very large and white and hardly looked
Sofronie. There was nothing elegant or Sophisticated
about her. She was blunt and business like in her attitude.
Madame Sofronie was offering twenty Dollars for Della’s
beautiful hair that the latter had come to sell.
Madame Sofronie dealt in hair goods of all kinds. Della
had come to sell her heir for the maximum possible price
because it was Christmas eve and she desperately
needed money to buy a suitable gift for her beloved
husband, knowing that her hair was beautiful Della went
to Madame Sofronie to sell it. The madame, extremely
professional, paid no heed to Della’s emotional state and
lifted the mass of hair with practiced hand and offered
twenty dollars for it.
2. What induced Della to visit Madame Sofronie? Was it
an easy decision?
{refer to part 3 of question 1}
The decision was not certainly not easy for Della as her
hair was one of the two valuable possessions that she
and her husband took pride in. Even amidst their acute
poverty, her beautiful shiny brown hair was her asset and
her pride. So, the decision to give it up was not an easy
one.
It is never easy to sacrifice one's prized possession and
Delle was no exception. Though she knew that her hair
would grow back on so, there would be no guarantee that
it would be as thick and dense and quantitatively as
beautiful as before. Moreover, she could not be sure
whether she would be able to acquire enough money to
buy Jim a worthy Christmas present, even if she could get
a buyer for her hair.
3. How were the next two hours spent? What does us
about Della's feelings at this time?
Ans: The next two hours tripped by on rosy wings because
Della spent this entire time thinking and planning a
suitable gift for Jim, which she could now afford.
Since she was having happy thoughts, time seemed to fly by
merrily.
At this point of time, Della had already got over her initial
sadness and focused more on the gift she wanted to buy
for Jim. So, she was certainly very excited and happy at
this point of time.
4. Why was Della ransacking the stores? What did she find
at last? Why did she feel that it had been made for Jim
and no one else?
Ans: Della was ransacking the stores to buy a suitable and
worthy Christmas present for Jim. However, nothing
seemed to satisfy her easily.
At last Della found a platinum fob chain, simple and pure
in design, proclaiming its value by substance alone and
not by ornamentation.
Della felt that the simple fob chain, pure in design, was
worthy of Jim's precious gold watch.
As soon as she saw it, she knew that it would be perfect
for Jim because that chain had the attributes of quietness
and value just as Jim had. So, both in terms of value and
character the chain and Jim would be perfect for each
other.
5. What good would the chain do to Jim?
Ans: Jim was hesitant to pull this valuable gold watch out
of the pocket, in public, to check the time because the
watch was attached to a cheap leather strap that
completely undermined the true value of the grand watch.
But now with an equally majestic platinum fob chain to go
with it, Jim could look at his watch a hundred times openly
with pride and confidence. The gold watch would now get
its worthy treatment for being attached to the fob chain.
(EXTRACT 4)
1. What did Della do to repair the ravages made to her
hair? Describe her new look.
Ans: Della’s beautiful cascade of brown hair, a prized
possession of hers, had been sold by her to get enough
money to buy a present for her Jim, for Christmas. After
buying the platinum fob chain Della returned home and
set to work to repair the damages done to her hair out of
love. Within
forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close lying
curls. She looked like a truant school boy or perhaps a
Coney Island Chorus girl. Her hair was short now but she
wanted to continue
looking good for her husband even in her changed
appearance. So, she was trying to do the best she could to
improve her appearance.
2. What was Della's state of mind when she looked at her
reflection in the mirror? Do you think Della regretted
losing her hair?
Ans: Della looked at the mirror very critically and she was
very unhappy with her appearance.
She absolutely regretted losing her hair. Though she had
no choice rather than selling her hair to buy a worthy
Christmas gift for Jim. Her chief regret was not that she had
to give up her
precious possession, her beautiful hair but that Jim
would be disappointed to see her in her new appearance.
3. What preparations did Della make for dinner after
reaching home?
Ans: Della, just after reaching home, first set to repair her
image in short hair. Then at seven o’ clock she made
coffee for Jim and put the pan on the hot stove ready to cook
the chops. She wanted the good times on Christmas eve to
start as soon as Jim
came back home.
4. What kind of traumatic feeling must she have
experienced when she heard Jim’s footstep on the stair?
What did she pray to God for?
Ans: Della must have experienced a feeling of great
anguish on hearing the footsteps of Jim. She was already
quite distressed about how Jim would react to her new
appearance, so, his footsteps made Della very nervous.
She had a habit of saying little silent prayers even about
the simplest everyday things. On hearing Jim’s footsteps,
she whispered to herself, requesting God to make him
think that she was still pretty as before. She did not want her
husband’s opinion of her to change just because her original
long hair was gone
5. What did Jim’s physical appearance reveal about him
and his circumstances?
Ans: The author O’Henry, sketches the character of Jim
as a young fellow, a little thin and serious. As for his outfit
he needed a new overcoat and lacked a pair of gloves.
The author also, mentions the age of Jim and clearly
states that it was too early for him to be burdened with a
family. Thus, the author simply tries to create the idea of
the financial pressure that Jim was under, especially
when his income shrank. He even sacrificed the need of
wearing gloves and a new overcoat so, that, he could meet
the expenses of his family with his small income.
(EXTRACT 5)
1. Who needn't look for what? What went for "you"?
Ans: - Jim was requested not to look for Della’s ‘vanished’
hair.
Della’s beautiful, shiny brown, cascade-like hair had gone
for Jim. She had her hair cut and sold to have enough
money to buy a worthy Christmas present for her beloved
husband Jim.
2. Why were Jim's eyes fixed upon Della? What must have
been his feelings and emotions at that time?
Ans: - Jim stared at Della expressionlessly as he was
surprised to see his wife without her beautiful long and
shining brown hair. He was shocked to silence not only
because he was not used to seeing his wife in short hair
but also because he knew how much she treasured her
hair.
Jim’s mind must have gone completely blank for a while
to see Della in her new look with cropped hair. He could
not react in any of the expected ways because he was too
overwhelmed to absorb the shocking truth. This was
because he had sacrificed his treasured gold watch, an
heirloom, to buy a set of expensive, tortoise shell,
jewel-rimmed pair of combs for Della’s hair, something she
had craved for long
without the least hope of ever possessing them. Now
those combs and his sacrifice were both rendered
useless.
3. Was Jim angry with Della for cutting off her hair? What
expression do you think was in his eyes when he saw
Della?
Ans: Della had cut off her beautiful long hair to buy her
husband, Jim, a worthy Christmas present. Jim, who
came after a long day at work, was expressionless when
he saw Della had cut off her hair. He was not angry as a
haircut or a shave or a shampoo could not make him like
Della any less.
There was perhaps only wonder in his eyes to see Della
cut her hair because it was just as precious to her as his
gold watch was to him. So, he might have only wondered
what could have led Della to lose her precious
possession.
4. Why was Della terrified when she saw the expression
on Jim's face?
Ans: Della was terrified when she saw the expression on
her husband, Mr. James Dillingham Young's face. Seeing
his beloved wife's hair, which he adored so much, cut off,
his expression was unreadable. The peculiar expression
was neither anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor
horror, nor any of the sentiments that Della had been
prepared for. So, the blank expression unnerved her as
she could not decide how to react herself.
5. What did she finally say to break the silence? How did
she attempt to console him?
Ans: Unnerved on finding Jim staring at her with a blank
expression, Della made a hurried attempt to break the
uncomfortable silence that had settled between them,
and console Jim. She explained to him that she had to cut
off and sell her hair because she could not live through
Christmas without giving him a present. However, she
was quick to add that her hair grew awfully fast and went
on to tell Jim about the beautiful gift she had gotten for
him.
6. What was it that Jim took out from his overcoat? Why
did Della scream in ecstasy and why did the scream of joy
change to tears and wails?
Ans: Jim drew a package out of the pocket of his
overcoat and in it was the set of combs that Della had
worshipped for a long time, never expecting to own them.
It was a beautiful set of combs, made of pure tortoise
shells with jewelled rims.
Della tore at the string and the paper with her nimble
fingers because she could not wait to see her present. As
soon as she had a look at the contents, she screamed in
joy but almost immediately there was a quick change to
tears and wails because she suddenly remembered that
she no longer had the hair to wear them on.
(EXTRACT 6)
1. What were those things that she held close to her chest?
What was
Della's reaction on seeing them? Why did she say, "My hair
grows
So, fast"?
Ans: The things Della hugged close to her bosom
was the gift she got from Jim. It was a set of combs that
Della had worshiped for long in a Broadway window. They
were
beautiful combs made up of pure tortoise shells, with
jewelled
rims that were just the shade to wear in the beautiful
vanished
hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart
had
simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope
of
possessing them ever. Ironically now, they were hers but the
tresses that should
have adorned them were gone.
On seeing the gifts Della gave an ecstatic scream of joys for a
moment but then it quickly changed to hysterical tears and
wails
as she saw the combs which were for her beautiful vanished
hair.
The fact that Jim had to spend a lot of money to buy the
combs
was clear to Della. She evidently realized what a shock it must
have been for Jim to see that the combs were now useless. In
order to comfort Jim she ventured to say that her hair grows
really fast and the combs would be just as useful then.
2. What did Della hold out to Jim? What was Jim's reaction
on
seeing it? What did he say?
Ans: Della held out to Jim the beautiful fob chain that was
clasped
in her hand asked Jim to put out his hand so, she could put
the
chain on his watch.
Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put
his
hands under the back of his head and smiled.
Jim asked Della to put their Christmas presents aside for a
while. He then went on to explain that he had sold his watch
to
get the money needed to buy the set of expensive combs for
Della. He finished by asking her to put the chops on so that
they
could enjoy the Christmas evening together. After all, their
mutual company was more precious than any gift on Earth.
3. Why were the Christmas presents "too nice to use just at
present"? How did the Magi invent the art of giving
Christmas
gifts?
Ans: The gifts given by Jim and Della to each other required
them
to sacrifice their most precious possessions. Each of their gifts
was intended to make the prized possessions of one another ,
more worthy. But both the assets were already sacrificed. The
gifts therefore turned useless. That is why Jim said that the
Christmas presents were too nice to use in the present. Nice
nevertheless, because those were gifts of love.
The Magi were wonderfully wise men who brought gifts to
baby
Jesus in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas
presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones and
bore the possibility of exchange in case of duplication.
4. Why is the couple according to the author the wisest?
Ans: The gifts given by Jim and Della to each other led them
to
sacrifice their most precious possessions. They might have
been
impractical in doing so but their gifts were gifts of genuine
love
for one another. The author feels that many people think or
proclaim that they are capable of loving someone with all
their
heart. But the true test of love happens when a sacrifice is
needed to be made for the sake of that love. Jim and Della
did
not hesitate to make that sacrifice for one another. So,
though
they proved themselves foolish by the parameters of the
worldly
wise, they were the real wise people according to the author.
5. What lesson does the story teach its readers? ( Very very
important)
Ans: The story teaches the lesson of the worth of sacrifice in
love. Genuine love for any person or creature will never
hesitate
to make a sacrifice when required. Thus, in a way the story
also
wants to tell us that the measure of wisdom is not always
calculated on the basis of worldly or practical considerations.
Sometimes innocent foolishness with the best of intentions
may
also be the criteria of judging the true worth of a person.