The Gift of the Magi

The Gift of the Magi ( in the original The Gift of the Magi ) is a short story by O. Henry in 1906 about a young couple with little money each surprised with a Christmas gift. The sentimental story with its moral about the gifting is often adapted especially for performances during the Christmas season. The plot and its surprising turn are well known and are sometimes parodies. Supposedly O. Henry wrote the story in Pete 's Tavern on Irving Place in New York City.

Action

James [ Jim ] Dillingham Young and his wife Della are a young couple who is very in love, but can barely afford the small apartment in which it dwells. At Christmas, however, decides Della, her husband, a 21- dollar chain for his precious pocket watch, give to an heirloom. In order to apply this sum, it can cut off her knee-length, beautiful hair and sells it as a material for wigs. Meanwhile, Jim decides to sell his valuable clock to give Della a jeweled ornate Comb Set of tortoiseshell for her wonderful hair. Notwithstanding the disappointment that they can not use the gift of each other, both are impressed by her gift as an expression of their love for each other.

The story ends with the narrator and those of the mutual sacrifices of the couple of the wise men from the East:

" The wise men were, as you know, wise men - wonderfully wise men - who brought gifts to the child in the manger. They invented the art of making Christmas gifts. Since they were wise, their gifts were of course mentioned and perhaps had the privilege to be exchanged if there were duplicates. And here I have you now bad and quite the uneventful story of two foolish children in a furnished apartment told that the greatest treasures of their house most unwisely sacrificed for each other. But with a final word should be said that these two were the wisest of all givers today's ways. Of all give and receive gifts, they are the wisest. Everywhere they are the wisest. They are the true ways. "

Expenditure

• Translated by Theo Schumacher, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger: dtv junior, 18th edition 2009, ISBN 978-3-423-70338-3