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The Gift of the Magi

by O. Henry

Della has one dollar and eighty-seven cents, and it is Christmas Eve.

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Original language: EnglishLevel: Intermediate3,343 characters · ≈ 5 minSource: Project Gutenberg

Opening lines

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.

There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second,…

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About the book

"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by American writer O. Henry, first published in 1905. It tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with only a small amount of money. A sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it is known for its twist ending, an example of dramatic irony, and remains popular for adaptation at Christmas time.

About the author

O. Henry (born William Sydney Porter; September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910) was an American writer known primarily for his short stories, though he also wrote poetry and non-fiction. His works include "The Gift of the Magi", "The Caballero's Way", "The Duplicity of Hargraves", "The Ransom of Red Chief", and the novel Cabbages and Kings.

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: The Gift of the Magi (CC BY-SA)

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