Jim, the hero, is a small clerk whose salary is only enough to make ends meet, and Della, the heroine, is a virtuous and kind housewife.
Their lives are poor, but Jim and Della both have a very precious treasure. Jim has a gold watch and Della has beautiful waterfall hair.
In order to give gifts to each other at Christmas, Jim sold his gold watch and bought a set of pure tortoise shells with jewels on the edge for Della. Della sold her long hair and bought Jim a platinum watch chain.
They all gave up their most precious things for each other, and the gifts they got became useless.
Jim and Della, though just little people living at the bottom of society, are passionate about life and love each other deeply. In the face of these warm feelings, poverty can become insignificant. On Christmas Eve, two people still want to buy presents for each other.
There are some exaggerated accidents in the story, which make the two protagonists living in embarrassment seem to be stretched. Through this slightly sad story, we can feel the warmth conveyed by O'Henry from desolation-the value of "gift".
Reflections on The Gift of the Magi
What you give to each other with your beautiful heart is priceless. And this priceless treasure is indeed a gift that anyone who thinks he is smart or rich in the world will never and can't give.
Christmas is one of the most important festivals in western countries. Every year on February 25th 10, people will give each other gifts and express their blessings in a happy atmosphere. These various gifts turned the cold Christmas Eve into a warm paradise. But what kind of gift is the most precious? O Henry, an American short story writer, described an ordinary and profound story for us-the gift of Maggie. On the day when Jesus was born, the three doctors gave him three gifts, which foreshadowed Jesus' life. The story told in O 'Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" is an absurd but touching story, which happened in a small family of the lower class at Christmas. Jim, the hero, is a small clerk whose salary is only enough to make ends meet, and Della, the heroine, is a virtuous and kind housewife. Their life is very poor, but Jim and Della each have a very precious treasure-a gold watch handed down by Jim. Even if "the basement is full of gold and silver treasures, and King Solomon is the gatekeeper, whenever Jim passes by, he will definitely take out his gold watch and let King Solomon blow his beard and stare with envy"; Della's beautiful waterfall hair can "put Na Ba's pearl baby to shame". In order to give gifts to each other at Christmas, Jim sold his gold watch and bought a set of pure tortoise shells with jewels on the edge for Della. Della sold her long hair and bought Jim a platinum watch chain. They all gave up their most precious things for each other, and the gifts they got became useless.
Some people may think that Jim and Della are both "stupid". They unwisely sacrificed their most precious things for each other, and O'Henry's novels seemed absurd and meaningless. Actually, it is not. Some exaggerated accidents in the story make the two protagonists living in embarrassment seem a little stretched. Through this tragic story, we feel the warmth conveyed by O'Henry from desolation-the value of "gift".
Jim and Della, though just little people living at the bottom of society, are passionate about life and love each other deeply. In the face of these warm feelings, poverty can become insignificant. On Christmas Eve, two people also want to buy gifts for each other, how romantic and warm. Even though this gift seems to have lost its use value, they have become the most precious gift in the world and sincere love for each other.
Maggie is a smart person, a very smart person. Because they are smart people, there is no doubt that their gifts are also smart gifts. Our Jim and Della, though unwisely sacrificed their most precious things for each other. However, let's say the last word to the wise today. Of all the gift givers, those two are the cleverest. Among all the people who give and receive gifts, people like them are also the cleverest. Everywhere, they are the smartest people. What they give each other with beautiful hearts is priceless. And this priceless treasure is indeed a gift that anyone who thinks he is smart or rich in the world will never and can't give. Christmas is coming again, dear friends, have you made up your mind?
Maggie's gift English version
A gift from the Magi.
One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That's all. Of which 60 cents are pennies. Save a penny or two at a time by pushing grocers, vegetable sellers and meat sellers until people's cheeks burn with silent accusations of meanness implied by this close exchange. Della counted it three times. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. The next day is Christmas.
There is obviously no choice but to throw yourself on the shabby little sofa and howl. So della did it. This leads to a kind of moral thinking, that is, life is composed of sobs, sniffles and smiles, among which sniffles are dominant.
Take a look at the house while the hostess of the house gradually sinks from the first stage to the second stage. A furnished apartment costs $8 a week. It's not exactly a description of beggars, but it must have the word looking for beggars.
There is a mailbox in the lobby below. There is no letter in it, and there is an electric button. No one can press it with his finger. There is also a business card that says "Mr. James dillingham Young".
"dillingham" was forgotten in the previous boom, when its owner was paid only $30 a week. Now, when the income is reduced to 20 dollars, they are seriously considering whether to shrink into a modest D. But every time Mr. James dillingham Yang comes home to his apartment upstairs, he is called "Jim" by Mrs. James dillingham Young and gives him a big hug. She already called you Della when she introduced him. It's all good.
Della finished crying and wiped her cheeks with a rag. She stood at the window, staring blankly out the window. A gray cat was walking on the gray fence in the gray backyard. Tomorrow is Christmas, and she only has 1.87 dollars to buy Jim a present. For months, she has been trying to save every penny as much as possible, and finally she has this result. Twenty dollars a week is not enough. The cost is more than she expected. They always have been. It only cost 1.87 dollars to buy Jim a present. Her Jim. She spent a lot of happy time planning something good for him. Something good, rare and pure-something worth having by Jim.
There is a mirror between the windows of the room. Maybe you've seen a mirror in an 8-dollar apartment. A very thin and agile person can have a fairly accurate concept of his appearance by observing his reflection in a series of longitudinal stripes. Della is slim and has mastered the art.
Suddenly, she turned around from the window and stood in front of the mirror. Her eyes sparkled, but her face lost its color in twenty seconds. She quickly pulled down her hair and let it hang down completely.
Now, Mr and Mrs James dillingham Young have two things that they are both proud of. One is Jim's gold watch, which belongs to his father and grandfather. The other one is Della's hair. If the Queen of Sheba lives in an apartment opposite the ventilation shaft, one day Della will hang her hair out of the window to dry, so as to belittle her jewels and gifts. If King Solomon is a janitor and all his treasures are piled in the basement, Jim will take out his watch every time he passes by and watch him pull out his beard jealously.
So now Della's beautiful hair is hanging over her body, rippling and shining like a brown waterfall. It grew below her knee and almost became her stumbling block. Then she did it again nervously and quickly. On one occasion, she hesitated for a moment, stood quietly, and a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.
She put on an old brown jacket; She put on her old brown hat. She shook her skirt, her eyes still shining with crystal light, and floated out of the door and went downstairs to the street.
She stopped and the sign said, "Mne. Sofroni. All kinds of hair products. " Della ran up a flight of stairs and gasped. Ma 'am, it's big, too white and cold, and it almost looks "Sofroni".
"Will you buy my hair?" Della asked.
"I buy hair," said the lady. "Take off your hat and let's have a look at it."
The brown waterfall gurgled down.
"Twenty dollars," said the lady, lifting the mass with a skillful hand.
"Give it to me," said Della.
Oh, the next two hours fly by on rosy wings. Forget the hash metaphor. She searched the shop for Jim's present.
She finally found it. This must be done for Jim, not for others. There is no shop like it. She turned all the shops upside down. This is a platinum watch chain with a simple design, which shows its value properly only through the entity rather than the flashy decoration-this is what all good things should do. It even deserves this watch. She knew it must be Jim's as soon as she saw it. Just like him. Quiet and value-this description applies to both. They charged her 2 1 dollar, and she hurried home with 87 cents. With that bracelet, Jim will feel anxious about time at any occasion. Although this watch is very big, he sometimes looks at it secretly because he uses an old belt instead of a chain.
When Della came home, her intoxication was slightly replaced by caution and reason. She took out her curling iron, lit the gas and began to repair the damage caused by love and generosity. Dear friends, this is always an arduous task-a huge task.
In less than forty minutes, her head was covered with small curly hair, which looked like a truant pupil. She looked at herself in the mirror for a long time, carefully and critically
"If Jim doesn't kill me," she said to herself, "before he looks at me for the second time, he will say that I look like a girl from Coney Island Song and Dance Troupe. But what can I do?-Oh! What can I do with 1 dollar 87 cents? "
At 7 o'clock, the coffee was ready and the frying pan was hot enough to roast ribs.
Jim is never late. Della folded the watch chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door where he often entered. Then, she heard his footsteps on the first floor stairs, and her face suddenly turned pale. She has a habit of silently praying for the simplest daily things, and now she whispers, "Please God, let him think that I am still beautiful."
The door opened and Jim went in and closed it. He looks thin and very serious. Poor guy, he's only 22 years old, and he has to support a family! He needs a new coat, and he has no gloves.
Jim stopped in the door, motionless, like a hound smelling quail. His eyes were fixed on Della, and there was an expression in his eyes that she couldn't understand, which frightened her. This is not anger, surprise, opposition, fear, or any emotion she is ready for. He just stared at her with that strange expression on his face.
Della wriggled off the table and walked towards him.
"Jim, honey," she cried, "don't look at me like that. I cut off my hair and sold it, because if I don't give you a present, I won't be able to spend Christmas. It will grow back-you won't mind, will you? I have to do this. My hair grows very fast. Say' Merry Christmas! Jim, let's be happy. You have no idea what a wonderful gift I have prepared for you. "
"You cut off your hair?" Jim asked with difficulty, as if he hadn't come to the obvious fact even after the hardest mental work.
"Cut it off and sell it," said Della. "Anyway, don't you like me as well? Without my hair, I am still me, aren't I? "
Jim looked around the room curiously.
"You said your hair was gone?" He said with an almost idiotic look.
"You don't have to keep the change," said Della. "It sold, I tell you-sold, go. It's Christmas Eve, son. Be nice to me, because it's for you. Maybe my hair can be counted, "she went on, suddenly becoming very sweet," but no one can count my love for you. Jim, shall I put the ribs on it? "
Jim seems to wake up from his lethargy soon. He held his della. Let's take ten seconds to carefully observe something irrelevant in the other direction. What's the difference between $8 a week or $0.0 million a year/kloc? Mathematicians or wise men will give you the wrong answer. The Magi brought valuable gifts, but they were not among them. This gloomy assertion will be clarified later.
Jim took a parcel out of his coat pocket and threw it on the table.
"Don't get me wrong, Dale," he said. I don't think a haircut, a shave or a shampoo will reduce my love for my daughter. But if you open the package, you may understand why you let me go for a while. "
White fingers deftly tore at the rope and paper. Then there was an ecstatic scream; Then, alas! A fast woman turns into hysterical tears and cries, forcing the apartment owner to use all the comfort power immediately.
Because in a window of Broadway, there is the set of combs that Della has been longing for for for a long time-including the combs on the side and back. Beautiful comb, made of pure tortoiseshell, with jeweled edges-just right for beautiful hair. She knew that these combs were very expensive, and her heart longed for them, but there was no hope of owning them. Now, they are hers, but the long hair that should be decorated with coveted decorations is gone.
But she held them tightly in her arms, and finally she raised her hazy eyes and smiled and said, "My hair grows too fast, Jim!" "
Then Della jumped up like a burnt kitten and cried, "Oh, oh!" "
Jim hasn't seen his beautiful present yet. She eagerly handed it to him on the open palm. The dim precious metal seems to reflect her bright and enthusiastic spirit.
"Is it a dude, Jim? I searched all over the town before I found it. Now you have to look at the time a hundred times a day. Give me your watch. I want to see what it looks like in it. "
Jim didn't obey, but fell on the sofa, put his hands behind his head and smiled.
"Dale," he said, "let's put away the Christmas presents and keep them for a while. They are too good to be used at present. I sold my watch in exchange for money to buy you a comb. Now suppose you put the ribs on it. "
As we all know, the Magi are smart people-very smart people-who brought gifts to the baby in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Because they are wise, their gifts are undoubtedly wise, and may have the privilege of exchange in the case of copying. Here, I limped to tell you the quiet chronicle of two silly children living in an apartment, who unwisely sacrificed the most precious thing in their family for each other. But to today's wise men, the last thing I want to say is that these two people are the cleverest among all the gift givers. Oh, all the people who give and receive gifts are as smart as they are. They are the cleverest anywhere. They are the Magi.