The Gift of the Magi
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Author: O. Henry
“The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry is a favorite Christmas short story. Published in 1910, it tells the story of two struggling newlyweds who love each other enough that they are willing to give up something dear to them in order to buy a Christmas present for the other. Students will read the opening paragraphs of the story and answer comprehension questions.
Topic(s): Realistic Fiction. Skill(s): Summary, Context Clues. Genre(s): Prose
O. Henry, whose real name was William Sydney Porter, wrote the short story “The Gift of the Magi.” It was published in 1910. Below are the opening paragraphs of the story.
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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.
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