The Gift of the Magi

1. The title does allude to the three wise men from the Bible, kings that come from far
away to bring the Christ child gold, frankincense, and myrrh: expensive and precious gifts
to honor him. However, at the end of the story, the narrator says of Jim and Della, "Of all
who give and receive gifts, such as they are the most wise. Everywhere they are the wise
ones. They are the magi." Therefore, the title of the story doesn't simply allude to the
original magi; the title actually refers to Jim and Della Young because they are the magi.
The narrator calls them the "most wise" because they understand that nothing in the
world is as valuable as love. They both sacrifice the thing they own that is most important
to them to show their love for the other: Jim sells his beautiful watch to buy Della hair
combs, and Della sells her hair to buy Jim a watch chain. Their gifts require sacrifice, and
the gifts given by the three rich kings did not: that makes Jim and Della the real magi.
…………….
The significance of the title is twofold. First, we need to realize that the title comes
from the New Testament. The magi, or wise men, gave the baby Jesus gifts. According to
the gospel of Matthew, they gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:11 states
(KJV):
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his
mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures,
they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
These magi travelled a far distance, and they gave precious gifts to a child they had
never seen before. Their gifts expressed their devotion. That they bowed down to worship
also shows this point. From this perspective, the title suggests that those who give
generously are magi or wise men.
Second, O. Henry states that Jim and Della are like the magi, because they also
gave wise and precious gifts. Their gifts were particularly wise, because they gave what
mattered the most to them. And in this way, they showed their hearts. Finally, the theme of
Christmas also ties in nicely. Here is how O. Henry ends his story:
But let me speak a last word to the wise of these days: Of all who give gifts, these
two were the most wise. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are the most wise.
Everywhere they are the wise ones. They are the magi.
………..
"The Gift of the Magi" is a story in which a young couple excel in their giving one
to another. The author compares their giving to the gifts the Magi gave to baby Jesus. The
Three Wise men knew how to give. They gave unique gifts with special emphasis. Jim and
Della have given special gifts one to the other. They gave the ultimate sacrifice. They gave
their most prized possession.
Truly, no other couple has been compared to The Three Wise Men and their giving
of themselves. The author of "The Gift of the Magi" beautifully writes how Jim and Della
pay the price by giving up valuable gifts to show their love for one another.

2. No greater love is expressed than the love Jim and Della have for each other. Their
gift giving displays the unselfish attitudes. Jim and Della care deeply and each one's gift
giving expresses a genuine desire to please the other.
No doubt, Jim and Della are the Magi:
The narrator explains that the wise men, or magi, brought gifts to the baby Jesus
and so invented the giving of Christmas gifts. Because these men were wise, they no doubt
gave wise gifts. Delia and Jim, the narrator asserts, have unwisely sacrificed their most
precious possessions. Yet, because they gave from the heart, they are wise: "They are the
magi."
……………
In the very last few lines of the story, the narrator justifies the title:
Of all who give gifts, these two were the most wise. Of all who give and
receive gifts, such as they are the most wise. Everywhere they are the wise ones. They are
the magi.
He has said that the original magi were "wonderfully wise men," so it stands to
reason that their gifts would be wise gifts as well. The "two children" of this story are not
wise, at least in the typical sense of the word, because they sold their most prized
possessions in order to purchase a gift for the other. In a way, it is unwise to part with the
object dearest to you. However, these "children" are even wiser than the magi because they
had to realize something the magi did not: that the person they love is far more precious
than any object, however meaningful, could ever be. The magi were kings and did not have
to make a personal sacrifice in order to express their love to the Christ child; as rich kings,
they could easily afford whatever expensive gifts they chose to offer. Jim and Della, on the
other hand, each made a personal sacrifice, giving up the only thing each had of any value
in order to show their love. This makes them even wiser than the original wise men; Jim
and Della, then, are the true magi.