What are the parallels between the life of O. Henry and his short story “The Gift of the Magi,” and how have critics analyzed and reacted to the work?

In 1906, O. Henry published “The Gift of the Magi,” a short story centered on the theme of “self sacrifice [as] the highest evidence of love,” (Law 194). The story however, is more complicated than the simple theme leads readers to think. Upon studying the text, along with information on O. Henry’s life, a connection between the two can be found. O. Henry led an extraordinary life, which is clearly reflected, in his short story “The Gift of the Magi.” Critics have considered his work as anecdotal and devoid of complex characters and themes.

Readers must understand O. Henry’s interesting history in order to see the deep connection. O. Henry had a troubled childhood, which made his future very complicated. He was born in Greensboro North Carolina in 1862 with the name William Sydney Porter. His mother died from pneumonia when O. Henry three from pneumonia. Soon after that, O. Henry’s father took him to live with his grand mother (”O. Henry” 308). During his teenage years, he worked in the family’s pharmacy, which did not work out for O. Henry so he moved to Texas and became a bank teller. Working at the bank as a bank teller had gotten him into a lot of trouble. O. Henry had been convicted of embezzlement and was sentenced five years in federal state prison. Determined not to let this get in the way of his success, O. Henry began writing.

O. Henry had a very successful writing career, even though he had so much to overcome. In addition to imprisonment, he never had proper schooling. During his childhood he learned more about “hard knocks and experience,” (Law 194). He used these experiences to create a successful career, with over ten volumes of short stories. Also, he began the magazine, Rolling Stone. Although the magazine failed, O. Henry did not allow his career to be ruined and began to write for the Houston Post, as well as continue his short stories. Overall, his career was very productive, and resulted in many stories, which are still famous today.

In 1906 O. Henry published “The Gift of the Magi.” It is a very interesting story taking place during the holiday season in New York City. The story has two important main characters in the story. Della Young who has beautiful long hair, and James Dillingham Young, or Jim, who is Della’s husband who always wears a gold watch given to him by his father. It was Christmas day and Della wanted to get something nice for Jim. The only profitable object that Jim and Della owned was the gold wristwatch. So Della decides to go to the hair parlor to sell her hair for $20 to get Jim a silver watch chain. When she gets home Della worries and tries to fix herself so that she will still look pretty in front of Jim. So when Jim gets home he is stunned and is clueless why Della cut her hair for him. Well what Della didn’t know until the end was that Jim sold his wristwatch for a set of beautiful combs for Della. So when Della gave Jim the chain she realized he sold the watch for the comb set. They exchange gifts, and forgive each other for their mistakes and live happily ever after. They realize that their sacrifices show their love for each other, which is the best present they could buy each other.

While it does not immediately seem like it, “The Gift of the Magi” may be based on a true story. Many similarities can be found between the setting of “The Gift of the Magi” and O. Henry’s life. Like the characters in the story, O. Henry lived in New York. His experiences in New York inspired his story to also take place there. Also, O. Henry had difficulty earning enough money, a struggle Della and Jim also shared.

O. Henry’s story has long remained a classic because of its meaningful themes. One of the strongest themes in “The Gift of the Magi” is love. Della and Jim share a love purer than most people. They are willing to give up their prized possessions for one another because they truly love each other. The theme of beauty also relates to this. Della is worried that Jim may not think she is beautiful once she has cut her hair. In the end, her looks aren’t important because Jim loves her no matter what. He loves what is on the inside, which relates to the theme of identity. Jim and Della love each other because of their personalities, not looks or money. Also connected to love, Jim and Della show the theme of wisdom. They are wise enough to know that their possessions are not what will make them happy. They realized that love is what counts. Clearly, Della and Jim are incredibly giving characters. Yet another theme is the struggle between wealth and poverty. Both Jim and Della desire more money than they have and want to be able to afford nice gifts for Christmas. In the end of the story they find out that it doesn’t matter how much money they have as long as they are in love. The theme of love, along with others, is throughout O. Henry’s entire story.