AN UNEXPECTED CHRISTMAS GIFT LOVE, SACRIFICE AND IRONY IN O.HENRY’S “THE GIFT OF THE MAGI”

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between love, sacrifice and situational irony in O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi”. Through close reading of the story, it analyses the significance of the watch, hair, chain and combs, the delayed revelation of Jim’s decision, and the biblical allusion in the title. The story presents reciprocal generosity as a form of wisdom without suggesting that affection removes material hardship.