The Gift of the Magi & Princess September

Part 1 — The Gift of the Magi (O. Henry)

About the Author

O. Henry (William Sydney Porter, 1862–1910) was an American master of the short story. He was famous for IRONIC TWISTS — endings that CHANGE EVERYTHING.

The Story

Della and Jim: Della and Jim are a young married couple. They are VERY POOR. They live in a tiny, furnished apartment. But they LOVE each other deeply.

Christmas Eve — The Problem: It's the day before Christmas. Della has only $1.87 (about one dollar and eighty-seven cents) to buy Jim a Christmas present. It's not enough. She WEEPS.

Della's Treasure: Della has ONE beautiful thing: her HAIR. It's long, rippling, shining — 'like a cascade of brown waters.' It would make the Queen of Sheba jealous.

The Sacrifice: Della goes to a shop. She SELLS HER HAIR for $20. With the money, she buys a PLATINUM CHAIN for Jim's WATCH — his ONE treasure (a gold watch inherited from his grandfather, that would have made King Solomon jealous).

Christmas Evening — The IRONIC TWIST: Jim comes home. He sees Della's SHORT HAIR. He is STUNNED — but not angry.

Jim sold HIS WATCH to buy a SET OF BEAUTIFUL COMBS for Della's hair. Della sold HER HAIR to buy a CHAIN for Jim's watch. Each sacrificed their most precious possession to buy a gift for the other — and BOTH gifts are now USELESS.

The 'Magi' — The Title Explained

The Magi were the THREE WISE MEN who brought gifts to the infant Jesus. O. Henry says: Della and Jim are the WISEST of all gift-givers. 'They gave the greatest gifts of all — they gave EACH OTHER. Of all who give gifts, these two were the wisest. They are the MAGI.'

Themes

• Sacrifice as the Ultimate Gift: Each gave up what they TREASURED MOST. The gifts became useless as objects — but PRICELESS as expressions of love.
• Love Over Materialism: The story says: LOVE is worth more than hair, more than a watch, more than money.

Part 2 — Princess September (W. Somerset Maugham)

About the Author

W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) was an English writer. 'Princess September' is one of his rare stories for children.

The Story

The King of Siam and His Daughters: The King of SIAM (old name for Thailand) had NINE daughters. They were named after the months of the year — January, February, March... The youngest was PRINCESS SEPTEMBER (the ninth month, originally — but she's the youngest daughter).

The Nightingale: One day, a beautiful NIGHTINGALE flies into Princess September's room. It sings the most beautiful songs. She puts it in a CAGE. She loves it — but she keeps it PRISONER.

The Consequence: The nightingale grows SAD. It stops singing. It tells the princess: 'If you love something, LET IT BE FREE.' If the bird can fly free, it will RETURN and sing for her.

The Choice: All her sisters tell her to keep the bird caged. It's SAFER. It's easier. But Princess September OPENS THE CAGE.

The Reward: The nightingale flies free — and RETURNS. It sings for her every day. Because she chose FREEDOM over possession, she was REWARDED with devotion.

The other sisters — who kept their pets caged — lost them all.

Themes

• If You Love Something, Set It Free: True love does not POSSESS. It LIBERATES.
• Courage vs. Fear: Keeping the bird caged is FEAR (of losing it). Letting it go is COURAGE (trusting it will return).
• The Nature of True Friendship: 'Friendship cannot be forced. It must be FREELY GIVEN.'

Comparison