The gift of Magi麦琪的礼物英语鉴赏

The story opens with $1.87. That's all Della Dillingham Young has to buy a present for her beloved husband, Jim. And the next day is Christmas. Faced with such a situation, Della promptly bursts into tears on the couch, which gives the narrator the opportunity to tell us a bit more about the situation of Jim and Della. The short of it is they live in a shabby flat and they're poor. But they love each other.

Once Della's recovered herself, she goes to a mirror to let down her hair and examine it. Della's beautiful, brown, knee-length hair is one of the two great treasures of the poor couple. The other is Jim's gold watch. Her hair examined, Della puts it back up, sheds a tear, and bundles up to head out into the cold. She leaves the flat and walks to Madame Sofronie's hair goods shop, where she sells her hair for twenty bucks. Now she has $21.87 cents.

With her new funds, Della is able to find Jim the perfect present: an elegant platinum watch chain for his watch. It's $21, and she buys it. Excited by her gift, Della returns home and tries to make her now-short hair presentable (with a curling iron). She's not convinced Jim will approve, but she did what she had to do to get him a good present. When she finishes with her hair, she gets to work preparing coffee and dinner.

Jim arrives at 7pm to find Della waiting by the door and stares fixedly at her, not able to understand that Della's hair is gone. Della can't understand quite what his reaction means.

After a little while, Jim snaps out of it and gives Della her present, explaining that his reaction will make sense when she opens it. Della opens it and cries out in joy, only to burst into tears immediately afterward. Jim has given her the set of fancy combs she's wanted for ages, only now she has no hair for them. Jim nurses Della out of her sobs. Once she's recovered she gives Jim his present, holding out the watch chain. Jim smiles, falling back on the couch. He sold his watch to buy Della's combs, he explains. He recommends they put away their presents and have dinner. As they do so, the narrator brings the story to a close by pronouncing that Della and Jim are the wisest of everyone who gives gifts. They are the magi.

Book Review of The Gift of the Magi

Ⅰ.About the author: This book was

wrote by O. Henry (1862~1910), whose real name was William Sydney Porter, and was born in North Carolina. His schooling was rudimentary, and after working in a drug store, he went to Texas in 1882; he became a rancher for a time, then a bank teller and journalist, founding a comic weekly magazine, The Rolling Stone (1894~1895) before being employed by the Houston Post to write a humorous daily column. In 1896 he was indicted for alleged embezzlement by the bank for which he had worked, and fled to Honduras. He returned three years latter to be with his dying wife, was arrested and spent three years in the federal penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio. Here Porter started to write short stories under the pseudonym of O. Henry, thought to be adopted from a French pharmacist mentioned in the US

Dispensary, a reference book which Porter came across in his work in the prison pharmacy. His collections of stories include The Four Million(1906), Heart of the West (1907), The Trimmed Lamp(1907), The Gentle Grafter(1908), The Voice of the City(1908), Options(1909), Roads of Destiny(1909), Whirligigs and Strictly Business(1910).

Ⅱ.Background: The extraordinary life

and experiences of O. Henry inform all his stories. He is at home describing life south of the Rio Grande as he is with ‘the four million’-the ordinary inhabitants of teeming, tern-of the century Now York. Although he has been criticized for relying too much coincidence and contrived circumstance, O. Henry had a genuine sympathy for the down-trodden and oppressed which was unusual in writers of his era. And it is an era that he depicts with remarkable clarity; though some of the reportage some of the

conversations may grate on those whose consciousness is attuned to political attitudes of the late twentieth century rather than the realities of the early twentieth century, the stories are valuable examples of how life was lived at a time when slavery and the Indian Wars were only a generation or so in the past.

The Brief Introduction of people in story: The two protagonists are Jim and

Della, and there is also a costar, Mme. Sofronie. Jim, who was called in that way only between he and his wife, and his real name was James Dillingham Young. He was a people loved his wife very much, and he had to burden a family in his twenty’s. And he needed a new coat and a pair of gloves because of the tough living condition. He was very punctual to go home, so his wife wouldn’t wait long. His payment was $30 per week, and at that time, he and his wife lived in a furnished flat at $8 per week, and toward

III.

which was a letter-box, and an electric button. Also there was a card bearing the name ‘Mr. James Dillingham Young.’ So the led a happy life then. But, as times we nt by, his salary went to $20 per week, and no letter would go into it, no moral finger could hoax a ring with the electric button, the letters of ‘Dillingham’ looked blurred. Della, Jim’s wife, was a beautiful girl with long hair, which rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters, and it reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. Della complained about the reality and was anxious about the present she would give to Jim in Christmas. Also she loved her husband deeply. Mme. Sofronie, the manager of a barbershop, had much rich experience.

IV.

About the story: The story

opens with $1.87. That's all Della Dillingham Young has to buy a present for her beloved husband, Jim. And the next day is Christmas.

Faced with such a situation, Della promptly bursts into tears on the couch, which gives the narrator the opportunity to tell us a bit more about the situation of Jim and Della. The short of it is they live in a shabby flat and they're poor. But they love each other. Once Della's recovered herself, she goes to a mirror to let down her hair and examine it. Della's beautiful, brown, knee-length hair is one of the two great treasures of the poor couple. The other is Jim's gold watch. Her hair examined, Della puts it back up, sheds a tear, and bundles up to head out into the cold. She leaves the flat and walks to Madame Sofronie's hair goods shop, where she sells her hair for twenty bucks. Now she has $21.87 cents. With her new funds, Della is able to find Jim the perfect present: an elegant platinum watch chain for his watch. It's $21, and she buys it. Excited by her gift, Della returns home and tries to make her now-short hair presentable

(with a curling iron). She's not convinced Jim will approve, but she did what she had to do to get him a good present. When she finishes with her hair, she gets to work preparing coffee and dinner. Jim arrives at 7pm to find Della waiting by the door and stares fixedly at her, not able to understand that Della's hair is gone. Della can't understand quite what his reaction means. After a little while, Jim snaps out of it and gives Della her present, explaining that his reaction will make sense when she opens it. Della opens it and cries out in joy, only to burst into tears immediately afterward. Jim has given her the set of fancy combs she's wanted for ages, only now she has no hair for them. Jim nurses Della out of her sobs. Once she's recovered she gives Jim his present, holding out the watch chain. Jim smiles, falling back on the couch. He sold his watch to buy Della's

combs, he explains. He recommends they put away their presents and have dinner. As they do so, the narrator brings the story to a close by pronouncing that Della and Jim are the wisest of everyone who gives gifts. They are the magi.

V.

Writing Skills: There's not a

whole lot of imagery or metaphor in this story. That makes the few Bible allusions stand out all the more. There's the whole "magi" reference. The last paragraph compares Jim and Della to the three wise men who, according to the Christian New Testament, delivered gifts to Jesus on the first Christmas (see "What's Up with The Title" for more on this comparison). In addition, there are two other Biblical allusions, both made in connection with Jim and Della's prize possessions. Della's hair is said to be so gorgeous that it would inspire envy in the Queen of Sheba. Jim's watch

would have been the envy of King Solomon. Both the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon are famous figures from the Old Testament. What do all three of these references have in common, besides being Biblical figures Well, they're all royal, very rich Biblical figures. The magi are often said to be kings, and brought Jesus three very expensive gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh), while Sheba and Solomon were both powerful monarchs renowned for their wealth and splendor. The comparison of Jim and Della's possessions to those of Biblical figures helps bring out how precious those two items are to their owners; to Jim and Della they're treasures, which they give

away. But that's not all the images of Solomon and Sheba do. By bringing them up, and by mentioning the magi, O. Henry creates a sharp contrast between their spectacular riches and the obvious poverty and Jim and Della. We have to wonder why O. Henry would do

that. Because ultimately the story wants us to think about what it means to be truly rich. Where it really counts, Jim and Della are as rich as Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, and the magi, because they love each other. Just like the magi and Solomon (both figures famous for their wisdom), they're also wise, as the last paragraph tells us. The Biblical imagery also beefs up the story's credibility as a parable. By invoking the Bible at moments, O. Henry makes "Gift of the Magi" feel more morally weighty.

VI.After reading: Have you ever loved

someone and wanted to find him or her just the perfect present Our bet is you have. Could be your mom, could be your significant other. And once you're in that gift-giving frame of mind, you're in the situation of Della, the main character from "The Gift of the Magi." That's why whenever the Christmas season rolls around; people (and television networks) go in

for this story big time. You'll probably also face the same questions Della did. What is a perfect gift And how much (money, time, etc.) are you willing to give up to finding something that would really matter to that person You might even be lead to some surprisingly large questions. What really matters, and what's really valuable For a short, simple, and delightful way of assuring yourself that "all you need is love," this story's hard to beat. Read it to get a major case of the warm and fuzzies. Though it might also make you think more carefully about just what "love" means. Besides all that, to be honest, you've probably encountered this story somewhere even if you didn't know it. You might have seen it filtered through Sesame Street (which lodged it forever in your child subconscious), or you might have seen it recently parodied while watching The Simpsons. "The Gift of the

Magi" is the original, though, and in our opinion, nothing's really touched it. It's hard not to be charmed by O. Henry's storytelling style.

The Gift of the Magi is more than a nice Christmas story. It is a classic tale of sacrifice, irony, and wisdom gained. The story takes place on the day before Christmas, when a newlywed husband and wife long to buy the perfect holiday gifts for one another. Unfortunately, they have very little money, but they are determined. Della makes the difficult decision to sacrifice something of great value in order to raise the money to buy Jim a chain for his inherited gold pocket watch. Jim comes up with a similar solution so that he can buy a lovely set of ivory combs for his wife’s beautiful long hair. The conclusion of the story is poignant and touching, as realization sets in as to what they have done. In their efforts to please one another, they have lost two of the most

valuable objects they owned, yet in the process may have gained something of much greater value. It is thought that this stor y reflects somewhat on the author’s own relationship with his wife as she struggled with poor health, even while he fled the country to avoid arrest for bank embezzlement. In spite of his problems, he returned to be with her in her final days. The Gift of the Magi is one of the most well-known stories of O. Henry, a pen name for William Sydney Porter.

A definitive master of the short story, his tales tell of love and loss, deception and truth, loyalty and betrayal. He breathes life into his characters, who are rich and poor, young and old, the best and the worst of humanity… Through believable conversation and vivid description, he tells amazing, witty, and appealing stories that are inevitably peppered with twists of fate, chance encounters, and unavoidable meetings with destiny. Many editions of The Gift of the Magi have been published since it was written at the turn of the century, including children’s picture books. The story is most commonly ifound in various collected works of the author.

“The Gi ft of the Magi”Title By O. Henry Author Important Characters: *Della- has a very beautiful long hair. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. *Jim- husband of Della. He has a golden wrist watch which was used to own by his grandfather and father. Synopsis: It was Christmas Day tomorrow, but Della had only $1.87 to buy Jim a special present. And the only precious thing they had was Jim’s golden wrist watch; in addition, was her beautiful long brown hair which reached to her knees. But she really wanted to buy a gift for Jim so she went to a hair and beauty parlor. She sold her hair for $20. And she bought a platinum fob chain for Jim’s wrist watch. When she got home, she fixed herself wondering if Jim would still love her. After forty minutes, she heard his footsteps. She whispered a silent prayer. She wished that she would still be looked pretty for him. The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. His coat and gloves were worn out. She became conscious because of the way he stares at her. Without asking why, she explained the reason why she had to do that because she wanted to buy him a special gift. And she told him that she really loved him. Then he asked why she would have to do that. But sh e thought that Jim wasn’t loved her because she has now a short hair, so Jim told her that before she doubt his love for her, he told her to unwrapped the package he brought. She saw beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jeweled rims—just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair that Della had worshipped for long. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone, but she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and said to him that her hair grew fast.

Then she gave to him the platinum fob chain. She proudly told him that she had searched for it all over the town. She asked him to put it on to his watch but instead of obeying, Jim smiled and said that put their Christmas presents away and keep them a while because they''re too nice to use just at present because he sold the watch to get the money to buy her combs. Comments/