What Is The Irony In The Gift Of The Magi

First Corinthians 13:4 states, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” William Sydney Porter who goes by his pen name O. Henry. He wrote the short story The Gift of the Magi. The short story is about a loving old couple that has no money to spare for Christmas gifts. They both sell the most prized and valuable possessions in their lives for money to buy each other Christmas gifts. The title has some history behind it, symbolism of love throughout and ending with irony.
The magi is heard of as the "three kings" (as in the famous Christmas carol, "We Three Kings of Orient Are") or the "three wise men." According to the Christian Bible, the magi were the trio of kings who traveled to Bethlehem …show more content…
He stops dead in his tracks when he sees what Della did to her hair. “Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face,” (7, Henry). Della goes on beg him that she is still pretty. “Her head was covered with tiny, close- lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy,” (6, Henry). He tells her how beautiful she is no matter what the length of her hair is. Della opens her present. “For there lay The Combs--the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jewelled rims--just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. 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 say: ‘My hair grows so fast, Jim!’” (8, Henry). She is very grateful and does all she can to show her love for Jim by putting him at ease. Della then gives Jim his present only to find out it is a chain for his watch. He just smiles and tells her he sold the watch. Then he states, “‘Dell," said he, ‘let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present,’” (9, Henry). The irony is almost too good to be

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