An episode from the story of the gifts of the Magi. Gifts of the Magi. The role of the interior in the short story "Gifts of the Magi"

Truly touching, at the same time sad and happy story of O. Henry "Gifts of the Magi" is one of the most popular and famous among his other stories.

Analysis of the story

The title of the story is quite symbolic, the Magi were known for seeing an eastern star in the sky, and went with gifts to the newly born Jesus Christ. Since then, on Christmas Eve, people have given each other gifts.

At first glance, "Gifts of the Magi" is a story about gifts that spouses made to each other for a holiday, but if you look deeper, this story is about much more significant, one might say, priceless things.

The story "Gifts of the Magi" is dedicated to pure love, which is not alien to true self-sacrifice.

Jim and Della are a married couple forced to live in poverty. Despite this, husband and wife truly love each other and on Christmas Eve desperately want to give each other good, quality gifts. Fr. Henry reveals that this family has two valuable things: Della's luxurious hair and Jim's precious watch, which his father gave him.

Della has a tiny, pitiful sum of one dollar and eighty-seven cents, and she certainly won't be able to buy a beautiful present for her husband for these pennies. Therefore, she decides to sell her thick and beautiful hair, and cuts it so that she can buy a chain for her beloved husband for his gold watch.

But when she presents Jim with her thoughtful, magnificent gift, Della realizes that her husband sold his precious watch to buy a tortoiseshell comb for her lovely hair. Jim, too, could not leave his beloved wife without a gift, and no matter how dear the memory of his father was to him, he decides to sell the only value that he has in order to please Della.

Moral values \u200b\u200bof the main characters

The gifts that the spouses bought for each other can no longer be used by them, but this is not the most important thing. It is important to understand why this happened, because both heroes wanted to do everything possible to make the beloved or beloved happy.

And it is with this plot that O. Henry reveals the true value of love, or rather its pricelessness and purity. After all, the point is not what gifts Jim and Della chose, what matters is what they did to please each other.

And their mutual sacrifice, mutual devotion has no monetary or any other value, true love is their best gift, and apart from it, they do not need anything. After all, for each other, they were not afraid to sell the last thing they had.

The most amazing thing is that O. Henry manages to reveal such a multifaceted and rather complex topic with a simple, short story, moreover, filled with humor and amazing optimism.

Its main characters are people who never lose heart, and despite the fact that they seemed to have lost a lot by buying unnecessary gifts, they do not despair, on the contrary, Jim and Della did not lose anything important, because the most real and important thing they have there is this their priceless love for each other.

The short story "Gifts of the Magi" is one of the most famous works of the master of American short prose O. Henry. The short story was published in 1906 as part of the collection Four Millions. Five years ago, in 2010, a literary prize was dedicated to the work and its creator. O. Henry's literary prize "Gifts of the Magi" is awarded for works in which the formula "love + voluntary sacrifice + unexpected outcome" is sustained. The awards were initiated by Russian short story writers.

"Gifts of the Magi" were written in the Pete's tavern in New York. The work supplemented the galaxy of small stories with an unexpected denouement, in which O. Henry specialized.

Let's remember the plot of this touching novella about love, sacrifice and Christmas.

The whole world was preparing for Christmas, and Della Dillingham was about to burst into tears. One dollar and eighty-seven cents was all that she managed to save up for a gift to her beloved husband Jim. She diligently set aside a penny for a cent, but could not collect a decent amount.

Della stood in the middle of her $ 8 furnished apartment with Jim. In the setting, there was "not so much blatant poverty, but rather eloquently silent poverty." Jim was making twenty dollars a week, barely enough to live on.

Della collapsed onto the bed and burst into tears. She so dreamed of making a gift worthy of her beloved Jim. Dreaming, she imagined how she would give him something special, how he would be happy and hug his dear Della.

Mrs.Dillingham rubbed her puffy eyes with a puff and froze in front of the dressing table. Exactly! How could she not have guessed before! Hair!

The fact is that the Dillingham family had two main treasures - Jim's gold watch and Della's hair. If the Queen of Sheba had lived in the house opposite, then all her outfits would have faded in front of Della's hair. Della Dillingham's long, brown, waterfall-like hair was beautiful indeed.

Pulling up her hair with hairpins, Mrs. Dillingham quickly brushed away a traitorous tear, put on an old hat, threw on a shabby jacket and ran out into the street.

Della sold her braids to Madame Sophie's salon, which specialized in hair products. The hostess, with a habitual gesture, weighed the thick of brown hair on her arm. "Twenty dollars," Madame Sophie snapped. "Going," Dela blurted out.

As the day drew to a close, Della was proudly examining the platinum pocket watch chain - simple and solid, like all good things. Della knew that this chain must belong to her husband: “She was the same as Jim himself. Modesty and dignity - these qualities distinguished both of them. " Jim's watch was so magnificent that King Solomon himself would have envied it. Only Jim always had to look at his watch furtively, because it hung on an old leather cord. Now Mr. Dillingham can get his treasure in any society and proudly say what time it is.

Dela looked sadly at her reflection again. To remedy the damage caused, Mrs. Dillingham curled her hair with tongs and now, in her opinion, looked like a chorus girl from Coney Island. “God, make sure he doesn't like me,” Della said hastily as the front door creaked and Jim appeared in the doorway.

The head of the Dillingham family rubbed his frozen hands. He needed gloves, a new coat and a good rest for a long time. The thin face of this twenty-two-year-old man was imprinted with concern that it’s not easy being a breadwinner when you’re so young.

Seeing Della, Jim stood rooted to the spot. "You cut your hair, Dell, where are your braids?" “Yes, I cut it and sold it. The hairs on my head may now be counted, but my love for you is countless. Or will you stop loving me now? " “No hairstyle or haircut can make me stop loving my girl! Just open this package and you will understand why in the first minute I was so dumbfounded. "

Della's white fingers nimbly unrolled the paper wrapper. In the next moment, the girl cried out joyfully and immediately burst into tears. The bundle contained tortoiseshell combs. The same set that Della was staring at when she saw it on the shelf in the store. One front, two side, decorated with iridescent stones. The combs were expensive and therefore Mrs. Dillingham could not afford them. Della now had combs, but no hair.

When Della happily held out the chain to Jim, it turned out that the watch was sold for the combs.

Jim lay down on the couch and smiled. “Perhaps we will have to put aside our gifts for now - they are too good for us. Let's roast lamb cutlets and celebrate Christmas. "

This is the story that happened on Christmas Eve. Two stupid kids from an eight-dollar apartment have sacrificed their greatest treasures for each other in the most unwise way. Say, annoying? Not at all! The wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus were wise men. Della, Jim and everyone like them are truly wise. Everywhere and everywhere. They are the Magi.

The short story “Gifts of the Magi” refers to the biblical legend about the wise men who presented gifts to the baby Jesus. Among the Slavs, the priests were called magi, soothsayers who performed divine services and predicted the future from the stars. Translated from the Old Church Slavonic sorcerer - the one who speaks inconsistently, mumbles vaguely. From here came etymological and morphological transformations - magic, magic, witchcraft.

In the Christian tradition, the wise men were three kings / sages / rich men who brought gifts to the newborn Jesus. According to legend, the Magi Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar were representatives of three generations (a young man, a mature man, a gray-haired old man) and three races (African, European, Asian). They gave the baby Jesus gold, incense and myrrh.

The first gift symbolized royalty (Jesus was born to be an earthly king), incense symbolized divinity (Jesus' appointment to be the king of heaven, God). Smyrna (fragrant resin) was a symbol of martyrdom (Jesus is destined to die in torment).

The visit of the Magi gave rise to the tradition of making gifts for Christmas and the birth of a child. The first Christmas gifts became Christian relics. They are now kept in the Monastery of St. Paul on Mount Athos. These are 28 gold plates and 60 beads made from a mixture of incense and resin. The plates are cast in the shape of triangles and squares, and the beads are strung on a silver thread.

Fr. Henry boldly compares his heroes Della and Jim with the wise men who brought generous gifts to the newborn Jesus. There was nothing of value in the things the Dillinghams bought, the important thing is how they got them. Both Della and Jim sacrificed their biggest treasures (gorgeous hair and watches) to please their loved ones.

Love is the greatest gift

The ending of the novel is both sad and light. Yes, Jim and Della's gifts turned out to be useless, but after a moment of chagrin, the young people smile again. You can grow your hair, you can make money for new hours, but growing love where there is none is impossible. Della and Jim are the greatest wealthy and sages. And they will always be happy as long as each other has.

Literary film adaptations

The first film adaptation of "Gifts of the Magi" was released in 1958. The tape included five short stories by O. Henry: "Pharaoh and Chorale", "Trumpet Voice", "The Last Leaf", "Leader of the Redskins" and "Gifts of the Magi". The latter was directed by Henry King (Black Swan, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Tender is the Night). The soundtrack for the film was written by the excellent Alfred Newman.

In his novel, he managed to show that despair has not yet benefited anyone, and that hope and willpower have tremendous power in our lives.

The novel combines adventure and exoticism, and, of course, unsurpassed and subtle humor, which is the writer's hallmark.

In 1972, the screen version of the famous short story was released by the Poles. The role of Della was performed by Marta Lipińska, the role of Jim - by Janusz Gajos.

In 1978, Lithuania filmed a mix of O. Henry's works. The film was released under the title "I won't be a gangster, honey." It consisted of four short stories, including "Gifts of the Magi".

The writing

O. Henry's creativity is a powerful source of goodness and humanity. His short stories captivate, delight, delight, amuse and captivate the reader, awaken in his soul a whole world of good feelings, inspire optimism and hope. One of the best New York short stories by O. Henry is "Gifts of the Magi". A young family lives in a large New York house - Jim and Della. They are very poor, but they love each other passionately. Before Christmas, they decide to donate the most precious thing they have to give each other gifts.

Jim and Della know how to be happy living in a poor apartment for twenty dollars a week. The heroes love each other so much that they are able without hesitation to sacrifice the most expensive that they had: Della - with her luxurious hair, which could "make all the jewelry and outfits of Her Majesty fade" (Queen of Sheba), and Jim - a family gold watch, seeing which, King Solomon would tear "his beard out of envy." Love for another overpowered love for some material values. Although it seems to me that the love of Jim and Della is so strong and real that it is also tangible - this love shines through all the lines of the novel.

This story did not spoil the Christmas holiday for the lovers at all, because they received another proof of love for each other as a gift and were very happy.

At first glance, it seems that the story is almost anecdotal, but it can hardly be called funny or funny, it has a bitter taste. But, on the other hand, this funny failure with gifts is a real fairytale Christmas story that shows the best qualities of ordinary people: the dedication of their love, sacrifice, spiritual generosity. The Novella, like a Christmas star, followed by the Magi two millennia ago, radiates the light of hope.

* “Of all those who offer and receive gifts, only those like them are truly wise,” writes O. Henry. - Everywhere and everywhere. They are the Magi. "

Jim and Della have genuine spiritual generosity, they know how to love and sacrifice for this love what is dear to them.

Other compositions on this work

Gifts of the Magi

Historical excursion

The Gospel of Matthew tells about the worship of the Eastern sages who brought gifts - gold, incense and myrrh - to the Infant Christ.

Seeing the star, they rejoiced with very great joy, and entering the house, they saw the Infant with Mary, His Mother, and, falling down, worshiped Him; and opening their treasures, they brought him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matt. 2: 9-11)

Adoration of the Magi

The three Eastern wise men, also called the Magi, brought rich gifts to the born God-child Christ. They were engaged in the study of heavenly bodies and one day they saw an amazing star. They knew the ancient prophecy (regardless of Jewish sources) that around this time the Messiah - the Savior of the world - should come, and a special star should indicate his coming. And one day she appeared in the firmament. The Magi realized that the star is a sign. Following her movement in the sky, they crossed several states and arrived in Jerusalem. There, the eastern sages turned to the ruling sovereign of this country, Herod, with the question of where they could see the newly born King of the Jews, apparently suggesting that the ruler should be related to him by family ties.

Herod was alarmed by this news, but did not show his sight and politely escorted the Magi out of the palace, asking them, when they found the King, to tell him where he was, "so that I might go and worship Him." The travelers left Jerusalem and followed the guiding star that took them to Bethlehem. There they found Mary and the baby, bowed down to him and brought gifts. Tradition has brought the names of the Magi to our time: Belshazzar, Gaspar, Melchior. Although, there is another point of view that there were more than 3 wise men.

The Gospel account of the gift-giving shows the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy about how the Gentiles would bring their gifts to the King of Israel: "... the kings of Tarshish and the islands will offer him tribute; the kings of Arabia and Sheba will bring gifts; and all the kings will bow down to him; all nations will serve him ..." (Psalm 71: 10-11) (in the Christian interpretation, the Church of Christ is called Israel here, as a new, spiritual, Israel, which must replace the old Israel - the Jewish state and the Jewish church.) This phrase refers to a gift to the king of Israel. To Solomon the gifts of the Queen of Sheba as an event-prototype of the bringing of gifts to Christ.

The gifts brought by the Magi have a symbolic meaning:

• Gold is a royal gift showing that Jesus was a Man born to be a King;
• Frankincense is a gift to a priest, since Jesus came to become a new Teacher and a true High Priest (see the iconography “The Great Bishop”);
• Smyrna is a gift to those who must die, since in ancient Israel they used myrrh to embalm the body of the deceased. This gift refers to the impending atoning sacrifice of Christ - one of the episodes of the Passion of the Lord, crowned with the Crucifixion, will be the anointing of the Savior's feet with myrrh, and before burial, his body was anointed with a fragrant composition of myrrh and aloe.

A piece of gifts

The Magi and their gifts established the well-known tradition of giving gifts at Christmas.

According to legend, the Mother of God carefully preserved the honest gifts of the Magi all her life. Shortly before her Assumption, She handed them over to the Jerusalem Church, where they were kept for 400 years. The Byzantine Emperor Arkady transferred the gifts to Constantinople for the consecration of the new capital of the empire. Then they got to the city of Nicaea and stayed there for about sixty years. When the Latins were expelled from Constantinople, the gifts of the Magi were returned to the capital. After the fall of Byzantium in 1453, they were sent to St. Mount Athos to the monastery of St. Paul - the Serbian princess Maria gave them there.

At that time the monastery was Slavic (now it is Greek). The Serbian ruler Georgy Brankovic provided him with great material assistance. The ruler's daughter, Princess Maria, became the wife of the Ottoman Sultan Murad II. In 1389, on the Kosovo field, the Serbs were defeated by countless hordes of Turks and the princess was forced to become the wife of the Sulatan. Being a deeply religious Christian, she did not miss a single opportunity to do something useful for Orthodox churches or monasteries.

When the gifts of the Magi were discovered in the Constantinople treasury of the Greek emperors, the decision ripened in the heart of the pious princess to transfer them to the monastery of St. Paul. She told the Sultan that for his lush courtyard, immersed in luxury, the objects found were nothing more than amusing toys. In a matter of days, a magnificent ship was equipped, and the princess set sail.

Knowing that women were not allowed to enter Athos, Mary thought that she would be forgiven for her act, because she was carrying great shrines. Having disembarked, she went to the monastery. A majestic maiden appeared in front of the guest in a dazzling radiance.

Who are you? she asked sternly.

I am the Serbian princess Maria.

Why did you grant me to my inheritance?

I brought a great shrine to present to my father, the abbot.

Women are not allowed on Mount Athos. Go back, - said the beautiful Virgo and disappeared.

The princess realized that it was the Mother of God. She fell to her knees and ardently, from the bottom of her heart, asked her forgiveness for her involuntary insolence. (In the place where this miracle happened, a chapel was built, which has survived to this day). Having handed over the treasure to the brethren of the monastery, Maria returned to the ship.

The gifts are kept in 10 special arks in the sacristy of the monastery of St. Paul. For the worship of pilgrims, only 3 parts are separated in one ark.

In 2014, the gifts of the Magi were first brought to Russia and Ukraine.

Description

The gifts of the Magi are one of the few relics associated with the earthly life of the Savior, which has survived to this day. Today they are 28 small gold pendants of various shapes, skillfully decorated with filigree ornaments. Attached to each of these gold plates on a silver thread are beads composed of a mixture of incense and myrrh. The gifts are kept in 10 special arks in the sacristy of the monastery of St. Paul.

"Gifts of the Magi" because it is important for the analysis. By and large, we can say that "Gifts of the Magi" is a short story, although some literary scholars attribute it to a short story, which is confirmed by an unexpected ending. Now we will conduct a brief analysis of the story "Gifts of the Magi". On our website you can also read a summary of the story.

Already from the title one can see the connection between the plan of the writer and the biblical story, when the Magi came to worship the newly born Jesus Christ, bringing him gifts. There is another parallel with the Bible. About the brown hair of Della, the heroine of the story, and the golden watch of Jim, the protagonist, it is easy to conclude that they correlate with the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, namely the jewelry of the queen and the wealth of the king.

Features of the story

The nature of the narrative lies in the story of the author himself, moreover, from time to time he addresses the readers with the phrases "my friends" and others. To analyze the story "Gifts of the Magi" more complete, let us consider some of the features:

It is interesting how the author, during the moment when Della cries from the impossibility of giving Jim a good gift, suddenly tears the reader away from this scene and begins to consider "the house itself" - we plunge into the artistic setting of space.

There is a second moment, when the young couple embrace tenderly at the end. Fr. Henry encourages people to be more humble, suggesting that they focus on looking at the "foreign matter" that represents the main idea of \u200b\u200bthe story.

main characters

In the story, the two main characters are the spouses Mr. and Mrs. James Young. Starting to read a work, the reader cannot understand how old they are. However, according to some description, you can decide that Della is a girl or a young woman. For example, she is emotional: she can suddenly cry, turn pale. She has a frail physique and people admire her chic knee-length brown hair. Of course, O. Henry does not give her age, but, most likely, she is younger than husband Jim, about whom we know that he is twenty-two years old.

From the author's conclusion, it can be understood that he considers the young couple to be almost children, but in the analysis of the story "Gifts of the Magi" we note that these are very wise people, according to the author himself, because he compares them with those who are ready to sacrifice for a loved one man's greatest treasures.

The fact that materially the heroes of the story are in poverty, well emphasizes their excellent qualities of the soul - love and generosity. Della is afraid that after losing her main treasure, her husband will stop loving her. In any case, she will become less attractive in his eyes. Della tries to make a gift, putting her soul into it, so that it turns out to be worthy, special, rare and precious. We have no doubt that Jim does the same, having similar motives - he dreams of giving his beloved wife something unique after the sale of his gold watch.

Conclusions in the analysis of "Gifts of the Magi"

It is very important that the story "Gifts of the Magi" is short in length, but at the same time encourages deep reflection. O. Henry constructed the narrative using short, clear phrases that aptly describe events and characters. We will not find detailed descriptions - long and drawn-out. Instead, the author operates with adjectives and adverbs, lexical repetitions and diminutive-affectionate suffixes.

To reinforce the emotional components, lexical repetitions are especially well suited here: "a gray cat walking along a gray fence along a gray house." Consider this feature when analyzing the "Gifts of the Magi" story. In conclusion, we can say that the chain on which you can see a simple and austere pattern, and which Della bought, attracts not because it sparkles. All good things, according to the author, should have just such an attractiveness.