THE GIFT OF THE MAGI by O Henry Questions Answers Study
Guide:-
Question:
“Everywhere they are
wisest. They are the Magi”. Who are ‘they’? Why are they called the wisest and
compared to the Magi?
Answer:
They are Jim and Della, the two characters in O. Henry’s
‘The Gift of the Magi’.
Each of them
was unable to pass the Christmas without a gift of love to the other. But each
was too poor to fulfil hearts desire. Ultimately, each sacrificed each one’s
best treasure to buy a gift for the other. Any material sacrifice to acquire
selfless mutual love is a wise decision. So Jim and Della are called the
wisest. They are compared to the Magi for offering Christmas gifts.
Question:
What was the problem Della had to face? How did she solve
the problem?
Answer:
Della could save only S1.87 to buy an X-mas gift to her Jim.
It was impossible. But she could not pass the X-mas without a gift to him. So
she sold her lovely looks for S20 and bought a platinum fob chain for his gold
wrist watch. That was how she solved her problem. She tried in vain to repair
the ravages to her beautiful appearance by curling her bobbed hairs.
Question:
“A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong
answer”—What is the question to which a mathematician or a wit would give you a
wrong answer? Why would their answer be wrong?
Answer:
The question is: Who is happier between one who earns S8 a
week and another earning a million a year?
An earthly
man answers that the million-earner is happier. But O. Henry says that
happiness depends not on money but on mutual love. Persons like Jim and Della
are happier than many millionaires. So the answers of a wit or a mathematician
would be wrong.
