The Gift of the Magi Summary in 150 Words

Welcome to nahinotes.com. Here I am going to share with you the summary of The Gift of the Magi story as an English Literature student. 

The Gift of the Magi Summary in 150 Words: 

The story starts with a problem. Della, the virtuous and young wife of Jim, counts her savings and finds only one dollar and eighty-seven cents, of which sixty cents is in pennies, saved one and two at a time by bargaining with the grocer, the vegetable seller, and the butcher. It is the Christmas Eve and Della has a long-cherished plan to offer Jim, her beloved husband a Christmas gift but the amount of her savings is not enough to purchase a gift worthy of Jim. So at this moment she has nothing to do but lament their misfortune. She understands that 'life is made up of sobs, sniffles and smiles.

Read Also: What is Alliteration?

The writer goes on to describe the house of the James Dillingham Youngs, called Jim and Della, husband and wife. They live in an ill-furnished rented flat at eight dollars per week. It cannot properly be described but certainly its facade gives an impression of poverty. O'Henry sketches the flat with just enough detail to convey its image: cheap, sparsely furnished, broken mailbox and doorbell. But in the midst of financial hardships and poverty Jim and Della are a happy pair. Whenever Jim returns home from this working place, he is warmly received by Della.