The story "The Gift of the Magi" is a tale about giving so totally of oneself that one sacrifices that which is most important to one so that another person can be happy. In the story a man and his wife have very little other than a place to sleep, food, and one another.
The wife is proud of the beauty of her long hair. Her husband has a watch piece that he had inherited that means everything to him. To make each other happy they both sacrifice what they have that is most important to them. He sells his watch to buy her combs for her beautiful hair. She sells her hair to buy a band for his watch.
In the end the two have the gifts from one another but the tangible items mean nothing as they do not have the hair to wear the combs or the watch to attach to the band. However, they have the greatest gift of all. "They both have the gift of the sacrifice made by one another out of love for each other."
The title "The Gift of the Magi" relates this sacrificial gift subtly to the birth of the Christ child. It was the Magi that came to give the child gifts when the child is actually the gift to the Magi and all mankind.
No comments:
Post a Comment