The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry

Della only has ______ to spend on a Christmas present for her husband.

€�There was nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl.” This quotation shows Della’s sense of __________.

€�There was nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl.” Which word in this quoted sentence indicates the couple’s poverty?

€�Life is made up of sobs, sniffles and smiles …” is an example of ____.

When O. Henry describes the entrance to the apartment building, his depiction of the foyer further points out the couple’s destitution. “In the vestibule below was a letter box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring.” The reader can infer that the “electric button” is the doorbell that will not ring because ________.

Jim’s full name is “Mr. James Dillingham Young.” “The letters of ‘Dillingham’ looked blurred, as though they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D.” This quote is an example of ____.

€�Della finished her cry … and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard.” The repetition of the word “gray” reinforces the _________ mood.

Jim’s gold watch, his finest possession, is a family heirloom, inherited from his _______.

Della’s finest possession is her hair. “Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window … just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts.” This biblical reference alludes to a famous ancient Arabian monarch known for her wealth and beauty. The purpose of this comparison is to show how _____ Della’s hair is.

O. Henry also includes a biblical reference concerning Jim’s watch. Jim’s gold watch is so exquisite even King _______ would “pluck at his beard in envy.”

Della looks into the “pier glass between the windows of the room. … [her] beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters.” This quotation contains an example of ______.

Della’s hair reaches her ________.

Della decides to go to Madame Sofronie, the owner of a hair and wig shop. Della sells her hair for _____.

Della tells Madame Sofronie, “Give it to me quick.” The reader can infer she says this because Della does not want to ________.

After getting the money from selling her hair, Della looks for two hours to find the perfect Christmas gift for Jim, “a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone, and not by meretricious ornamentation.” The fob reminds Della of both Jim and his watch; the chain possesses “quietness and value;” its appeal and worth are proclaimed in its ________ and unadorned design.

Della wants a proper watch chain for Jim because his beautiful watch only has an old __________.

In an attempt to minimize her hair cut, Della uses a curling iron. O. Henry uses a simile to describe the finished product. “Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a __________.”

Jim finds it hard to believe Della has cut and sold her hair. Almost in shock, he asks about her hair cut more than once. Initially, Della thinks her husband does not like the way she looks without her long hair. To reassure him, she repeatedly says she’ll _________.

When Della opens her present, she understands Jim’s reaction to her haircut. Jim has bought the expensive set of ______ of “pure tortoise shell, with jeweled rims” she has admired and wanted for quite some time.

After Della opens her present, she gives Jim the watch chain and wants him to put his watch on it right away. Instead he sits down on the couch and smiles. He then tells her he sold his watch to buy her present. O. Henry describes his story as “the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children who most unwisely sacrificed for each other [their] greatest treasures.” Then he states, “Of all who give gifts these two were the wisest.” This apparent contradiction reflects the Magi, the Wise Men, who brought gifts of great _______ to the Baby Jesus.

Jim and Della’s dinner, _______, could possibly be a pun on her haircut.

A theme of this story is that Jim and Della’s love for each other is much more valuable than any _______.