January 22 - "The Gift of the Magi"

“The Gift of the Magi”
by O. Henry
The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories (2002)

* * * * (Great) Realistic

Devoted Della is desperate to find enough money during hard times to purchase the perfect Christmas gift for her husband Jim. Through sacrifice she finds the money required to buy that elusive gift. Convinced of Jim’s impending delight, Della waits anxiously for his return from work. Only, Jim arrives with a gift of his own for his thoughtful wife.

It is probably best to come across a story written by O. Henry without any prior knowledge. If you know the ending, or the clues that get you there, quite a bit of the power of the story is lost. The introduction to this collection mentions the gifts wife and husband give each other, along with supplying that word “irony,” and my mind quickly recognized the supposed twist ending long before I reached it.

(And by now I may have spoiled the story for you.)

So, some of the enjoyment of the story was lost, but overall it is quite a nice little tale. There are some awkward parts, due largely to the gap between when the story was written and the present day, but I’m anxious to read more, trying a tale where the ending remains unknown and hidden behind an unexpected twist in the tale – O. Henry’s lasting mark on short stories.