Abstract

The Gift of Magi' is the novel made by O’Henry which enjoys such widespread fame.it is the self-sacrifice between husband and wife that makes the story unforgettable.

With time goes on ,we should pay more attention on how long love would last and how to keep it as long as possible.As we all know that the more you possesses ,the more difficult it will be to hold true love.Namely,a man imbued with money and fame can’t have the energy to take care of love. So how to seize love is a necessary ability .This article is aimed at clarify the most proper distance between husband and wife.

Key words: sacrifice; independence ;expiration date

Introduction

The gift of magi is a Live evergreen tree in the literature field ,what’s more,O. Henry crystallized dramatically what the world in all its stored-up wisdom knows to be of fundamental value in ordinary family life. Unselfish love shared, regardless of the attendant difficulties or distractions--this is the idea repeatedly implied as a criterion in his fictional treatment of domestic affairs. If such love is present, life can be a great adventure transcending all drabness; if it is absent, nothing else can take its place....O. Henry wrote few stories of ordinary family life that approach in tenderness and universal appeal the qualities found in 'The Gift of the Magi' by Current-Garcia.(background)

Therefore , many domestic and international scholars have studied the theme in The Gift of Magi. Two aspects have to be mentioned Thematic Analysis and stylistic analysis.for example, a Chinese scholar, Zhaoshuyi holds the point that human nature is the theme in The Gift of Magi,while another foreign scholar insists that poverty is the theme .(previous research)

But when it comes to the time that nature and poverty wither away,what can we do when faced with it?we should take Dialectical point of view about pure love and stay clear-minded about reality and tale ,and then we must have a better life instead of disappointment full of the world.

2. Brief Introduction of O. Henry

O. Henry, named William Sydney Porter, is a distinguished American story writer, one of the three most famous short-story writers in the world, enjoys equal status with Chekhov and Maupassant. Some critics called him “the founder of American stories”.

3. Introduction of Magi

The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi. 4. Della’s wonderful pure but fool love

I am convinced that most of readers must be moved by the cute and sincere girl.just as some one said:"What is love, love is boundless tolerance,some things can 

bring joy. Love is the goodwill of the unconscious, of the total self-forgetting.”she devoted all her energy to her husband.it is her husband need that give her the reason and power to do everything.it is mach too obvious that nobody reading it can ignore .

4.1 At the expense of self-esteem

Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. What a poor girl .she is willing to sacrifice everything even honor to please her husband .furthermore,she choose to sell her beautiful and blonde hair which she is pride of at one point.

4.2 At the sacrifice of beauty

Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.she chose to give the first priority to her husband while give up her only treasure.but hair is to her isn’t the same as what money is to us . As for here,It stands for beauty which all women persuit all their life.to some extent,it has a great influence on her happiness.that is to say ,her husband may leave her alone or abandon her.

4.3 lose herself

As we can see ,Della almost lose herself in love’s arms.It ‘s very dangerous to addicted to opium while a little pleases us .So does love.A Chinese poet Shu Ting has said that if I loved you ,I would be a Kapok tree beside you instead of wisteria twining round.I can’t agree more on what she said.

The way Della loves her husband is just the way wisteria does.On one hand,it is her husband that decided whether she die or survive.On the other hand,Della is just like something belong to Jim or actually created by him.where is Della ?Nobody knows.what is well-known to us all is Ms Dillingham.the wisteria will die as soon as the tree die away.what a sorriness it is that you was born ,lived but you can’t find yourself.

But in my opinion,love can only survive when I and you are two separated individuals.How can love stay when there is only one person?The difference between wisteria and Kapok tree lies in if they are independent.Wisteria can only curl up in other’s arms while Kapok tree can get through difficulty together with the oak tree when the storms come.

5.Conclusion

In our real word, there are always lots of conflicts appear in the family, at that time ,maybe we could think of the love between Della and Jim, and think more of others rather than just be selfish.Whether you are poor or rich, whether or not you have much time to stay with your family, just be friendly to them and often show your love.

But as a matter of fact,we ‘d better keep a proper distance from our soul-mates. If we live so close to him or her that we have to rely on them,it is ourselves that kill love .

Reference

1. Booz, Elisabeth B. A Brief Introduction to Modern American Literature. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 1982.

2. Burrows, J. F. Computation into Criticism . Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1987.

3. Conn, Peter. Literature in America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.

4. Prescott, S. Peter. American Short Stories. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1988.

5. Rubinstein, Annette T. American Literature. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 1988.

6. Taylor, Barry. American Short Stories. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1969.

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