Based on your understanding of the story, 'The Gift of the Magi' write a short paragraph describing the scene in the story where Della is waiting to receive her husband to gift him the chain for his inherited beautiful watch after selling off her long and beautiful hair. Describe the scene in detail in your own words.
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Answer:
The Gift of the Magi is set before Christmas, with Della wishing to buy a gift for her husband. However, she only has $1.87, far too little to buy a worthwhile gift. As a result, she sells her hair for $20, and with the money she is able to buy a chain to attach to his watch. This ties together the two most prized possessions of their household: for Della, it is her hair she values above all other possessions, and for her husband, it is his watch.
This brings us to the twist ending of O. Henry's tale, because just as Della sold her hair to be able to buy a present for Jim, so too did Jim sell his watch in order to gain the funds to buy his wife a gift in turn (in this case, combs for her hair). Yet, one should not forget that O. Henry closes the story in a note of approval and admiration for these two characters