Summary of “The Gifts of the Magi” O. Henry
The story “Gifts of the Magi” was written in 1906. Since then, just over a hundred years have passed. During this time, language, life, culture, the Revolution, the formation and disintegration of the USSR changed. With certainty, we can say that Henry used several unknown words for us. Therefore, in order not to find myself in an awkward position, I would like to explain some words.
Grocery – dry food essentials, semi-finished products and canned goods, as well as some basic household goods (soap, washing powder, matches). They differ in long terms of preservation and unpretentiousness in storage. That is, a person who is a grocery seller is called a grocer.
The word “greengrocer” is very simple: a seller of greens and vegetables.
The story boils down, mainly, to money. Delly, a girl who rented an apartment for eight dollars a week, has long been accustomed to crying, as the author tells us: “The only thing that could be done
You can understand that for some time the girl’s income has decreased from thirty to twenty dollars a week.
The story takes place on the eve of Christmas. Deli saved money for Jim’s gift for a long time, saving every cent and accumulating a dollar and eighty cents. And how the girl gets upset when she realizes that she wanted to give him something special, but nothing happens: what can you buy for a dollar and eighty cents for someone whose income is $ 20 a week, barely enough for a living?
Delly was a fragile build. She had two valuable things: a watch and hair. But, realizing that there is absolutely not enough money, I want to give something special, she decides to sell brown hair for twenty dollars. With this money, the girl is looking for a present for Jim (her boyfriend) and finds, after a long time: “a platinum chain for a pocket watch, a simple and strict drawing, captivated by her true qualities, not
Jim was never late. Delly curled her short hair and waited for him, praying that she would not care less for him (she had a habit of praying to God with short prayers for small things).
Jim, seeing Delly, did not become terrified, just was shocked. It turned out that he decided to give her a set of crests: expensive, good, about which Delly dreamed. She cried. Later, when she presented her gift to Jim, it turned out that he had sold the watch, which it was necessary to hang the chain.
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