In 1905, William Sydney Porter, a short story writer known as O. Henry, wrote the Christmas tale “The Gift of the Magi.” In less than ten pages, this story tells of a deep and pure love. It’s a story that I find to be more compelling and romantic than all five acts of Romeo and Juliet.
You probably read “The Gift of the Magi” in middle or high school, just as you probably pretended to read Romeo and Juliet in middle or high school. I read the short story again recently for probably the first time in ten years, and it still made me choke up. I’ve been on a kick lately where I’ve been forcing everyone in my life to reread it. It’s less than 2500 words, even with the title, so I suggest you give it a glance here and return for the discussion.
Disney even has a version of it that you can watch on Disney+ right now, as the third and final vignette in Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas. It also made me cry.
It’s Christmas Eve. Della and Jim are married and living in a shabby flat in the city. Della has long, exquisite hair and Jim’s prized pocket watch is a family heirloom. Della hopes to get Jim a gift that is worthy of Jim, and so she sells her hair to buy him a fine chain for his watch. Meanwhile, Jim is selling his watch in order to buy a set of bejeweled combs for Della’s hair. Their gifts are now essentially useless.
The story boils down pretty simply. Jim and Della love each other so much that they are willing to give up their prized possessions to find a gift for each other. That’s the kind of love I’m looking for right there.
I won’t deny that Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet embodies an exceptional kind of love. That is a love of reckless abandon, of doing anything you can for your partner. That’s certainly lovely, but I am tired of it.
As an English major, I find the ubiquity of Romeo and Juliet to be a bit irksome. It’s five acts long, it is written in dense language that often puts off readers from enjoying the nuances of the writing, and it is somehow widely adapted while also being widely misinterpreted. Think about the times that someone has said “I want a love story like Romeo and Juliet.” No, you fucking don’t.
I love “The Gift of the Magi” for its brevity and simplicity. I love how it’s so easy to read. I love how accessible it is. I have a hard time relating to Romeo and Juliet in part because much of its tragedy is preventable. Plus, I think Romeo is kind of a dude bro. The story would never have happened if the two had taken some time to plan a little better. Problems of communicate deepen the conflict, which makes the story more frustrating. I can’t really relate to rich people who don’t think ahead. I’m also not really a fan of advocating suicide as a solution to your problems and the implications of that idea. It’s a tragedy that is elevated in scope and stake.
O. Henry penned a story so different in structure, theme, medium, you name it. Instead of sacrificing their lives, they sacrifice their possessions, and somehow this is just as powerful. Romeo and Juliet can kind of be a bummer, considering all the death and weeping, so it’s nice to read a story where the irony doesn’t depend on a double suicide. It’s perfect for the holiday season, reminding us that it is the thought that counts, and that true love is the greatest gift of all. You can easily read it while you wait for Christmas dinner to be served,, or while you hide from your relatives in the guest room hoping that no one will go so far as to check the closets.
My assertion that this short story is better than Romeo and Juliet is obviously hyperbolic, as comparing the two is akin to comparing a cat with a horse—sure, they are both four legged mammals and you can list out all the features, but the two serve entirely different purposes. To elevate one above the other just because I find the popularity of the tragic play to be irritating is doing a disservice to them both. But nuanced opinions don’t get you clicks, y’all. It’s unlikely I’ll get clicks with this title as is. But no one is going to click on a blog post entitled “O. Henry Uses the Compact Narrative of the Short Story and the Every Day Life of the Working Class to Discuss the Value of True Love in a Manner That Is Similar Yet Different to Shakespeare’s Seminal Play of Romeo and Juliet.”
So, I cut it down a bit.
My claim is contrary to one made in the Atlantic in December of 2010. In Kevin Fallon’s “The Gift of 'The Gift of the Magi'” he remarks that while the story is enduring, it ain’t perfect.
“The writing has its flaws, and no scholar would venture that it's the century's finest romance, yet in its simplicity; it finds its stakes and its resonance.”
I am will counter with my unscholarly claim that this story is just nice. Finest romance or not, I think it is lovely. It’s something you like to read and that you can read easily. It’s written almost without pretension and its moral can be understood by adults and middle schoolers alike. Literature shouldn’t have to be convoluted and draped in layer upon layer of symbolism to be considered good. Sometimes, beauty can be found in simplicity.
The stakes in the Magi story are entirely different. No one is going to die here. There’s only three speaking characters, and none of them duel anyone (although that certainly would have been an interesting choice). The mundane nature of their tale makes it easier to imagine yourself in the story. I’d rather have a love like that of Della and Jim. A practiced sort of love, a generosity, a love of self-sacrifice. Love isn't always dramatic. The daily moments are rarely the subject of epic plays, but it's the kind of love we experience every day.
The Youngs are so poor that they can’t even afford a mirror. The world is entirely gray, Della’s outfit is entirely brown. The setting is sparse and drab. It would be an incredibly cheap stage production. Della has been scrimping and saving for months. She’s argued with the grocer over pennies, something that no rich person will ever have to do. She values Jim so much that she ransacks every store in hopes of finding something worthy of him, “something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.” From her perspective, we see how much she values her husband, and we can see that same adoration in Jim as he sheepishly presents her combs.
These lovers sacrifice their dearest possessions because they would rather show kindness to their beloved. I’d rather hear about the everyday romance where people go above and beyond for the ones they love. I’d certainly rather find that kind of love than find a love with a casualty count of six people. It’s a story so precious and simple that anyone can understand it, and that’s exactly what we all need to hear this Christmas.
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