The Gift of the Magi- O Henry

As a reader, nothing entertains me more than humor in face of irony about coincidences. It was the same feeling for me when I had first read the Classic short story Author O Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi”. Though it had been in my list for quite some time, on a boring afternoon I had come across the short story and gave it a go. The length not being much had made things easy for me as I would have been able to complete the entire story at one go and not to forget that it was my first read of O Henry’s writing.  

I think by the time I had finished the complete story the entire premise and the surprise element which hit me during the last closing lines was unexpected and completely depicted the brilliance of short story telling. It couldn’t have been better and the effect couldn’t have been different. It was a perfect example of irony of coincidence buttered with humor. After that day, each time when I read the same story, it still had the effect of giving me that feel of being overwhelmed by the writing and plotting. After the first read, of course one would know the ending but the style in which O Henry had put that story, it often feels that one is actually reading it for the first time. It is one those rare classics which has the effect of making the repeat reader feel more enlightened in the subsequent reads.

The premise is indeed very simple, narrating a story of how a young husband and his wife deal with the challenge of buying a secret Christmas gift for each other with very little money. What’s different is the writing and the manner in which the author plays with words and surprises the reader in the end. 

Looking beyond the story itself, also is the inspiration of the author, O Henry. What would have inspired him to write this classic which is even read after more than hundred years since it had been published? Many of course have the view that the author himself had such ironies in his own life that he often included bits and pieces of the learning in his stories.  

Author O Henry’s real name was William Sydney Porter, the former being his pen name. William Porter had a life in which he had seen the ups and down of life including ironies of life and human behavior.  His stint even included some part of life passed in jail post which he shifted to New York and then started his life as a short story writer. It is noted that William often included in his stories a lot of ironies which he had seen and felt. “The Gift of the Magi” would surely have been one such.

Personally, I feel reading “The Gift of the Magi” is compulsion for everyone. It gives a very valuable lesson about life and love.