The Gift of the Magi

Jim’s gold watch has been in his family for generations. It represents Jim’s masculinity and self-worth. The narrator says, “If a king had lived in the same house, with all his riches, Jim would have looked at his watch every time they met. Jim knew that no king had anything so valuable” (2). The watch gave Jim status in a materialistic society that otherwise gave him no position because of his poverty. O. Henry shows the value and symbolic importance of the watch by capitalizing it, writing, “It [the gold chain] was good enough for The Watch” (3).

Even though they live in poverty, they feel that, by owning such a fine watch, their position is elevated in society. The watch didn’t have a chain, so Jim always kept it in his pocket. Della decides to buy Jim a gold chain so that he can wear the watch and prominently display it. She hopes this would allow other people to recognize Jim’s value.

Despite their poverty and lack of nice things, Della is proud of her hair. The narrator says, “Della’s beautiful hair fell about her, shining like a falling stream of brown water. It reached below her knee. It almost made itself into a dress for her” (3).