Dao Thuy Hang-6a06

What are the most outstanding techniques of writing/ stylistic devices used in the
story? Analyze their effects.
With the talent, O. Henry weaves a touching love story between Della and Jim
in “The gift of the Magi”. Through combing metaphor, simile and twist ending, O.
Henry brings an amazing love story to the readers.
By metaphor, O. Henry portrayed successfully Della’s misery at the beginning
of the story when she couldn’t buy her Jim a Christmas present with only one dollar
and eighty seven cent. “She stood by the window and looked out dully at a grey cat
walking over a grey fence in a grey backyard”. Everything is in grey color with the
grey in Della’s heart. She feels sad and disappointed with no ray of hope for ability
to buy her Jim a Christmas present. No other color can describe Della’s sadness as
truly as grey in this situation. Her grey sadness seems to cover everything around
her. However, her sadness hides her endless love for Jim. That is the reason why
readers can see that Della’s sadness is portrayed so truly by metaphor used here.
In this story, simile is great of help to describe Jim’s feeling when he saw
Della’s hair was cut. Jim was “as immovable as a setter at the scent of a quail”. He
was shocked when Della’s rippling-and-shining-like-a-cascade-of-brown-waters
hair had gone. It shows that Della’s hair is such a precious thing to Jim. He couldn’t
believe in his eyes that such a precious thing was not his anymore. ““You’ve cut off
your hair?” asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet,
even after the hardest mental labor”. He was so shocked that he did not want to
believe it was the truth. Through his shocking feeling, readers can feel that how
much he loves Della. Therefore, simile is used very effectively to portray Jim’s
feeling.
Twist ending is the technique that we can not ignore in O. Henry’s story. He is a
professional in creating surprise for readers. That is the reason why his stories
always attract readers until the last moment. Both Jim and Della sacrifice their most
precious thing to buy a Christmas present for each other with the hope that their
sweetheart can use this gift. However, in the end, their presents turn out to be
useless. Della couldn’t use the comb because she had her hair cut to buy Jim a
platinum chain. Jim couldn’t use the chain because he sold his watch to buy Della a
comb. Their gifts are “too nice too use just at present”. This plot is surprising in a
touching way. Readers are not only surprised at the paradox but also moved by the
great sacrifice of Jim and Della for each other. With twist ending, O. Henry lights
up the story with the love between Jim and Della, which also warms up the heart of
the readers.

2nd, April, 2009