Analyzing The Plot Of The Gift Of Magi

Introduction

I. Background

In the world of literature the term short story is not something very strange because so many people to start learning to write novels and also analyzes the literature begins with analyzing short stories. This paper will analyze the plot of the short story “the gift of the magi” to assist it in this paper along with the character and setting also make it easier to analyze the plot in this short story. The purpose of this analysis to determine the plot of a rich short stories written by Q Henry’s The Gift Of The Magi and also know the contents of this short story

“The Gift of the Magi” is one of O. Henry’s most famous stories. Included in The Four Million, his first collection of short stories, in 1906, it has been anthologized many times since then.

The story contains many of the elements for which O. Henry is widely known, including poor, working-class characters, a humorous tone, realistic detail, and a surprise ending.

II. Teory

1. Plot

All the events in a story particularly rendered toward the achievement of some particular artistic or emotional effect or general theme or Plot is the organized pattern or sequence of events that make up a story. Every plot is made up of a series of incidents that are related to one another.

1.1 Plot Stucture:

1. Beginning:

· Exposition is the beginning of the plot usually concerned with introducing characters and setting. Here the characters are introduced. We also learn about the setting of the story. Most importantly, we are introduced to the main conflict (main problem).

2. Middle:

· Complication/Rising Action is the central part of a story during which various problems arise, leading up to the climax.A building of interest or suspense occurs.

· Climax is the high point of the story, where a culmination of events create the peak of the conflict[1].

3. End

· Turning Point/falling action is the part of a story following the climax

· Resolution is a series of events that follow the climax, and thus serves as the conclusion of the story

Plot Stucture Diagram

Climax

Rising action Falling action

Exposition Denouement

Stable situation, problem resolved able situation, problem resolved

	Unstable situation, problem stable situation, problem

1.2 Laws Of Plot

1. Plausibility(Logical,Resonable)

2. Suspenses(How to Know Next)

3. Surprise

1.3 Conflict

Internal characterization (e.g., emotions and motivations)

External characterization (e.g., background, posture, mannerisms, and dress)

Analysis

Before analyzing the plot of “The Gift of the Magi” in this paper included slope character and setting are:

Character

· Most of O. Henry’s characters were working class people, involved with their everyday lives.

· Della Young/ Dell

· James Diliingham Young/ Jim

· Madame Sofronie

Setting

· New York in the early 1900’s

· A Broadway window

· A Coney Island chorus girl

· Their poor apartment

I. PLOT

Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: Stucture plot(Beginning:Exposition,Middle:Complication,Climax,End:Turning Point,Resolation,) and laws of plot Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice.

Plot Stucture

1. Beginning

· Exposition :

“One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all.” (1)

The story’s opening sentences confront us right away with the problem: Della only has $1.87 to buy a Christmas present, and it’s Christmas Eve. After the first paragraph, the narrator gives us a bit more fleshing out of the situation. Della’s in a meager flat, she and her husband Jim are poor, she loves her husband more than anything else in the whole world. Plus, she positively needs to buy him the perfect Christmas present. With $1.87. When Della lets down her hair, we also learn the other most important fact for the story: her hair and Jim’s gold watch are the only prized possessions the couple has. Everything is now set up for the rest of the story to unfold.

2. Middle

· Complication/Rising Action:

Della sells her hair.

The conflict is supposedly the moment where the “problem” in the story appears, but this story began right from the first with a problem. In “Gift of the Magi” the point of conflict actually solves the first problem and replaces it with a second. By selling her hair, Della gets the money to buy Jim a great present, eliminating the first problem through decisive action. Shortly thereafter she finds the perfect present, so neither the money nor the present is the issue any longer. But now there’s a new problem: will Jim be pleased by Della’s action and appreciate her gift, or will he be angry with her for parting with the hair he loved so much?

Jim is shocked by Della’s short hair.

When Jim arrives, he doesn’t seem to react well: he stares at Della and can’t seem to process that her hair is gone. But it doesn’t look like he’s angry, so much as simply shocked. Della can’t quite understand what kind of reaction he’s having, nor can we. This creates suspense; we want to know what it is he’s actually feeling. We also want to know how he’ll react to Della’s gift. When Jim snaps out of his shock, he tells Della (and us) that his reaction will make sense when Della opens the present he bought her…

· Climax:

Combs!

When Della opens Jim’s present to find the combs, we understand why Jim was so shocked. It also becomes clear now that he’s not angry with Della, and he assures her he’ll love her no matter how she looks. Although the climax doesn’t fully “predict” the ending, it is the first half of the twist. And if we do get to thinking about where Jim got the money to buy those combs, we might be able to guess what happens next.

3. End

· Turning Point/Falling action:

So…how about those pork chops?

Presented with his gift, Jim calmly reveals (with a smile) that he sold his watch to buy Della her combs. So her present is useless too. Well, that does it for the Christmas presents. Not much left to do but eat those pork chops.

· Resolation/Conclusion

Pretty fly for magi.

In the narrator’s final paragraph, which is definitely a “zoom out” of epic proportions, the narrator tells us that it doesn’t really matter that Jim and Della’s presents turned out to be useless. They are the wisest givers of all – in fact, they’re the magi.

Plot Stucture Table Of The Gift Of T he Magi:

Plot Stucture	Della	Jim	Narrator
1.Beginning · Exposition	Weeping in frustration because of her inability to save enough money for a gift
2.Middle · Complication	Considering ways to raise money; selling her hair
· Climax	Giving Jim the watch chain	Seeing Della’s haircut; giving Della the combs; revealing he has sold his watch
3.End · Turning Point		Suggesting they go ahead with dinner
· Resolution			Sating the moral

II. Laws Of Plot

· Plausibility: The use of coincidences in the stories helps make the endings more plausible, but may also make the plot seem overly manipulated, just to achieve the surprise.

· Suspense: Della’s Turn

We’re still waiting to know how Jim will react to Della’s gift, and we might also be wondering just how he got the money to buy those expensive combs. Della gives Jim the watch chain, and…

· Surprise:

“The Gift of Magi” demonstrates the three general traits of the O. Henry story: Its characters are common persons living in a big city; it is sentimental and semi-realistic; and it has a surprise ending. O. Henry is a master at producing stories which “touched” the reader so as to lave an overall impression or effect. O. Henry’s tact of laying down its unforeseeable ending deserves our full attention. Firstly, He withholds the information about how Jim raises money for Della’s gift until the very end in order to prepare the alert reader for the outcome. Secondly, and early passage states the importance of Jim’s watch and Della’s hair. The reader may suspect that the outcome of the story will involve these treasures. Later, Jim’s reaction to Della’s haircut and the mystery of his package may trigger further suspicion. The reader, waiting for Jim’s reaction to this gift, May begin to expect that the watch as well as the hair, has been sold. Thirdly, with deft touches he elicits the reader’s admiration and sympathy for the young couple, whose love for each other more than compensates for Jim’s meager salary, their shabbily furnished apartment, Della’s old brown hat and jacket, and the fact that Jim needs a new overcoat and has no gloves.