Maharashtra State Board Class 10 English Lesson The Gift of the Magi Summary, Line by Line Explanation, Theme, Poetic Devices along with difficult word meanings from English Kumarbharati Book
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The Gift of the Magi Maharashtra State Board Class 10 English
By O Henry
- The Gift of the Magi Introduction
- Theme / Central Idea Lesson The Gift of the Magi
- The Gift of the Magi Summary
- The Gift of the Magi Summary in Hindi
- The Gift of the Magi Lesson Explanation
The Gift of the Magi Introduction
The Gift of the Magi is a heartwarming short story by O. Henry. It tells the tale of a young, couple, Della and Jim, deeply in love but struggling to make ends meet. As Christmas approaches, they both make extraordinary sacrifices to buy each other perfect gifts, only to find that their selfless acts have rendered the presents useless. Despite their circumstances, their love for each other shines through, making them the epitome of selfless giving.
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Theme / Central Idea of the Lesson The Gift of the Magi
Love and Sacrifice: This is the central theme. Della and Jim demonstrate profound love for each other by making immense sacrifices for the sake of their partner’s happiness. Their actions highlight the idea that true love is measured not in material gifts but in the depth of devotion and willingness to give up what one cherishes.
Irony: The irony lies in the outcome of their sacrifices. The gifts they buy for each other become useless. Della cannot wear the beautiful combs Jim purchased and Jim no longer has a watch to use with the fancy chain that Della bought for him. Even though the gifts themselves become impractical, their actions showcase their unwavering commitment to each other’s happiness. They are willing to give up their most valued possessions for the sake of their partner.
The irony adds a touch of humor to the story while highlighting the true meaning of their gift-giving – their selfless love. Despite the material mishaps, their love for each other shines through, making them the real magi of the story.
Poverty: The couple’s financial struggles serve as a backdrop to their story, emphasizing the challenges they face and the depth of their love in the face of adversity.
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The Gift of the Magi Summary
O. Henry’s classic short story, The Gift of the Magi, is a tale of love and sacrifice.
The story revolves around a young, financially poor couple, Della and Jim, who love each other deeply. Their most prized possessions are Della’s beautiful long hair and Jim’s heirloom gold watch. Desperate to buy Christmas presents for each other, they make the ultimate sacrifice: Della sells her hair to buy a platinum chain for Jim’s watch, while Jim sells his watch to buy combs for Della’s hair.
Ultimately, their gifts become useless as their sacrifices render them unnecessary. However, their selfless love for each other shines through, making them the true “Magi” of the story, wise givers who offer the greatest gift of all – their love.
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The Gift of the Magi Summary in Hindi
ओ. हेनरी की क्लासिक लघु कहानी, द गिफ्ट ऑफ़ द मैगी, प्यार और त्याग की कहानी है।
कहानी एक युवा, निर्धन जोड़े, डेला और जिम के इर्द-गिर्द घूमती है, जो एक-दूसरे से बहुत प्यार करते हैं। उनकी सबसे कीमती संपत्ति डेला के सुंदर लंबे बाल और जिम की विरासत में मिली सोने की घड़ी हैं। एक-दूसरे के लिए क्रिसमस का उपहार खरीदने के लिए बेताब होकर, वे अंतिम बलिदान देते हैं: डेला अपने बाल बेचकर जिम की घड़ी के लिए प्लैटिनम चेन खरीदती है, जबकि जिम अपनी घड़ी बेचकर डेला के बालों के लिए कंघी खरीदता है।
अंततः, उनके बलिदानों ने उपहार को अनावश्यक बना दिया। हालांकि, एक-दूसरे के लिए उनका निस्वार्थ प्यार चमकता है, जिससे वे कहानी के सच्चे “मैगी” बन जाते हैं, बुद्धिमान दाता जो सभी का सबसे बड़ा उपहार देते हैं – उनका प्यार।
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The Gift of the Magi Lesson Explanation
Passage: One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.
Word Meaning
Bulldozing: To aggressively or forcefully persuade someone to do something, often by using pressure.
Imputation: Accusation or suggestion of something negative or harmful.
Parsimony: Extreme unwillingness to spend money; stinginess.
Explanation: Della only had $1.87. That was all the money she had. Out of the $1.87, 60 cents were coins. Della saved these pennies very slowly, by bargaining hard with the people she bought food from (the grocer, vegetable seller, and butcher). She felt embarrassed because it seemed like she was being very stingy.
Della counted her money three times to make sure she had $1.87.
The story takes place one day before Christmas.
Passage: There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.
Word Meaning
flop down: to sit or lie down heavily and suddenly, often due to exhaustion or despair.
instigates: brings about; causes to happen.
moral reflection: a thoughtful consideration of right and wrong, often prompted by an emotional experience.
predominating: most frequent or important.
Explanation: Della felt so sad and hopeless that the only thing she could do was to lie down on her old, worn-out couch and cry loudly, and Della did the same.
The author says that life is full of crying, and laughing, but most of the time people are probably crying or feeling sad.
Passage: While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the look out for the mendicancy squad.
Word Meaning
Subside: To become less intense, severe, or active; to settle down.
Mendicancy squad: A group of people or a police unit responsible for arresting beggars.
Explanation: The woman who lives there is slowly waking up from sleep. It is an apartment that comes with furniture, and it costs $8 every week to rent. The apartment isn’t so bad that you can’t describe it at all. However, the apartment is so poor and run-down that it looks like a place where people who begged for money would live.
Passage: In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining there unto was a card bearing the name “Mr. James Dillingham Young.”
Word Meaning
Vestibule: A small entryway or hall between the outer door and the main part of a building.
Appertaining: Belonging to or connected with something.
Explanation: There was a small area at the entrance of the building where letters are usually put, but no letters ever arrived there. There was also a button you could press, but it never made any sound or did anything, no matter how hard you tried. And there was a card with the name “Mr. James Dillingham Young” on it, attached to the same place as the letterbox and button.
Passage: The “Dillingham” had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But
whenever Mr. James DillinghamYoung came home and reached his flat above he was called ‘‘Jim” and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della which is all very good.
Word Meaning
Dillingham: This is the surname of the couple, used formally.
Prosperity: A state of success and good fortune, especially in financial terms.
Possessor: The person who owns something.
Contracting: Shortening or reducing in size or scope.
Modest: Unassuming or simple in appearance or behavior.
Unassuming: Not arrogant or pretentious.
Explanation: The family used to be richer when the husband earned $30 a week. They were so proud of their name “Dillingham” that it felt like it was “flying high” or “showing off.” But now, things are tough because the husband only makes $20 a week. They’re thinking of changing their name to a simpler one like “D”. Even though they’re poor, the husband and wife love each other. When the husband comes home, his wife Della, calls him “Jim” and hugs him tightly.
Passage: Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn’t go far.
Word Meaning
attended to: paid attention to, dealt with
dully: without brightness or enthusiasm, sadly
ravages: damage or destruction
Explanation: Della stopped crying and used a powder puff to apply makeup on her face. Della was standing by the window, feeling sad, and looking at a boring scene outside with a gray cat on a gray fence.
It was Christmas the next day, and Della only had $1.87 to buy a gift for her husband, Jim. Della had been saving money for a long time, but she only managed to save $1.87.
The weekly income of $20 wasn’t enough.
Passage: Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling – something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honour of being owned by Jim.
Word Meaning
Calculated: estimated or determined
Sterling: of high quality; genuine
Honour: great respect or admiration
Explanation: Della spent more than what she thought she would be spending. Basically, she overspent. She only has $1.87 to buy a gift for her husband, Jim. She had spent a lot of time thinking about and planning a wonderful gift for him. She wanted to give Jim a very special and valuable gift, something that would be good enough for him to own.
Passage: There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier-glass in an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art.
Word Meaning
pier-glass: A large, tall mirror, often placed between two windows.
agile: Able to move quickly and easily.
longitudinal: Relating to length or distance.
conception: An idea or mental image of something.
Explanation: There was a big mirror hanging on the wall between two windows in the room. One might have seen a similar big mirror in a very cheap apartment. If you are very skinny and quick, you can kind of see what you look like by looking at yourself in the mirror quickly, only seeing small parts of your body at a time. Della was thin, so she was really good at seeing her whole body by looking at herself in the mirror quickly like this.
Passage: Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its colour within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.
Word Meaning
whirled: moved quickly and suddenly around
brilliantly: shining intensely and brightly
rapidly: quickly and with speed
full length: the entire length of something, here, Della’s hair
Explanation: Della quickly turned away from the window and went to look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement. But, her face turned pale very quickly, showing she was scared or surprised. She quickly loosened her hair so it fell down completely.
Passage: Now, there were two possessions of James Dillingham Young in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s.The other was Della’s hair. Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.
Word Meaning
Mighty: very great or powerful
Pride: a feeling of pleasure or satisfaction at your own achievements or qualities
Depreciate: reduce the value
Majesty: a sovereign or ruler
Janitor: a person employed as a caretaker of a building
Treasures: a collection of valuable objects
Envy: a feeling of resentful longing for something that someone else has
Explanation: Jim and Della, a married couple, were very proud of two things they owned. One of those things was a gold watch that Jim had inherited from his dad and grandpa. The other thing they were proud of was Della’s beautiful hair. Della’s hair was so beautiful that if the Queen of Sheba (a very rich and famous queen) lived nearby, Della would have shown off her hair to make the queen’s jewelry look less shiny. Jim’s watch was so valuable to him that if King Solomon was their neighbor, Jim would show off his watch to make the king jealous.
Basically, Jim and Della loved their possessions very much and thought they were the best things they owned.
Passage: So now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.
Word Meaning
rippling: moving with a gentle wavelike motion
cascade: a small waterfall
faltered: hesitated or stumbled
worn: damaged or shabby due to use
Explanation: Della’s hair was very pretty and long. It flowed down her back like a waterfall of brown water. Her hair was so long it went past her knee. It looked like a dress because it covered her body.
Della put her hair back up in a hurry. She was shaking and worried while she did it. She stopped for a moment. She cried and some tears fell on the old red floor.
Passage: On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.
Word Meaning
Whirl: A rapid spinning motion.
Fluttered: Moved quickly and lightly.
Sparkle: A bright, twinkling light.
Explanation: Della quickly put on her old brown jacket and then her old brown hat. Her eyes were shining brightly with excitement. She quickly went out of the door, down the stairs, and into the street.
Passage: Where she stopped the sign read: “Mme. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.” One flight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the “Sofronie.”
Word Meaning
Mme.: Madame, a French title of respect for a married woman.
Sofronie: This is a name, likely chosen by the woman to sound exotic or foreign to attract customers.
Panting: breathing heavily and quickly, often due to exertion or excitement.
Explanation: Della stopped in front of a place that had a sign saying “Madame Sofronie”. The place sold all kinds of hair products. Della quickly ran up the stairs to the shop and tried to calm down after running. She was breathing heavily. The woman who owned the shop was big, very pale, and seemed cold. She didn’t look like the kind of person you would expect to be named “Sofronie”.
Passage: “Will you buy my hair?” asked Della.
“I buy hair,” said Madame. “Take yer hat off and let’s have a sight at the looks of it.”
Down rippled the brown cascade.
“Twenty dollars,” said Madame, lifting the mass with a practiced hand.
“Give it to me quick,” said Della.
Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim’s present.
Word Meaning
Cascade: A waterfall or something falling rapidly in large quantities. In this context, it refers to Della’s hair flowing down.
Ransack: To search thoroughly and hurriedly. Della was searching the stores intensely for a Christmas present for Jim.
Explanation: Della is asking the Madame if she will buy her (Della’s) hair. Madame says she buys hair and asks Della to take off her hat so she can see Della’s hair. Della’s hair was beautiful and long, like a waterfall. Madame looks at Della’s hair and says she will pay $20 for it. Della is excited to get the money and tells Madame to hurry up. Della is very happy and excited. She spent the next two hours looking for a perfect gift for her husband, Jim.
Passage: She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fobchain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation—as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The
Watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim’s. It was like him. Quietness and value—the description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain.
Word Meaning
Fobchain: A chain attached to a watch pocket to hold a watch securely.
Chaste: Pure, simple, and modest.
Meretricious: Appearing attractive but having no real value.
Grand: Impressive and splendid.
Sly: Secretive or cunning.
Explanation: Finally, Della found what she was looking for. She believed this item was perfect for Jim and no one else could have owned it. She searched many stores and couldn’t find anything similar. It was a plain, pure platinum chain that showed its worth through its material, not fancy decorations. The chain was good enough for Jim’s very nice watch. She immediately knew the chain was perfect for Jim. The chain’s simple and valuable qualities were similar to Jim’s personality. Both Jim and the chain were quiet and worth a lot. She paid $21 for the chain and had only 87 cents left. Jim would be careful about checking the time with a nice chain on his watch. Jim’s watch was very nice, but he was embarrassed of the old leather strap and would secretly look at the time.
Passage: When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason. She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love which is always a tremendous task, dear friends–a mammoth task.
Word Meaning
Intoxication: A state of excitement, elation, or infatuation. In this context, Della is very excited about buying a gift for Jim.
Prudence: The quality of being wise and careful. Della starts to become practical and cautious after the initial excitement.
Ravages: Damage or destruction. Here, it refers to the damage done to Della’s hair due to cutting it.
Tremendous: Very large, great, or powerful.
Mammoth: Extremely large or important. Both “tremendous” and “mammoth” emphasize the difficulty of repairing Della’s hair after cutting it.
Explanation: Della felt very excited when she left home, but now that she was back, she starting to think more calmly and sensibly. Della took out her tools to curl her hair. She turned on the gas to heat up the curling iron. She was trying to fix her hair to look nice again because she had cut it to sell it for money, which she did out of love for her husband. Della thought that trying to look good when you’re poor and in love is really, really hard. It’s a huge challenge.
Passage: Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the mirror-long, carefully, and critically.
Word Meaning
Truant: A student who stays away from school without permission.
Critically: In a way that involves careful judgment about the good and bad qualities of something.
Explanation: In just 40 minutes, her hair was changed into many small, tight curls. Because of the new curls, she looked very much like a young boy who has skipped school.
Della stared at herself in the mirror for a long time, examining her appearance very closely and judging it strictly.
Passage: “If Jim doesn’t kill me,” she said to herself, “before he takes a second look at me, he’ll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do—oh! what could I do with a dollar and eighty seven cents?”
Word Meaning
Coney Island chorus girl: A reference to a showgirl from Coney Island, a popular amusement park known for its flashy entertainment. Della was worried that her new haircut would make her look like a stereotypical, overly glamorous showgirl.
Explanation: Della is worried that her husband, Jim, might be upset with her. She’s scared he might be so angry that he could hurt her. She thinks that if Jim really looks at her, he’ll think she looks cheap and flashy, like a dancer from a low-class show called a Coney Island chorus.
But $1.87 was not enough to buy her husband a good gift.
Passage: At 7 o’clock the coffee was made and the fryingpan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.
Word Meaning
Fryingpan: A flat, circular pan used for cooking food by direct heat.
Chops: meat
Explanation: At 7 in the evening, she had already finished making coffee and the pan was prepared to cook some meat (chops.)
Passage: Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit of saying little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: “Please God, make him think I am still pretty.”
Word Meaning
Fob chain: A small chain attached to a watch pocket and used to hold a watch securely.
Whispered: Spoke very softly and quietly.
Explanation: Jim was always on time. Della took the chain for her husband’s watch and held it tightly while sitting near the door where Jim usually came in. Della heard Jim coming up the stairs from the ground floor. She suddenly looked very pale because she was nervous.
Della often prayed about small, normal things. This time, she quietly asked God to make Jim think she is still beautiful.
Passage: The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two—and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.
Word Meaning
Burdened: Loaded with something difficult or unpleasant to bear.
Explanation: The door opened, then Jim walked inside, and then he shut the door behind him. Jim appeared to be skinny and had a worried or unhappy look on his face. Jim was very young, just 22 years old, and he had to take care of a family. It’s a big responsibility for someone so young. im’s winter coat was old and worn out, and he didn’t have any gloves to keep his hands warm.
Passage: Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on
his face.
Word Meaning
Immovable: Unable to be moved; fixed or steady.
Setter: A type of hunting dog known for its ability to remain motionless (or “set”) when it locates prey.
Peculiar: Strange or unusual; different from what is normal or expected.
Explanation: Jim stood still at the door, just like a hunting dog that freezes when it smells its prey. This shows how surprised and shocked he was. Jim looked at Della without moving his eyes, and his face showed an emotion that Della couldn’t understand. Della was very scared because of Jim’s strange look. Della was expecting Jim to be angry, surprised, unhappy, or scared, but his face didn’t show any of those feelings. Jim just kept looking at her with a strange and unusual look on his face.
Passage: Della wriggled off the table and went for him. “Jim,” she cried, “don’t look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold because I couldn’t have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It’ll grow out again—you won’t mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say `Merry Christmas!’ Jim, and let’s be happy. You don’t know what a nice—what a beautiful, nice gift I’ve got for you.”
Word Meaning
Wriggled: Moved with quick, short twists of the body.
Explanation: Della quickly moved off the table and went towards Jim. She called out to Jim and asked him not to look at her with surprise or shock. Della explained that she cut and sold her hair to get money for a Christmas gift for Jim, because she loved him so much. She told Jim that her hair would grow back and asked if he was upset about her cutting it. She said she had to sell her hair because she needed the money for a gift, and reassured Jim that her hair grows quickly. Della asked Jim to be happy and celebrate Christmas, and told him that she has a very special gift for him.
Passage: “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 labour.
Word Meaning
Patent: Obvious, clear, or evident.
Laboriously: In a way that requires great effort; slowly and with difficulty.
Explanation: Jim is asking Della if she has cut her hair. Jim is speaking slowly and with effort, as if finding it hard to say. Jim is acting like he can’t believe what he’s seeing, even though it’s obvious she has cut her hair. It’s as if he’s trying really hard to understand it.
Passage: “Cut it off and sold it,” said Della. “Don’t you like me just as well, anyhow? I’m me without my hair, ain’t I?”
Word Meaning
Ain’t: A contraction of “am not” or “are not.
Explanation: Della cut her hair and then sold it. Della is asking Jim if he still loves her even though she cut her hair. She is saying that she is still the same person, even without her long hair.
Passage: Jim looked about the room curiously. “You say your hair is gone?” he said, with an air
almost of idiocy.
“You needn’t look for it,” said Della. “It’s sold, I tell you—sold and gone, too. It’s Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered,” she went on with sudden serious sweetness, “but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?”
Word Meaning
Idiocy: Foolishness or stupidity. Here, it implies a state of shock or disbelief.
Discreet: Careful and prudent; avoiding embarrassment or distress to others.
Explanation: Jim looked around the room with a puzzled expression. Jim asked Della if it was true that her hair was gone, sounding a bit confused or silly. Della told Jim not to search for her hair because she had sold it. Della explained that it was Christmas evening and she had sold her hair to buy him a gift. Della said that even though she had lost her hair, her love for Jim was endless.
Della asked Jim if she should start cooking their dinner meat.
Passage: Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. For ten seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year—what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion will be illuminated later on.
Word Meaning
Trance: A state of mind in which one is completely absorbed in thought or fantasy.
Discreet: Careful and prudent in one’s speech or actions, especially in order to avoid embarrassment or offense.
Scrutiny: Careful and detailed examination.
Inconsequential: Of little or no importance.
Illuminated: Explained or made clear.
Explanation: Jim was lost in thought and then suddenly snapped back to reality. The writer is asking us to look away from the main story for a short time and focus on something unimportant. It’s like taking a quick break from the story.
The writer asks if there’s a big difference between being very poor and very rich. Even smart people (mathematicians) or funny people (wits) would give you a silly answer to the question about money.
The Magi were wise men who gave expensive gifts to a baby Jesus. The writer is saying that the kind of gift they gave is not what’s important here.
(The confusion will be explained clearly later in the story).
Passage: Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table.
Word Meaning
Package: a wrapped bundle of something
Explanation: Jim took a wrapped item out of the pocket of his winter coat and put it on the table.
Passage: “Don’t make any mistake, Dell,” he said, “about me. I don’t think there’s anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you’ll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a while at first.”
Word Meaning
Unwrap: To remove the covering from something.
Explanation: Jim asks Della to not make any mistakes. He says that her looks don’t change how he feels about her. He tells her to open the package as it will help her understand why he looked surprised at first.
Passage: White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.
Word Meaning
Nimble: Quick and light in movement.
Ecstatic: Feeling or expressing overwhelming happiness or excitement.
Hysterical: Uncontrollably emotional.
Necessitating: Making something necessary.
Explanation: Della’s hands, which were white and quick, were excitedly opening the package.
After opening the package, Della let out a loud, happy scream because she liked what was inside.
Unfortunately, her happiness quickly turned into crying and sobbing. Jim had to quickly try his best to make Della feel better.
Passage: For there lay The Combs—the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jeweled rims—just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.
Word Meaning
Broadway: Broadway is a famous street in New York City.
Jeweled: Decorated with jewels.
Craved: Felt a strong desire for something.
Yearned: Longed deeply for something.
Coveted: Desired something belonging to another person.
Adornments: Decorations or ornaments.
Tresses: Locks of hair.
Explanation: Della found the combs. They were a pair of combs, one for each side of her head and one for the back of the head. She had really wanted these combs for a long time and had seen them in a shop window on Broadway. The combs were very pretty, made from a shiny brown material called tortoise shell and had shiny stones around the edges. They would have looked perfect in Della’s long hair, but now her hair was short. Della knew the combs were very costly and she had really, really wanted them but didn’t think she could ever buy them. She now owned the combs, but she didn’t have the hair to match the beautiful combs.
Passage: But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: “My hair grows so fast, Jim!”
Word Meaning
Bosom: Chest
Dim: Faint or unclear, often referring to sight or light.
Length: Duration or extent of time.
Explanation: Della held the combs very close to her heart. Finally, she could lift her head.
Her eyes were watery (sad) but she tried to smile. She told Jim that her hair would grow back quickly.
Passage: And then Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, “Oh, oh!”
Word Meaning
Singed cat: This is an idiom that means someone who appears to be one way but is actually different, often better than their appearance suggests.
Explanation: Della suddenly jumped up from where she was sitting. Her quick movement is compared to that of a cat that has been burned by something and jumps away quickly.
Passage: Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit.
Word Meaning
Ardent: Having or showing great enthusiasm and devotion.
Explanation: Jim didn’t know what the gift was yet. Della showed him the gift with excitement on her open hand. Even though the metal looked plain, it seemed to shine because of how happy and excited she was.
Passage: “Isn’t it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You’ll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it.”
Word Meaning
Dandy: Something exceptionally good or fine. In this context, Della is referring to the gift she bought for Jim.
Explanation: Della asks Jim if the gift was really great. She told her husband that she had searched everywhere in the city to find it. She added that he would need to check the time very often. Della asks for her husband’s watch to see how the gift looks on him.
Passage: Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled.
Word Meaning
Tumbled: Fell or moved suddenly and clumsily.
Explanation: Jim didn’t do what he was told to do. He quickly fell onto the couch. He placed his hands behind his head. He had a happy look on his face.
Passage: “Dell,” said he, “let’s put our Christmas presents away and keep ‘em a while. They’re too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on.”
Word Meaning
Chops: meat that is ready to be cooked
Explanation: Jim tells Della that their Christmas gifts are too special to use right away. He explains that he sold his watch to buy her the hair combs she wanted. Then he suggests they start eating dinner.
Passage: The magi, as you know, were wise men— wonderfully wise men—who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were, no doubt, wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts, these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.
Word Meaning
Magi: Wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus.
Chronicle: A record of events in order of time.
Lamely: In a weak or unsatisfactory manner.
Duplication: The action or process of making an exact copy of something.
Explanation: Magi were very nice people who gave presents to baby Jesus when he was born. Magi started the tradition of giving gifts on Christmas. Magi’s gifts were very thoughtful.
The writer is telling us about two silly people who lived in an apartment. They were not smart because they gave up their most valuable things for each other. Even though the two people were not smart, the writer thinks they were the wisest gift-givers because they gave with so much love.
The people who give and receive gifts with as much love as these two people did are the wisest kind of people, just like the Magi.