"The Gift of the Magi"
Is the first character to understand the irony of the Christmas gifts
Jim Dillingham Young
Struggles to understand why we are cruelest to the ones we love most
Brother
Is the second character to understand the irony of the Christmas gifts
Della Dillingham Young
Named William Armstrong, which was “like tying a big tail on a small kite”
Doodle
True or False: The gifts that Jim and Della give each other are both the worst and best gifts they could’ve chosen.
True
True or False: Brother shares at least some responsibility for Doodle’s death.
True
The narrator tells us that the young couple’s apartment had “a letter-box into which no letter would go and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring.” What does the narrator mean?
He means that the apartment is shabby and things are broken. This also could mean that Jim and Della live in their own little world, with few visitors. Finally, some students might be interested in the “no mortal finger” bit of the line. It does seems to imply that supernatural forces may be afoot in this world. Perhaps it was such a force that led these two people to make such heavy sacrifices and feel such heavy irony at the end of the story.
When Doodle finally walks, Brother waltzes Aunt Nicey around the room for a brief joyful moment. What happens to end their joyful dance?
Aunt Nicey accidentally stomps on Brother’s foot, hurting him “so badly [he] thought [he] was crippled for life.”
How much was Della paid for her hair?
$20
Symbolically connect Doodle to the Scarlet Ibis. Give one specific similarity that proves the author wanted us to see a connection between the boy and the bird.
Both Doodle and the Ibis don’t really fit into their surroundings. Both are very fragile. Both could have easily died, either as a frail infant or during the tropical storm. When both of them do die, they are in the same broken position; Doodle is even covered in blood, evoking the same red image as the Ibis’ body.