1. Does the introduction of "The Gift of the Magi" awaken your interest
at once?
2. Della and Jim are very poor. Why is neither their home nor Della in
her shabby clothes, ugly or sordid?
3. Do Jim and Della seem like real people you have known? What makes
them so happy in spite of their being poor?
4. Is there something about this simple story that is beautiful and
that would be true for people ages ago or years from now? How would you
put this idea in words?
5. Were you prepared for the surprise ending of the story? Read over
the story and see if O. Henry had really prepared from the very
beginning for such an ending and yet had kept the reader from knowing.
6. After reading the Introduction, would you say that "The Gift of the
Magi" is a true short story?