Name:
Date:
Period:
Gift of the Magi
1. A) After Della finishes her cry because she does not have enough money to buy Jim a proper gift
at the beginning of her story and then looks out the window and sees a “gray cat walking a gray
fence in a gray backyard,” what do the things Della sees out the window symbolize?
B) Is this conflict internal or external? Explain.
2. A) How has Della’s hair and Jim’s watch always made each of them each feel?
B) What do the watch and hair represent?
a)____________________________
b)______________________________
3.
What does cutting Della’s hair symbolize? Explain.
4.
What does selling Jim’s watch symbolize? Explain.
5. A )What do Della and Jim give up for each other, and what gifts do they buy for each other? B)
How are their choices ironic, or different from what is expected?
6. They are the Magi.
________________ is compared to _________________.
This is an example of (circle one)
simile
metaphor
Analyze and Evaluate
Explore the significance of the symbols in this story by completing both charts
Significance to Jim
Significance to Della
Della’s hair
1.
2.
Jim’s watch
3.
4.