I would probably read more of O. Henry's(William Sydney Porter)'s works. They are fairly intriguing and unpredictable, as you never know how they will end. He is very skilled in his plot twists and turns, condensing a good amount of material into a short story. He never failed to deliver new and intricate storylines each week to a newsletter, which were eagerly devoured by his fan-base. People from all over the country enjoyed his tales, such as the Gift of the Magi. This was a ironic story, from my point of view,because of how it turned out. A young newly-wed couple, Jim and Della both had good intentions of buying each other nice gifts. They wanted to express their respect and love for each other, by the bestowal of such tokens. But they had little spare money with which to purchase something. They were barely scraping by to pay for their basic essentials of food and rent. Yet the wife diligently saved what cash she could, which ended up only adding up to a dollar and eighty-seven cents. Naturally she despaired of carrying out her plan, especially as Christmas was fast approaching.
So she decided to devise a plan, one that involved a great deal of self-sacrifice on her part. She would sell her long hair to a hairdresser, in order to obtain what she needed. Her hair was her most prized possession, the only thing she owned of real value. But she was willing to give it up, if it meant that her Jim could have a fob chain for his watch. She went ahead and had it cut, hoping her husband would be pleased. Upon his late arrival from work, her fears surface that he will no longer think her pretty. Without her glowing tresses, she feels useless to him. She admits to selling her hair for the good cause.Jim then surprises her with a fine comb she had been mooning over for a while. Her fob chain gift is rendered useless, when she finds out he sold his watch! Jim's watch had been his most precious belonging, an old, treasured one of his father's. In the end, the husband and wife are touched by each other's thoughtfulness and can only laugh off the misunderstanding. They resolve to enjoy their Christmas Eve together, with a delicious meal of pork chops prepared by Della. This was a tender, touching chronicle, although it was only a mere forty pages.
This is a classic example of O. Henry's knack for bombshell finales. Each one of his concoctions thoroughly displays an impressive cleverness and creativity. He was able to make a steady income from his constant productions, as well as entertaining numerous people. I find it astounding how easily he came up with such fine stories, that were so acutely composed with excellent themes. He was able to combine a versatile sense of humor and good morales for an electrifying outcome. There wasn't a single story of his that didn't have some effective point to it, or teach a practical lesson.
Another aspect that makes O. Henry appealing is how relatable his characters are. They are simple, ordinary human beings, with emotions and faults like anyone. Therefore his writings could be attractive to the common man and not just the middle class. For the most part, they all had optimistic and positive outlooks on the world.
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