The labour force was often unemployed and was underpaid despite serving additional working hours. The story’s setting could be traced back to the onset of the 20 th century where America was progressing in various industries but the prosperity was not shared by everyone equally. Like a guide, the narrator introduces to the setting and characters to set a ground and context for the events ahead. A direct interaction of the narrator with the reader allows for some necessary pauses in the course of story to reflect on the actions of the characters. The narrative is a second person narration which invites the reader to observe the events in the couple’s life along with the narrator. In order to project their love to each other, the couple sacrifices their valuables which the narrator initially views as foolish but towards the end ascertains their selflessness towards each other and hence ascribes to them the status of magi-the wise men who brought gifts to Jesus Christ at his birth in Bethlehem.

The short hair however turn out to be a shock for Jim who gets beautiful studded combs for Della to caress her long tresses with the money received after selling his ancestral pocket watch. She cuts her hair short to gain an additional twenty dollars to her savings consisting of one dollar and eighty seven cents and at last buys a gold watch chain.

But the monetary crunch tears apart her aspirations and drives her to sell the most valuable possession a woman could possibly own i.e. Della and Jim love and care for each other and so the wife is adamant to gift her husband a memorable token of that love. This is a short and sweet story about Youngs, a married couple experiencing adverse economic crisis during the festive period of Christmas.

The story of magi