Ironies in The Gift of the Migi 麦琪的礼物 讽刺

Advanced English Writing

Ironies in The Gift of the Migi

As we know,irony is a literary technique in which what happens on the surface differs greatly from the actual outcome.The Gift of the Magi,one of the most popular work by O Henry,is a classic example of irony in literature.

There are three obvious ironies in the fiction.The first one appears in the story when Della went out to sold her hair.The sign read “Mme. Sofronie”.This seems like a sarcasm because the real “Mme Sofronie” was too “large,white,chilly”,and so roughly speaking,who forms a contrast with Della.The second irony is the story’s ending.After the detailed description of the mightily pride Jim and Della took in the watch and the mistress?s hair,Della?s delight and intoxication after she bought the present,in the end of the story it turned out that the gifts which were bought to match each other’s possessions were now useless.Della sold her hair to buy Jim a fob chain which Jim do not have a gold watch to match,and Jim sold his gold watch fora set of combs with no tresses to adorn.So both of them could not use the Christmas gifts which were supposed to cheer them up.The last irony is in the last paragraph when the author gave his words “to the wise of these days”.Though the author calls them “”the wise”,he means the opposite that those people are not as wise as they thought,for they only care about material possessions.

I think the first irony and the verbal irony are sarcasms.In the first irony,the author sarcastically shows the Mme. Sofronie?s rough and bad look,which is often the image of a lower classed women in the mind of the people in the 19th century.In the verbal irony,the author satirizes the people who do not know the art of giving while staying complacency about their skills in taking more advantage. These two ironies have some effect,though not much,on shaping of the authors? tone.

The irony in the story?s ending is more important in terms of pointing out the theme and it is also the climax of the plot.Both Jim and Della “unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house”in order to buy each other a gift and make each other happy.However,the impulsive actions turns them into a worse situation——the two gifts are now useless and both of their possessions were gone.This is the irony.This is also sometimes the normal situation of many poor people who the author speaks out for.Without money,they cannot afford a nice gift and have to bear those little tricks life place on them.Here the irony deepens our sympathy for them.However, they received gifts more valuable:they love each other and are willing to sacrifice their most most valuable possessions to make each other happy. “Of all who give gifts, these two were the wisest.”Here the author imply the theme that love is the greatest gift.Those who are willing to love and sacrifice are the wisest.This surprising ending also arouse the readers? interest in a rather humorous way. Trick ending is one of the features of O. Henry?s short fictions.It is also one

controversial characteristic,because there are people think some of endings are often forcibly twisted,and most of those twisted endings are tragic.However the endings in The Gift of the Migi,though ironic,is not sarcastic or heavy as his other novels such as The Cop and the

Anthem,in which the hobo inspired to clean up his life but charged for loitering, or the last leaf ,in which Mr. Behrman painted the last leaf and died.Though the outcome is beyond our expectation,it is still touching and even has a humorous effect.Even though Della and Jim lost their possessions,they still have each other?s love and they know the art of giving.Also,the outcome after the story are indicated by the couples?s first reactions towards the irony——Della ?s joyful and sad tears and Jim?s easiness.This ending brought the readers both sympathy and hope.Also the author?s loving and sympathetic tone when accounting the story and his bringing in of the Migi in the last paragraph play an important function in making one of his best work more acceptable and popular.

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