Simile in the gift of the magi

Gift of the Magi

William Sydney Porter or better known as O. Henry uses several literary devises throughout his short story "The Gift of the Magi.” Allusions, Imagery, and Simile are just some of the devises he uses in his short story. Even in the title the "The Gift of the Magi" Henry used Allusions and Imagery to bring in the reader’s attention. The title speaks of the three Magi, or three kings "who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger."

“Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window someday to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.” This insert is an example of the imagery or visualizations of Della's hair dangling out of the window. By giving such detail you can almost see the Queen of Sheba envying Della's hair from afar or King Solomon stroking his beard while noticing Jim's watch. O. Henry also used the allusion when he said that Della resembled “A Coney Island Chorus Girl” after she cut her hair for Jim.

O. Henry’s reference, "like a Coney Island chorus girls," by using the work "like" to compare Della to the female singer/dancers with short hair that worked there was also a simile. "Della's beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters" and "Della leaped up like a little singed cat" are some of the other similes of him using the word "like.” O. Henry’s use of the word “like” the reader was able to visualize the events that were currently taking place inside the story.

The imagery he used in the story include began with the phrase "beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jeweled rims," and the image of Della: “On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.”

Citation

Henry, O. The Gift of the Magi. Simon & Schuster, 1997.