Love is of great concern not only for the young but for all people. As Khalil Gibran said that “Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit”. Indeed, love appears everywhere and at any moment, it always exists in the depth of each person. “True love doesn’t happen right away; it’s an ever-growing process. It develops after you’ve gone through many ups and downs, when you’ve suffered together, cried together, laughed together” (Ricardo Montalban). As a typical example, love between Jim and Della in “The gift of the Magi” written by O.
Henry is worth thinking about. It is love of deep understanding and great sacrifice for each other. At the beginning of the story is Della flopping down on the shabby with great disappointment. All she has is Just “one dollar and eighty-seven cents” saved by bargaining the grocer and the vegetable man. However the only thing she cared for is how to give her husband whom she spent her best love for a Christmas present. To Della, Jim is the most precious person and she “could not have lived through Christmas without giving Jim a present”.
Afterward, she had her beautiful hair cut and sold it to get enough money to buy “something fine and rare and sterling” that is worth the love she has for him. And that is a platinum chain for his watch. This not only displays her love, but also great sacrifice for the love. Ironically, Jim sold the watch to buy Della a comb at the same time because he knew that she wanted to have it for a long time and that beautiful comb would be suitable for her great hair. They always care for each other, they know exactly what the other needs and wants, hich shows how much deeply they understand each other.
Additionally, Both Jim and Della have two most important and priced possessions-Della’s hair which is long and beautiful and Jim’s watch which has been a family possession passed down through generations from fathers to their sons. Because of their financial constraints they have no choice but to sacrifice the only possessions that they treasure in their lives for the sake of expression their love. There was no greater sacrifice that would have been offered apart from what the two did.
Their gifts carry not only the sincere, strong and deep love but the considerable sacrifice for each other. It is understandable that the deep love between Jim and Della makes great impression on the readers. Their love “does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction” (Antoine de Saint – Exupery). Despite the risks, humiliation and costs of the sacrifice each of them is ready to lose what they have to express their love, which makes love between them like a eternally burning fire love in the gift of the magi By hoanglachy
