Generosity in “The Gift of the Magi” Can a short story written for a Christian audience be used to explore Buddhist ideas of generosity? In her article “Generosity in Buddhism,” Jacqueline Kramer says that there are 3 levels of giving. The short story “The Gift of the Magi,” by O. Henry, is known for its theme of generosity. Yet it is a book with Christian references throughout. Even the title is derived from the Christian Bible. Still, I think this short story would be a great basis for the exploration
savings to buy her husband, James Dillingham Young, a gift for Christmas: “There was clearly nothing left to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl” (Porter 1147). Jim use to make thirty dollars a week but his income reduce to twenty dollars (Rogers, Kim Dickson). They are poor, and the poverty they live in forces them to make sacrifices. Porter uses the setting and display how big of a sacrifice they make ("The Gift of the Magi"). Della even tries to always look nice for Jim. In fact
baby does in their sleep. There was something that was moving towards Mrs. Mallard as she continued looking out the window it was something that was hard to make out. I know as the reader that this would be considered as something called dramatic irony. When the reader or audience knows more about the action than character involved. (Clugston, 2014.) Here we have a woman that just lost her husband to a tragic event, while looking out the window something was moving towards her as if it was reaching
The Cop and the Anthem This short story written by O. Henry and published in 1904 follows a man, named Soapy, through a day in his life near the beginning of winter. The goal, find a place to live for the winter. The man is homeless, knowing that shelter for the winter is a must or the harsh cold will likely kill him. A plan starts formulating that involves getting arrested so that winter can be spent locked in an island prison on Blackwell Island, NY. Allowing him to have a nice warm bed, three