The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry

Film (minute 1:28:43) 

SUMMARY

This is a very romantic story. It’s, of course, a love story, but also a story of self-sacrifice.

A married couple lived very poorly. The husband, Jim, was a mere worker, and his wife was a housewife. They lived in a cheap flat in the big city. Christmas was near, and each one wanted to give their partner a present, but neither of them had enough money to buy the gift they would like. So, they have to contrive something to get the money. Della, the wife, wanted a chain for Jim’s pocket watch, a trinket the Jim loved very much. Jim had only a strap to hold his watch. But the chain was too expensive, and the only idea she got to get some money was selling her own hair. Della had a mass of long, beautiful hair and was very proud of it, and Jim adored it. But she sold it, and then she could buy the chain.

For his own part, Jim also had to do something to get some cash for the present he wanted to buy for Della. He also sold something he loved very much, and, with the money, he could buy a set of combs for Della's beautiful hair (here with "combs" we mean convex combs to adorn a woman’s hair, not the tools to arrange one’s hair).

But now you can imagine the wife’s disappointment when he saw her present. And until the end of the story, we won’t know what Jim had to sell to buy the combs, and, you know: having read some of O. Henry stories, we must have the suspicion that it will be another surprise.

But, besides surprises, the story has a morality. For you, what is it, this morality?

 

QUESTIONS
-What are your habits about presents? 
-What do you know about the Three Wise Men? Are they historical figures?
-And what about Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas?

-Do you think the couple of the story are being romantic or only irresponsible? Are there any other, cheaper, ways to be romantic?

-Our couple is a bit traditional. Nowadays, how can one be chivalrous without being sexist?

-What differences could you find between the original story and the film adaptation?

VOCABULARY

bulldozing, parsimony, flop down, lookout, sterling, pier-glass, hashed, fob chain, sly, truant, dog, quail, wails, tresses, singed (/singd/), manger

The Count and the Wedding Guest, by O. Henry

Audiobook

A summary

Another summary

Power point

SUMMARY
Andy Donovan, a young man who lived in a boarding house, met a new boarder called Miss Conway and almost immediately felt in love with her. Miss Conway was a very discreet woman, but one day she appeared gorgeously dressed in mourning black. Mr Donovan got astounded seeing her so beautifully attired, but respected her grief and offered her to share her feelings and to listen to her sad story.
She told him she was on the point of marrying an Italian Count, Fernando Mazzini, but unfortunately, he had an accident and he died. The girl was unconsolably sorry, and Donovan felt pity for her. In telling her story, the girl even showed a picture of her late fiancé.

So, Donovan, even as he knew it would be a difficult enterprise for him to try to replace the charm of her dead boyfriend, after a month he succeeded in getting her love.

Once they announced their engagement, Donovan told her he was a bit worried because he had to invite a close friend of his to their wedding and didn’t know if she would like it. The man was "Big Mike" Sullivan and, although he was a very important person in New York, he had friends in all the social classes. But there was a reason why he couldn’t invite him to the wedding, and he couldn’t discover it. He asked her if she really loved him more than he loved Count Mazzini, and at that moment she went down and started to cry. Yes, she loved Donovan, but she lied about her past. So, she asked him if she would forgive her.

Who was Big Mike? What was the lie?

 

QUESTIONS

-What can it be the difference between pity and love? Have you read the novel Beware of Pity, by Stefan Zweig? (There is also a film)

-We don’t know anything about the life of the two protagonists. Can you imagine what kind of life they lived?

-Why is Big Mike important? What, according to you, was his job?

-What do you know about Mazzini? And about Tammany? P’pkispee? The Bowery, in New York?

 

VOCABULARY

unobtrusive, blighted, hop-skip-and-a-jump, hoisted, cinch, mullygrubs, stringing, livery, trousseau, locked, to the mustard, look swell, Bully girl!