What does Della's hair symbolize in The Gift of the Magi?

Della's hair Symbol Analysis. Della's hair and Jim's gold watch are the young couple's most prized possessions at the start of the story, and their eventual sacrifice of these items represents the couple's love. More specifically, however, Della's hair represents her beauty and youth.
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What are 3 symbols in the gift of the Magi?

What Are the Symbols in "The Gift of the Magi?"
  • Gold. The gold of the watch may symbolize several things: love, purity, money (which the couple lacks), and eternity (gold does not rust or tarnish). ...
  • Watch. ...
  • Hair. ...
  • Combs. ...
  • Chain. ...
  • Christmas.
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How does the author describe the beautiful hair of Della?

Della's Hair

The narrator describes it as "rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters ... ma[king] itself almost a garment." The image evoked is of a naked woman wrapped in her hair, much like Eve in the Garden of Eden. Della considers her hair more beautiful than the Queen of Sheba's jewels and gifts.
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What is the act of Della selling her hair and Jim selling his watch symbolic of?

What does Della's hair and Jim's watch symbolize? They represent beauty, value, and sacrifice.
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What does Jim's watch symbolize in The gift of the Magi?

Jim's gold watch Symbol Analysis. Jim's watch holds sentimental value for him as well, having been passed down from generation to generation. In this way, the watch represents Jim's ties to the family he grew up in—the family he leaves in order to make a new family with Della.
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Why Jim and Della are called the Magi?



Why did della cut her hair?

Della sells her hair to Madame Sofronie for twenty dollars, which was just enough money to buy a platinum fob chain form which costs twenty-one dollars. Della made a mistake by selling her hair because Jim had brought a comb for her. Which becomes useless since she already cut off her hair.
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Why is Jim shocked that Della cut her hair?

The reason he is shocked to see her without her long hair is that he also wanted to get a nice Christmas present for Della. He gives her the present wrapped in paper and Della unwraps it to see that Jim had bought her a set of beautiful combs for her hair.
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How does Della fix her hair?

Answer: Della tried to fix her chopped hair with curls before Jim got home.
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How did della look after the repair of her hair?

After reaching home, Della thought that before Jim saw her, it would be wise to 'repair' her looks after the loss of her beautiful hair. She used her curling irons to give herself a head full of tiny curls. This made her look like a truant schoolboy. What was the condition of the card which bore its owner's name?
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Why does Jim react so strangely when Della tells him she has sold her hair?

Why does Jim React so strangely when Della tells him she has sold her hair? He has bought a gift for her that is no longer usable. When Della opens her gift, she is overcome with mixed feelings.
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What is the comparison of Della's hair to?

The writer compares Della's hair to jewels and Jim's watch to King's treasure because. Explanation: Della had long, thick and beautiful hair that could make any princess jealous of her. Her hair was her beauty as they looked like jewels when sunlight reflected on them.
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What did Della do with her beautiful hair and why?

Della cuts and sells her hair to get money to buy her husband a chain for his watch. Della does this ultimately because she loves Jim, her husband.
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Why did della take pride in the beauty of her hair?

Della naturally takes pride in her hair because it is exceptionally beautiful and she has tended to it for so many years. It is her "crowning glory." But she is not as proud of it as O. Henry claims. It turns out to be worth only twenty dollars on the market.
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What is the symbol of Jim's watch and Della's hair?

Della's hair Symbol Analysis. Della's hair and Jim's gold watch are the young couple's most prized possessions at the start of the story, and their eventual sacrifice of these items represents the couple's love.
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What was the Colour of Della's long hair?

So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her.
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What was Della's hair worth to Madame Sofronie?

When Della from "Gift of the Magi" decides to sell her hair so that she can buy a nice gift for her husband, she goes to Madam Sofronie. They agree that $20 is sufficient pay for Della's hair, although the amount is far below the actual worth.
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What did Della look like with her short hair?

Answer. In the stroy, the writer states that Della looked like a school boy after her haircut.
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What did Della do with her short hair?

Answer. Della cuts and sells her hair to get money to buy her husband a chain for his watch. Della does this ultimately because she loves Jim, her husband. ...
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What did Della do with the little hair left on her head?

Answer: Answer:She gave the shopkeeper twenty-one dollars and she hurried home with the eighty-seven cents that was left. When Della arrived home she began to repair what was left of her hair. The hair had been ruined by her love and her desire to give a special gift.
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Why is it ironic that Jim buys combs for Della's hair?

Jim gave up his prized possession, his gold watch, to buy combs for Della's hair. NEITHER ONE OF THEM CAN USE THEIR CHRISTMAS GIFTS. How is irony used in this story? Jim sells the thing that is most important to him to buy a gift for Della, but Della's gift requires the watch he sold.
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Why did della sell her hair Class 10?

1 Answer. Della wanted to buy a gift for Jim and she had only $1.87 which was not sufficient to buy any gift. Hence she decided to sell her hair and buy a good gift with the money she would get.
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Why did Della hesitate before going ahead with her idea to sell her hair?

Answer: Della was worried because she despite saving for months, she didn't have enough money to buy a Christmas present for her husband, Jim.
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Why is Della sad Christmas Eve?

Della is unhappy because she has been saving money all year to buy her husband Jim a nice Christmas present and has only been able to save one dollar and eighty-seven cents. This is what motivates her to sell her long, beautiful hair, an action from which the remainder of the story unfolds.
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When Jim saw hairless della his expression was?

Answer: He simply stared as her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face. Della quickly explains that she cut and sold her hair because she wanted so badly to buy him something nice for Christmas.
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What is Della's problem in the story?

In "The Gift of the Magi," Della's problem is that it is Christmas Eve and she has only "one dollar and eighty-seven cents," which... See full answer below.
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