Happiness in the Story "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry

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Happiness in The Gift of the Magi
The story The Gift of Magi by O. Henry is one that is known worldwide and its lessons have been debated. Some people say that it helps to expound on the value of giving while others seem to believe that the story is about true love. Well, each of the above points does help to explain certain aspects or facets of the story. However, none appears to mention the idea or theme of happiness in the story. Happiness is not an obvious theme in the story but upon further analysis of the story, one gets to understand that the story does mimic or contain certain aspects of happiness. Additionally, one can also see the theme of contentment albeit in a subtle and mild way. Well, while borrowing from Jordan McKenzie’s interview, this article seeks to discuss and expound further on the theme of happiness as depicted in the story.
First of all, happiness is not dependent on how much money, riches, or wealth one has accumulated. Looking at the life of Della and Jim, one could argue that they were indeed happy and contented. The family did not have much except an old watch which had stood the test of time and Della’s hair. “The James Dillingham Youngs were very proud of two things which they owned. One thing was Jim’s gold watch. It had once belonged to his father. And, long ago, it had belonged to his father’s father. The other thing was Della’s hair” (2). The above appears to confirm the notion that the family was indeed poor. However, they were happy and seemed to be content with the level of life they had. This appears to coincide with McKenzie’s words who quotes the Easterlin paradox to explain his point. He notes that it “suggests that as disposable income goes up in advanced first world countries, the number of people reporting that they’re very happy actually goes down” (McKenzie, 176). What this means is that as people continue to get more money, their happiness continues to decrease. What this proves is that a family can be poor and only afford enough to get them by for a day. However, they could be very happy while one that is rich and with all the money in the world could be sad and in need of a sparkle in their life.
Another point regarding happiness tha...