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Gift Of The Magi Irony

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In Henry O.’s short story, “The Gift of the Magi,” his use of indirect characterization and situational irony assist the reader in apprehending the theme: love beats all.
First, the indirect characterization used by Henry O. in “The Gift of the Magi” helps the reader decipher the theme by using Della’s emotions and actions to explain her current life.
For instance, when Della runs to the hair store and offers to sell her long luscious hair to the store owner for 20$, Della says, ‘"Give it to me quick"’ (pg. 2). From the evidence, the reader can infer Della is extremely desperate to get money since she does not have much—$1.87—and is willing to take any amount the woman would give to her. Secondly, the situational irony used by Henry O. in
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