Della displays several basic human values through her
actions in The Gift of the Magi.
She loves Jim. She works
hard to preserve his dignity, even when their poverty makes it difficult to uphold the
pretense that they are a fine couple in respectable society. She wants him to have the
best of all things and hurts for him when this is not
possible.
Della's love motivates her to undertake an act of
great self-sacrifice. In order to give Jim the watch chain that would appropriately show
off his treasured pocket watch, she gives up the most valuable possession she has - her
hair. There is hesitation and regret and doubt, but all those feelings are overcome by
her desire to give a worthy present, something that would come close to indicating the
depth of her love for him.
In the end, Della's story
illustrates that human value is not always based upon material wealth. While she and Jim
had very little in terms of monetary property, they had everything they needed in the
world - they had each other.
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