O. Henry did not allude to the historical period which was
the setting of his short stories directly because many of the relationships of
characters are timeless; in addition, none of the external happenings of the times are
very relevant to his stories. However, the story of Jim and Della probably is set in
New York in the early 1900s, a time when money was scare with the federal debt brought
about by the San Francisco earthquake.
His short story "The
Gift of the Magi"has a title which alludes to the visitation of the wise men, or magi,
who brought gifts to the baby savior two millenniums ago. The Magi are a metaphor for
Jim and Della Besides this biblical allusion, there are two others: that of the Queen
of Sheba and King Solomon. Famous for her wealth and beauty, Queen Sheba, having heard
of Solomon's reputation for wisdom and gold, tested him with hard questions. In the
story, Della's beautiful tresses are compared to the loveliness of Sheba's hair, and
King Solomon's treasures are set in contrast to the beauty of Jim's
watch.
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