The American writer O. Henry is an unsurpassed master of the short story. His works are imbued with subtle humor and have unexpected plot denouements. O. Henry’s story The Gifts of the Magi is a classic example of such a writer’s individuality. Another famous work of the author is The Cop and the Anthem, which demonstrates the irony of fate and the same subtle humor as in The Gifts of the Magi. Both stories are undoubtedly different, but they have some similarities because the author creates paradoxical situations for his characters, making this works unique.
The main characters of The Gifts of the Magi, the Dillingham couple, are compared with the heroes of the biblical plot who brought gifts to the newborn Jesus. Only the gifts of this couple are infinitely more expensive; for each other, they, without hesitation, sacrificed the most priceless treasures that they had. The writer skillfully showed that material values had no value compared to real feelings.
The main character of the novel The Cop and the Anthem is Soapy, an ordinary tramp who lives on the streets of New York. Noticing the approach of winter, he decides to go to the Island – the prison located there served as his winter apartment for several years. Soapy stubbornly moves towards his goal but meets obstacles on the way. The first three attempts to be in prison turn out to be a failure. Three more times, Soapy tries to break the law, but nothing happens. In the finale, the hero experiences a spiritual rebirth – after hearing the chorale sounding from the old church, he promises to start a new life and get a job. At this moment, he is detained by a policeman. Soon the judge announces the sentence – three months on the Island.
The similarity lies in the fact that the characters are in conditions of poverty and misery in both works. In work The Cop and the Anthem, the author describes the main character’s desires: “Three months of food every day and bed every night, three months safe from the cold north wind, and safe from the police” (Henry 36). The most important desire of Soapy was to hide from the winter cold and have free food, and therefore he decides to go to prison. In The Gifts of the Magi, one of the main characters, Della, wants to please her beloved husband for Christmas, but she does not have enough money. The author demonstrates this: “Tomorrow will be Christmas, and she had only $1.87 to buy Jim a gift” (Henry 2). Poverty and love spur a girl to a desperate act. She is selling her main treasure, her magnificent hair.
Additionally, the similarity of both stories lies in the fact that the author endowed them with contrasts. In The Gifts of the Magi, the difference lies in the poverty and misery the main characters live, but they have their treasures and, most importantly, an atmosphere of love and happiness. They are ready to give the most precious thing they have to buy gifts for each other for Christmas. The Christmas novel by O. Henry proves that The Gifts of the Magi, who gave gifts to a newborn baby, are nothing compared to what these loving young people were able to give each other. Their selfless sacrifice speaks of true love, and they truly deserve each other. What they have cannot be bought and sold for all the gold in the world, they are the happiest people, and people like them are true sages.
The story The Cop and the Anthem describes two worlds opposed to each other. The first is the world of the social bottom to which the main character, Soapy, belongs. In this world, they sleep on benches in the open air, freeze in the cold wind, and dream of surviving the winter in a warm prison. The second world is the world of decent society, where there are restaurants with delicious food, showcases filled with bright lights with tempting goods, where Soapy and his like have no place in it. A policeman is someone who unites two worlds while towering over both. Despite the difference between the two worlds, there is something in common between them. Like the representatives of the world of decent society, Soapy has a dream. Only if they dream of expensive foreign travel, then Soapy wants to be on the Island.
Undoubtedly, comparing these two novels, readers can notice not only similar signs but also those that distinguish them from each other. For example, in The Cop and the Anthem, the main character is arrested for virtually no reason, and for him, it is a tragedy since Soapy lost the chance to start life from scratch. The author writes: “He would fight to change his life” (Henry 40). Unfortunately, he is eventually arrested for no reason, taking away the opportunity to change his life.
The finale of the story of The Gifts of the Magi develops differently. The main characters sold the most expensive things they had to buy each other good Christmas gifts. In return, each of them purchased a necessary gift to complement what is dear to each of them. Jim bought a comb for Della’s beautiful hair, and she bought a chain for Jim’s watch. The heroes had to part with their treasures, but this is the difference between the two novels. In The Gifts of the Magi the author calls his heroes wise men, as they are ready to sacrifice the most precious for the sake of gifts to a loved one (6). The happy ending of this story distinguishes it from the sad end of The Cop and the Anthem.
The novels also differ in their general theme and mood. The gloomy work of The Cop and the Anthem demonstrates that it is necessary to value one’s life, whatever it may be. In addition, Soapy strives to start his life anew, but he is lonely, and there is no one even to support him. The surrounding world will not only be coldly indifferent; ironically, but all the negative realities of life will also coincide and fall on the head of a defenseless Soapy.
In The Gifts of the Magi, everything is entirely different, even though the main characters are poor. The story’s atmosphere is saturated with the tender feelings of the main characters for each other, their aspirations to please with wonderful gifts, and an absolute determination to give each other the only thing they have. The heroes are not upset by their decisions; they are happy no matter what and understand that Jim’s watch can be purchased later, and Della’s hair will soon grow back (5). With his novel, the author sought to show how wise people can be, giving the last treasures for the joy of loved ones.
As a humanist, O. Henry, in his short stories, always talks about eternal, enduring values that play the role of chance, trial, and push for spiritual transformations in his works. In the novel The Cop and the Anthem, music is of such value. O. Henry conveys his thought to the reader as ordinary, always at hand, a thing for centuries, but the absence of which was immediately revealed, some gap would arise.
Using the example of two heroes of The Gifts of the Magi, the author showed that valid values are made at the soul’s behest and come from the heart. They do not harm either their owner or the one to whom they are intended. After all, it is essential not only attention to the other, but also sincerity and good nature, which reigned in this family. The author does not tell readers that at least a particle of doubt about their actions has crept into their hearts. Such a thought cannot arise in the kind, sincere hearts that Della and Jim are endowed with. They are like two halves of one whole, and they have the same priorities and values for two.
In conclusion, even though both novels have several similarities, they are still entirely different. The author tells two instructive stories that allow readers to reflect on their lives and their actions. Both stories can be recommended for reading, as each will affect the reader and allow them to realize each in their own way. The author’s subtle humor will also not leave true reading lovers indifferent.
Works Cited
Henry, O. The Gift of the Magi. McClure, Phillips, and Company, 1905.
—. The Cop and the Anthem. Saga Egmont International, 1906.