Definition: Provided with furniture and necessary items.
Background: In the story, "furnished rooms" refers to a living space that has basic furniture and items, though in this case, it’s simple and modest.
Definition: A state of despair or hopelessness.
Background: Della feels desperation when she realizes she cannot afford a gift for Jim.
Definition: A person who makes or sells wigs, typically made from real or synthetic hair.
Background: In the story, Della sells her hair to a wig-maker because she needs money to buy Jim a gift.
Definition: A tool used to arrange or style hair.
Background: Della had always wanted combs to decorate her hair, and Jim buys them for her as a gift.
Definition: A situation where the opposite of what is expected occurs, often used for dramatic or humorous effect.
Background: The story’s central irony is that both Jim and Della sacrifice something valuable to give a gift that the other can’t use.
Definition: Worth a great deal of money or importance.
Background: The items Della and Jim sacrifice—her hair and his watch—are valuable not just in monetary terms, but also emotionally.
Definition: Wise men, traditionally believed to be three, who brought gifts to the baby Jesus in the Bible.
Background: The story’s title compares Della and Jim’s sacrificial gift-giving to the **Magi**, who gave valuable gifts to the newborn Christ.
Definition: Giving up something valuable for the benefit of someone else.
Background: Both Jim and Della make sacrifices—selling their most prized possessions—in order to buy a gift for the other.