麦琪的礼物毕业论文

四川外语学院成都学院Chengdu Institute Sichuan International Studies University 本科毕业论文 题目 （中文） 浅析麦琪的礼物中人性的升华 （外文） A Study of the Sublimation of Humanity in The Gift of the Magi 系 别 英语师范系 专 业 英 语 年 级 2009 级 学生姓名 陈 泖 蓉 指导教师 汪 晶 结稿日期 2012 年 10 月 28 日 四川外语学院成都学院教务处制 2012 年 10 月 28 日填 A Study on the Sublimation of Humanity in The Gift of the Magi Abstract O. Henry is one of the most famous short novelists in the United States in the early 20th century, and his works are both interesting and enlightening with profound meaning. The author uses the changeable and unique language to describe the love and sacrifice of the young couple and reflect the social reality of the United States during that hard period of time. In this story, Henry depicts the poor young couple presenting to each other on the occasion of Christmas, in view to revealing the life of the little persons and inevitability of misery and hardship as well as poverty. Through the whole moved story, we can have a deep understanding of humans pure virtues. The paper will be divided into five parts. The first part introduces some important information about the background of the author and the article. The second part will offer a detailed description of the hero and the heroine. The third part lays emphasis on the embodiment of humanity sublimation from three aspects: self-sacrifice, selfless dedication and simplicity. The forth part explores the causes of sublimation of humanity. And the last part is the conclusion. Through the whole analysis, we can learn what the true humanity is and have a profound understanding of humanity depicted in literary works. Key words: humanity sublimation； self-sacrifice； selfless dedication； simplicity A Study on the Sublimation of Humanity in The Gift of the Magi Outline Thesis Statement: Through analyzing The Gift of the Magi, we can learn what the true humanity is and have a profound understanding of humanity depicted in literary works. I. Introduction B. Thoughtful and Kind Hero III. The Sublimation of Humanity in The Gift of the Magi A. Self-sacrifice IV. The Causes of Humanity Sublimation A. Economic Cause B. Political Cause C. Individual Cause V. Conclusion II. Depiction of Characters in The Gift of the Magi A. Considerate and Meek Heroine B. Selfless Dedication C. Simplicity A Study on the Sublimation of Humanity in The Gift of the Magi I. Introduction The Gift of the Magi is a short popular and highly regarded story by O. Henry which has moved people such a long period of time all over the world. The story will impress much more people in the following years and centuries. The author, O. Henry (1862-1910), left us 600 short stories which were published in 1917 in 14 volumes. Since O. Henrys works were published. A great many scholars all over the world have conducted continuous research into those works and found their profound values. Critics have singled out O. Henry as one of the greatest American short story writers-describing him as a “writers writer” who also possesses universal appeal. O. Henry was brought up by an aunt in Greensboro, where, at the age of fifteen, he went to work in an uncles drugstore. He married in 1887 and his wife had a daughter in 1889. Because of the troubles that came one after the other, he left his wife and child. In 1897, after learning of his wifes serious illness, Henry returned to Austin regardless of accusation of of robbery. At the same time, his wife passed away. After his release, he headed for New York City, where he worked as a journalist. The collection of colorful characters in his writing was enhanced by O. Henrys habit of wandering the streets and parks, talking to people of all conditions. He wrote sixty-five short stories in 1904 alone, and fifty the next year including The Gift of the Magi. The old classic The Gift of the Magi concerns the unselfish sacrifice of a young man and his wife, both of who sell their the most valuable and the only possession for Christmas gift. This information is revealed, of course, in the characteristic O. Henrys surprising ending. The surprising ending offers people an opportunity to contemplate. However, Della and Jim are not saddened by what they seem to have lost. In their selfless giving, they are likened to the most wise man. O. Henry primarily uses the story of the Magi to compare the acts of the two characters in The Gift of the Magi. He does this through the use of symbols and by comparing the selfless giving of presents of Della and Jim to that of Magi. We know that the author wants to reflect something through the whole story. 2 The Gift of the Magi is an extraordinary novel. Form the social point of view, it is a story about a very poor but blissful young couple named Jim and Della in the end of 18th century in England. As a love story, one of the most moving things is that in spite of the difficulties in their everyday life, their true love to each other and the enthusiasm for life do not change at all. This story reflects the sympathy with the poor and the criticism on the unfair society. At the same time, it advocates the simplicity and true love. So it was worth to praise and sing the pure humanity. As to have a deeper understanding of the contribution that O. Henry has made and his achievements, the author of this paper would like to discuss his writing techniques in The Gift of the Magi. The author holds that his works are mainly characterized on the sublimation of humanity. The next three parts of the paper will discuss the characters, the embodiment and the causes of sublimation of humanity, and then make a conclusion by summing up his main achievements in his respect and the conventional virtue which we need to promote. II. Depiction of Characters in The Gift of the Magi A. Considerate and Meek Heroine At the beginning of the novel, the author has deliberately exaggerated Dellas poor life condition. Those are all the moneyone dollar and eight-seven cents. “And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher. Three times Della counted it.”1 There are one dollar and eight-seven cents. And the next day would be the Christmas. The author emphasizes that Della counts money pitifully and hardly, especially through “several” repeated action to let us feel the difficulty of Dellas life. This description indicates Dellas shy and kind-hearted personality. At the same time, it also allows us to deeply understand the poors life in that money society. Her home-a furnished flat is 8 dollars per week. In the vestibule below is a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Della is with 20 dollars income to maintain their lives per week. Therefore, we could understand one dollar and eight-seven cents are so difficult to her. Facing such a distress of life, Della has no choice but to cry down on the shabby little 3 couch. Della finishes her cry and stands by the window, and she thinks tomorrow would be Christmas Day. But she just has one dollar and eight-seven cents with which to buy Jim a present. In face of hard situation, Della is so weak and helpless. It gives us simplicity impression of Della. She wants to buy a rare and valuable thing for her husband as Christmas gift. But there are only one dollar and eight-seven cents to buy a present for Jim. There is a pier-glass between the windows of the room. “Suddenly she whirled from the window from the window and stood before the glass. Her face had lost its color within twenty seconds”.2 There are two possessions of the Mr. James Dillingham Young and Mrs. James Dillingham Young in which they both take a mighty pride. One is Jims gold watch that has been his fathers and his grandfathers. The other is Dellas hair. Has the queen of Sheba3 (the women who rules the ancient kingdom of Sheba and is referred to in Habeshan history, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Quran. ) lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majestys jewels and gifts4. Dellas beautiful hair falls about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reaches below her knee and makes itself almost a garment for her. It seemed that the hair was so beautiful and cherished. Della decides to sell her beautiful hair eventually, and this decision is painful and heavy. However, she feels pleased, because she loves her husband, so she would prefer to suffer losses. That is Dellas true love and considerate heart. Della receives twenty dollars from the Madame for her hair. After that, she ransacks the stores for Jims present. Because of the love, she researches the gift from one shop to another. Finally, she finds the suitable chain. Della is a considerate and meek woman. At this moment, there is only one person in her mindthat is her husband. In order to buy the simple and chaste chain, she spends twenty-one dollars. B. Thoughtful and Kind Hero The author seems to describe the role of hero-Jim much less than the heroine. For instance, he seems to pay less attention to selling and buying gift for his wife. However, his characteristic could be given in an indirect way. For example, Jim is never late, which indicates that Jim is always punctual. As is described that “He looked thin and very serious. Poor life was following, he was only twenty-two and to be burdened with a family. He needed a new overcoat and had no gloves.”5, they live a hard life and struggle for living in a better condition, but they possess not enough 4 money and could not seek any way to change their current situation. Although in such a difficult life environment, Jim sells his most previous chain. He cannot live through the Christmas if he does not prepare a present for his wife. He draws a package from his overcoat pocket and throws a gift on the table. That is The Combs-the set of combs, side and back, that Della has worshiped long in a Broadway window. They are expensive and beautiful combs. The combs seem to suit Della only. This is not only the true love but also reflects Jims personality. Jim is a thoughtful and kind husband. He and his wife both are sincere and honest people. III. The Sublimation of Humanity in The Gift of the Magi A. Self-sacrifice O. Henry creates a special ending of the article. It means that at the end of the whole passage the mental status or the fate of the character has changed greatly. From the special ending, the humanity is clearly presented. Among O. Henrys short stories, the eternal theme proves to be the humanity. The great success of the story could not be separated from the humanity of characters. First of all, one of the most beautiful human virtues is the couples self-sacrifice. There exist good and evil elements in human nature, for the two are usually mixed with each other more or less. While the good elements constitute the predominant portion, man will carry forward his virtues such as kindness, self-sacrifice, selfless dedication, simplicity and so on. Della has the most prized thingthat is her hair. And her husband just owns the most valuable thinggold watch that has been his fathers and his grandfathers. These two things are so priceless and meaningful for themselves. Although they face the poor life, they still want to express their love through a unique gift. But they have no enough money, so they have no other choice. Their mind just has one solution, and then they sell their own most valuable thing to buy the gift for each other. In this condition, both of them do not consider themselves. They only want the other person whom they love to feel happy. Dellas hair is so beautiful, and she cries when she cuts it off. Of course, she loves the hair, because that is her most proud hair. Not only does she love the hair, her husband loves her long and living hair too. Thus, her heart is filled with sadness. But for a valuable gift for her husband, she finishes her cry and selects gift happily for Jim. 5 Finally, she finds the suitable chain. She considers this is the fittest thing for Jim. Therefore, she cuts off the hair and adds another one dollar to buy the unique chain without hesitation. At the same moment, Jim also plans to prepare a particular gift for his wife. Because of the lack of money, Jim sells his most valuable gold watch. Eventually, Jim gives Della the set of combs, which are Dellas favorite. B. Selfless Dedication O. Henrys stories usually win the artistic effect within the plot and pay much more attention to the characters artistic power. But he adopts the perspective way to appreciate the human beauty. In New York, in America, families like Della and Jims could hardly keep their economy balanced. So it is impossible for them to buy a good gift for the other people. The only one thing, which could comfort the Della and Jim is their sincere and warm love for each other. Another one of the most beautiful human virtues is the couples selfless dedication spirit. In the story of The Gift of the Magi, there are many mental and physical actions to express their selfless dedication. Della is a little worried after cutting off the hair. Because her husband loves her hair too, and she fears that she is not as beautiful as before. Although she knows that, she could not help thinking anymore instead of buying a valuable gift for her husband. When Della returns home, an anxiety comes on her. She finds herself like a truant schoolboy. She tells herself “Does Jim like me?”6 full of worry. She has prepared for supper and waits for her husband. When she doubles the fob chain in her hand, Della keeps saying a little prayer, “Please God, make him think I am still pretty”. From those descriptions it can be known that Della loves Jim so deeply that she cares about every detail. Della presents her love under such harsh conditions to express her inner pure emotion. After Jim going back home, he finds that his wifes appearance has changed and he is confused by Dellas hair. He has sold his gold watch to buy the comb for Dellas beautiful hair. But Dellas hair has cut off. We know, Jim can not think Della that she is not as beautiful as before. In his heart, she is the most beautiful woman. He feels a little surprised because he sells his precious gold watch to buy the comb. However, his wife has no long hair, so he is confused. Both Jim and Della have the same thought in their mind. They just hope the other person whom they love happy. Now, there is no watch to match the platinum fob chain, and also no brown hair 6 to suit the set of combs. It can be said that Della and Jim buy the chain and the comb respectively at the expense of their valuable possessions. These presents are quite precious for both, though the gifts are useless temporarily. It is their selfless dedication that makes the gifts unique, which are symbols of their sincere and warm love. C. Simplicity Love is an eternal theme of the whole world, and plays a significant role in peoples life. At most of time, it functions like a magic power which renders people a sense of security. The story of The Gift of the Magi exerts a great impact on peoples life and growth. Between Della and Jim, simplicity is one of the most human virtues among their true love and simple life. They lose their own most precious things to buy the Christmas gift for the other. They never imagine that their gifts are useless. There is no doubt that they receive the most valuable giftsimple and true love. “Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the flight.” It describes Dellas mood when she waits for her husband. She can hear Jims step, which reflects their deep love and Dellas excited and worried mood. They can make such a sacrifice also because of their simple love. Their choices are meaningful and a kind of sublimation. Hegel says“ There is a high quality in the love, because it reacts a graceful spirit.” 9That is a kind of power and spirit. That is an embodiment of human virtues. Although love is exposed in poverty, this love is still true and precious without money. Still in the unfair society and world, Della and Jim present a distinctive love story. They are lovely people in the world. In the beginning, O. Henry uses the story of the Magi to compare the acts of the two characters in The Gift of the Magi. He does this by using the symbols and comparing the selfless giving of presents of Della and Jim. He speaks highly of the couples simplicity. In the end, their gifts are useless on the surface. But they are the wisest persons. They use their simple actions to express individual thought, languages and behaviors. They use their simplicity to prove the real value in that money society. They tell human what the most priceless thing is in the world. IV. The Causes of Humanity Sublimation 7 A. Economic Cause The Gift of the Magi reflects the inevitable result and the real love in that complicated capitalist society. O. Henry displays the theme with simple language. O. Henry is under the influence of Europe and naturalistic realism, and he has a strong feeling to United States social changes. O. Henry in the late nineteenth, it was the U.S. transition period from free capitalism phase to the monopoly capitalism phase period. At the time of the united states in the capital socialist rapid development stage, the capital appeared pauperization. Meanwhile, bankruptcy of medium and small bourgeois and the expansion of unemployment made American society full of contradictions. With the contradictions, people made up of a kind of relationship. The relationship between the people became the naked money relations. Most of peoples heart was also corroded because of money society. With a clear understanding of the society, O. Henry expressed severe satire in his works. In America, especially in the large cities, the loss of human nature was too fast. O. Henry used his own way to express the human nature in such an evil society. The Gift of the Magi was not only the embodiment of humanity sublimation but also showed out a strong human nature. B. Political Cause “With the deep contradictions, the masses of the people were doubt and despair to American democratic society.”8 Once they tried to wipe out the slave through the war, they thought after wiping out the slave America would change. They considered that America would be the most advanced democratic country. But as a matter of fact, America did not become a country which everyone expected with democracy, freedom and fortunate. On the contrary, America was one of the deepest countries which existed in the gap between the rich and the poor. During that period of time, on the one hand, there was a small part of billionaires who indulged the luxury life. On the other hand, there was a large part of people who lived in a very hard life condition. Most of them lived on the verge of starvation. In such a social situation, social life experienced a great change. In that century, people faced the capitalist system which was decayed, deceptive and hideous. It seemed that the society was full of all kinds of ugly phenomena. It was as a dark society and a dim period of time. We could witness different classes and all kinds of people. That included billionaires, policemen, thieves, 8 cheaters and so on. Thus, human virtues were not so common. So many people just thought of themselves. During that long period of time, capitalism was very obvious. With the social phenomena, citizens destroyed and twisted human nature. However, the story in The Gift of the Magi made an embodiment of the humanity sublimation. It told human a truth no matter how hard and dark the society is, the human nature still exists. C. Individual Cause The theme of the story is about the human nature. The writer chooses the subject intentionally according to his different experiences and living conditions. As the author, O. Henry has a special experience and he gives an endless thinking and complicated feelings to the society and humans. In general, O. Henry writes to the reflection of the life. His short stories are full of human consciousness. The human consciousness is not only his feeling to the life, but also the result of the influence of American social background and culture. O. Henry lives a tough lifestyle throughout his life. Therefore, he feels the pain and misfortune of the bottom layer deeply. He recognizes the social evil through many social phenomena. There is no doubt that the hard life experiences bring him a lot of pain. O. Henrys short novels are as the epitome of his whole life course. O. Henry exclaims in The Gift of the Magi that “life is made of sobs, sniffles and smiles.”9 And sniffles occupy a majority of the life. O. Henrys worse life leads him to experience all the major life scenes. There are various scenes which include unusual adventure, city life, high society and more bottom life. A special experience brings him pain, but also teaches him to recognize and adapt to the hard society. O. Henry reflects the unusual social meaning through usual things. In this way, it can reveal the most profound truth of the life. In The Gift of the Magi, he also uses a simple and usual story to reflect an unusual meaning. He tells a story about Della and Jim to express the human nature. He plans to reflect humanity and make an embodiment of humanity sublimation successfully. V. Conclusion This paper has discussed the simple but true love in the story of The Gift of the Magi. Love in the novel is a crucial part as affection between male and female is 9 highlighted. In the aspect of developing the plot, love as a clue, a main line runs through the whole story. Through the paper, we plan to make a study on the sublimation of humanity in The Gift of the Magi. In the story, although Della and Jim live in a very poor and difficult life, they seem to have a usual lifestyle and their story is full of true humanity. Those are humans genuine, k