In the short story “The Gift of the Magi,” by O. Henry, “Jimmy” is 22 years old. I put the word “Jimmy” in quotes because he is never called by this name in the story. His real name is James Dillingham Young. He is most commonly referred to in the story as “Jim.” We are told that his wife, Della, commonly addressed him by that name.
We are not told Jim’s age until about half...
In the short story “The Gift of the Magi,” by O. Henry, “Jimmy” is 22 years old. I put the word “Jimmy” in quotes because he is never called by this name in the story. His real name is James Dillingham Young. He is most commonly referred to in the story as “Jim.” We are told that his wife, Della, commonly addressed him by that name.
We are not told Jim’s age until about half way through the story. We can surmise that he and Della are rather young, though. He does not make much money and they do not have any children, both making it likely that they are young. However, we do not have to guess at Jim’s age. We are specifically told that he is 22. This happens when he comes home after Della has cut her hair to buy him his present. It is the first time he is actually present in the story. At that point, we are told
Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two--and to be burdened with a family!
From this, we can tell that Jim is 22 years old in this story.
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