The symbols in the two stories present love and misery respectively. Specifically, the watch and comb portrayed in The Gift of Magi by Henry present love following commitment and struggles that Jim and Della undergo to offer each other Christmas presents. On the other hand, The Monkey Paw represents misery that befell the White’s family after the death of their son due to their interactions with the forbidden paw.
The symbols are indirectly conveyed to the readers due to their manifestations in the story. Specifically, the watch gifted to Jim by his wife is a replacement of the original watch that his father inherited from his grandfather and later gave him as a present. Continually, the combs gifted to Della manifests to show love due to Jim’s sacrifice to sell a watch that has existed in his family for decades.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The symbols affect the tone of the story concerning emotions they elicit as far as their events are concerned. Specifically, the watch and hair affect the tone of Henry’s story by showing how the couples sacrifice their treasures to show love for each other. Additionally, the monkey’s paw affects the tone of the story by expressing misery in the family that was initially happy after the death of their son Herbert.
The texts have various tones that the characters exhibit regarding symbolism in the stories. For instance, the phrase, “You say your hair is gone?” shows Jim’s disbelief at his wife’s move to cut her beautiful hair just to buy him a Christmas present ( Henry, 2017). Additionally, the phrase, "Badly hurt," he said quietly, "but he is not in any pain." shows the visitors statements when delivering the news regarding Herbert’s death to his parents (Jacobs, 2017).
Motivated by the importance of symbols in life, I have a puppy doll as a symbol. The puppy doll was a gift from my aunt during my fifth birthday. The doll symbolizes my love for animals and reminds me of my aunt and other family members.
References
Henry, O. (2017). The Gift of the Magi . American Literature. Retrieved from https://americanliterature.com/author/o-henry/short-story/the-gift-of-the-magi
Jacobs, W.W. (2017). The Monkey’s Paw . American Literature. Retrieved from https://americanliterature.com/author/w-w-jacobs/short-story/the-monkeys-paw
