The Necklace And Della Comparison Essay

So many similarities and so many differences, but all so interesting. Two women, Della, from New York City and Madame Loisel, she is from Paris, France are both very similar characters, yet they are from two different short stories. Della is from “The Gift of the Magi” by O’Henry and Madame Loisel or Mathilde from “The Necklace”. Both of these short stories share very similar plots, but they are also very different. Starting with “The Gift of the Magi”, the story takes place in New York City. The main characters are Della and her husband Jim. They live happily in an apartment under poor conditions. Della sells her hair to buy Jim a gift and in the end Jim also gets Della a gift, it is called The Combs. They are an expensive set of combs that Della has wanted for a while.
Both of the main characters are husband and wife. “Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim” (Henry 525). “Then one evening her husband arrived home looking triumphant and waving a large envelope” (Maupassant 609). In “The Gift of the Magi” Della and Jim start off poor and giving, then they become richer and getting. In “The Necklace” Madame and Monsieur Loisel start off rich enough and getting, then they become poverty stricken and giving. Their plots are opposites of each others. Another similarity that they adore jewelry or expensive things. “She threw her arms around her friend’s neck, kissed her ardently, and fled with her treasure” (Maupassant 611). “But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and smile and say: ‘My hair grows so fast, Jim!’” (Henry 529). This is when both of the women main characters received their jewelry from somebody else. In “The Necklace” it was a beautiful necklace, and in “The Gift of the Magi” it was The Combs. As you can see, there are many similarities between the very different short