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1、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 Mag
2、iAbstractO. 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
3、 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
4、 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 he
5、roine. 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
6、true humanity is and have a profound understanding of humanity depicted in literary works.Key words: humanity sublimation; self-sacrifice; selfless dedication; simplicityA Study on the Sublimation of Humanity in The Gift of the MagiOutlineThesis Statement: Through analyzing The Gift of the Magi, we
7、can learn what the true humanity is and have a profound understanding of humanity depicted in literary works.I. IntroductionII. Depiction of Characters in The Gift of the Magi A. Considerate and Meek Heroine B. Thoughtful and Kind Hero III. The Sublimation of Humanity in The Gift of the Magi A. Self
8、-sacrificeB. Selfless Dedication C. SimplicityIV. The Causes of Humanity SublimationA. Economic CauseB. Political Cause C. Individual CauseV. ConclusionA Study on the Sublimation of Humanity in The Gift of the MagiI. IntroductionThe Gift of the Magi is a short popular and highly regarded story by O.
9、 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 g
10、reat 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 broug
11、ht 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
12、 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
13、, 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 poss
14、ession 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
15、 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
16、something through the whole story.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
17、 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
18、 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 humanit
19、y. 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 th
20、e MagiA. 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 th
21、e 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 Dell
22、as 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 el
23、ectric 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 li
24、ttle 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 wan
25、ts 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 l
26、ost 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 wom
27、en 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 b
28、eautiful 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.
29、 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
30、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 seem
31、s 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 descr
32、ibed 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 money and could not seek any w
33、ay 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
34、 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 h
35、onest people.III. The Sublimation of Humanity in The Gift of the MagiA. Self-sacrificeO. 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 p
36、resented. 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 huma
37、n 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 h
38、usband 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 ha
39、ve 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
40、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 fo
41、r Jim. 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
42、 money, Jim sells his most valuable gold watch. Eventually, Jim gives Della the set of combs, which are Dellas favorite.B. Selfless DedicationO. 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
43、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 o
44、ther.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 h
45、air 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
46、 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 eve
47、ry 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
48、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 t
49、hought 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 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 ar