Three: A Magic Number

In “The Gift of the Magi,” the number three figures prominently. Consider the following:

• The story has three characters: Della, Jim, and Madame Sophronie.
• Della counts her money three times (Paragraph 1).
• The narrator says that “Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles (Paragraph 2).
• The story refers three times to the Youngs’ supper entree: chops.
• The story mentions the Queen of Sheba, who gave three types of gifts to King Solomon: spices, gold, and jewels.
• A sentence in Paragraph 5 says, “She stood by the window and looked out dully at a grey cat walking a grey fence in a grey backyard.”
• Jim tells Della, I don’t think there’s anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less.
• The narrator alliteratively describes Della as speaking with “sudden serious sweetness.”
• The were three magi: Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar.
• The magi offered three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
• According to tradition, the magi were kings of Arabia, Persia, and India. 
• The story centers on three valuables: Jim’s gold watch, Della’s hair, and the love Jim and Della share.

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