Named source · 1905

The Gift of the Magi Quotes by O. Henry: Context & Meanings

1 quotation linked to The Gift of the Magi by or associated with O. Henry, with source notes, explanations and related topics.

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Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

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“Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.”

O. Henry

Meaning & context

O. Henry turns Della’s financial distress into a comic-sad observation that ordinary life often mixes sorrow, small complaints and happiness rather than arriving in a single emotional register.

Source details

The Gift of the Magi, Project Gutenberg #7256. The narrator offers the line just after Della counts her $1.87 and cries on the couch before Christmas; it is humorous literary narration within a story of poverty, love and gift-giving.

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