The purpose of this article is to compare and contrast two stories. To complete this assignment I chose The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry and Country Lovers, by Nadine Gordimer. My intentions are to compare the author's writing style, their differences in setting and theme, and also note the similarities. I will focus this article not only on the technical aspects of the author's writing style, but also on his use of symbolism in his writing. The love the protagonists felt for each other in both stories was different as were the gifts they shared. In O. Henry's love story, the love between the main characters was sweet and pure. Even though the characters were poor, their love generated precious gifts. Nadine Gordimer's love story involved a darker theme of forbidden love under apartheid, the gifts offered were secret and hid lies. Of all the gifts offered, it is not the cost of the gift that gives it value; It is the condition of the heart of the giver and his intentions that determine his true purpose and value. Each author chose to write their story from the third-person point of view. This vision allowed the theme of the story to be revealed with an omniscient tone. Each author made a change to the first person when necessary to help reveal the resolution. By using point of view in this way, both authors were able to maintain the reader's interest until the end. For O. Henry, it helped reveal a special love that made his story as precious as his characters. Nadine Gordimer did the same by concluding her story with the interview with Thebedi. Even though the story was darker, it gave the reader a sense of a new, hopeful life for Thebedi.O. Henry wrote “The Gift of the Magi” set in the time he lived in, 1906. Nadine Gordimer wrote Country Lo...... middle of paper ......om/lib/ashford/Doc?id= 10017901&ppg= 155Copyright © 2000. Greenwood Press. All rights reserved.Clugston, R.W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display_printable.cfm?HHID=205Copyright 2006 Digital History. This site was updated May 30, 2011 http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/apart.html (nd)Godbout, Jacques T. World of the Gift. Montreal, QC, CAN: McGill-Queen's University Press, http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10141821&ppg=20Copyright © 1998. McGill-Queen's University Press. All rights reserved. Schuster, Lynda. Burning Hunger: One Family's Struggle Against Apartheid. Athens, Ohio, USA: Ohio University Press, 2006. p 21.http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10156433&ppg=33 Copyright © 2006. Ohio University Press. All rights reserved.