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Where do Della and Jim live in "The Gift of the Magi"?

In "The Gift of the Magi," Della and Jim live in a larger city described as being colorless ("grey") in a very humble apartment that lacks furnishings—rough or otherwise. Within the city itself are other grey elements in their lives: a grey fence and cat both figure into the narrative, reinforcing the drabness of Della and Jim's belongings. The doorbell and the mailbox are both broken, perhaps as symbols of how financially broke Della and Jim are. Their home is austere at best. The description of their home drives home how impoverished they are.


Although William Sydney Porter (pen name O. Henry), the author, does not name the city in the text of the story, readers can speculate the setting is New York City because there is a reference made to Coney Island, which already was a popular New York attraction when Porter wrote the story. Additionally, Porter lived in New York at the time he wrote the story and published it in a New York newspaper, so most biographers are comfortable labeling the setting as New York City. 


The term flat could throw readers off somewhat; it seems to be a little more "British" than apartment, but nothing else in the story gives it a British flair. Furthermore, Porter seemed determined to portray the lives of everyday Americans that reflected those he had known along the way growing up in North Carolina, working in Texas and New Orleans, spending a brief time in jail in Ohio, and finally settling in New York City.

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