like a cascade of brown waters nbsp She uses the money to buy a platinum chain nbsp The narrator says about the chain that nbsp It was even worthy of The Watch She thinks Jim will use it But Jim cannot use it He has sold his watch Jim sells his family watch to buy The Combs Della cannot use them She has no hair left This is perfect situational irony They cannot use the gifts But their love grows The result is surprising but beautiful Verbal Irony Verbal irony means words that mean the opposite of what they appear to say In the story Della whispers nbsp Please God make him think I am still pretty nbsp She uses the word pretty But she is not worried about beauty She is worried about Jim s happiness Her words mean more than they say Jim also uses verbal irony When he sees Della he says nothing at first He only asks nbsp You have cut off your hair nbsp His words sound simple But they mean shock confusion and fear for Della s feelings His simple question carries deep emotion This is verbal irony Simple words hold large meaning Dramatic Irony Dramatic irony means the reader knows something that the characters do not know In this story the reader knows what Della has done before Jim does We know she has sold her hair We feel the tension when she waits at the door We know the truth before Jim knows it Later when Jim gives his gift the reader understands that Jim has sold his watch But Della does not know it until he says nbsp I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs nbsp The reader is one step ahead This creates dramatic tension It makes the moment emotional and surprising Moral Irony Moral irony means the real moral message is opposite to what people usually believe People normally think expensive gifts show love But the story gives the opposite message The gifts are useless The chain cannot be used The combs cannot be used Yet the gifts become powerful They show sacrifice and love The narrator explains this clearly He says nbsp Everywhere they are wisest They are the magi nbsp This is moral irony The poorest couple gives the richest form of love Their sacrifice becomes greater than any object Emotional Irony Emotional irony means the emotions are opposite to the situation When Della sees the combs she cries She cries because she cannot use them But she also smiles She says nbsp My hair grows so fast Jim nbsp Her tears and smile together create emotional irony Jim also smiles when he cannot use the chain Their gifts fail But their hearts succeed Their happiness comes from love not from things This creates soft gentle irony Their joy appears at the moment when their gifts become useless This makes the story warm and touching The story uses many kinds of irony All make the story powerful Della cannot use the combs Jim cannot use the chain But they show the highest love Their sacrifice makes them wise Their love makes them the real Magi