Della ✪✪✪: Della is the main character of the story. She is a young wife who is poor but full of deep love. To buy a gift for Jim, she sells her most precious possession: her long, beautiful hair. Her action symbolizes pure love, sacrifice, and sincerity. Della is emotional, soft-hearted, and responsible. Her husband’s happiness is the most important thing to her. Throughout the story, her sacrifice, emotion, and heartfelt devotion deeply touch the reader.

Jim (James Dillingham Young): Jim is Della’s husband and the other central character of the story. He is young, poor, and tries to run the household with his limited income. He loves Della deeply, which becomes clear through his own sacrifice. To buy a gift for Della, he sells his most valuable family possession, his gold watch. Jim is calm, serious, responsible, and a true lover. He understands that material things are not important; the most important thing in life is loving the people we care about.

Madame Sofronie: She is the woman who buys hair and makes various hair-related items. Della sells her hair at Mrs. Sofronie’s shop. Mrs. Sofronie represents a purely business-minded attitude in the story. She is cold, emotionless, and completely money-focused. Her presence shows how harsh and unforgiving the reality of poverty can be.

Queen of Sheba: The Queen of Sheba was a legendary queen known for her beauty, wealth, and luxury. In the story, O. Henry uses the example of the Queen of Sheba to show the beauty of Della’s hair. It is said that if the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat next to Della’s, Della would let her hair hang out of the window just to make the queen’s jewels and gifts seem less valuable. Here, the Queen of Sheba is actually a metaphor. Her mention shows how beautiful and precious Della’s hair was. She stands as a symbol of beauty, glory, and high value in the story.

King Solomon: King Solomon was a very wise and wealthy king. He is famous for his wisdom, riches, and power. In the story, it is said that if King Solomon were the janitor of the house and kept all his treasures in the basement, Jim would take out his watch again and again just to make Solomon envious. This comparison shows how much Jim valued his family’s gold watch. Solomon here symbolizes wealth, pride, and high status. His mention makes the story’s humor and comparison stronger.