크리스마스 선물(The gift of Magi, 오 헨리) 1/3 | 쉬운 영어로 고전 단편 다시 읽기 #1

쉬운 영어로 고전 단편 다시 읽기 #1

크리스마스 선물

The gift of Magi

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"쉬운 영어로 고전 단편 다시 읽기"에 오신 것을 환영합니다. 이 시리즈는 시대를 초월하는 단편 문학에 등장하는 어휘와 문장구조에 어려움을 느끼는 독자 사이의 다리 역할을 합니다.

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고전 문학은 깊은 주제, 풍부한 인물 및 끊임없는 의미를 담고 있기 때문에 많은 사람들이 추천하지만, 이러한 소설의 언어는 때로 독자들에게 다가가기 힘든 것이 사실입니다. 특히 영어가 모국어가 아니거나 문학 읽기에 익숙하지 않은 독자의 경우 더 그렇습니다.

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이 시리즈의 주요 목표는 모든 사람들이 고전 단편 소설을 쉽게 접근할 수 있도록 하는 것입니다. 따라서 원래 이야기의 본질과 매력을 간직하면서도 단순한 어휘와 문장 구조로 다시 쓴 작품을 편안하게 즐기시길 바랍니다.

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* 원문은 글상자에, 쉽게 다시 쓴 글은 그 아래에 넣었습니다. 비교해서 읽어 보세요. 작품 소개는 본문이 다 끝난 다음에 정리했으니 감상 후 확인하시기 바랍니다.

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One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas. ​ There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. ​ While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.

Della had only one dollar and eighty-seven cents. Most of it, sixty cents, was in pennies. She got those pennies by buying things from the grocer, the vegetable man, and the butcher one or two at a time. This made her seem a bit stingy, and it made her face turn red. Della counted her money three times: one dollar and eighty-seven cents. The next day would be Christmas.

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There was nothing else to do but sit down on the worn-out sofa and cry. So, that's exactly what Della did. This makes us think about how life is full of tears, sniffs, and smiles, but usually, tears come first.

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As the lady of the house goes from the first stage to the second, let's take a look at her home. It's a furnished apartment that costs $8 per week. It's not really poor, but it does seem like it's looking for some help.

 

In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name “Mr. James Dillingham Young.” ​ The “Dillingham” had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called “Jim” and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good. ​ Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn’t go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling—something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim.

In the entryway downstairs, there was a mailbox where no letters ever arrived, and a doorbell that no one could make ring. There was also a sign with the name "Mr. James Dillingham Young" on it.

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The "Dillingham" part of the name had been used during better times when he was making $30 a week. Now, with his income down to $20, they were thinking of using just "D." But when Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his apartment upstairs, his wife, whom we've already met as Della, would call him "Jim" and warmly hug him. And that's all very nice.

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Della wiped her tears and powdered her cheeks. She looked out of the window and saw a gray cat on a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow was Christmas, and she only had $1.87 to buy Jim a gift. She had saved every penny she could for months, but it wasn't much. Twenty dollars a week doesn't cover much. Her expenses were higher than she had expected, as they often are. Now she had only $1.87 to buy a gift for her beloved Jim. She had spent many happy hours planning to get him something nice, something precious and valuable—something that would be a fitting gift for Jim.

 

There was a pier glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier glass in an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art. ​ Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length. ​ Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s hair. Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.

 

In the room, there was a big mirror between the windows. Maybe you've seen such a mirror in a not-so-fancy apartment that costs $8. If a really skinny and quick person looks at themselves in this mirror from different angles, they can get a pretty good idea of how they look. Della, who was slender, had gotten good at doing this.

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All of a sudden, she turned away from the window and stood in front of the mirror. Her eyes were shining brightly, but her face lost its color in less than a minute. She quickly let her hair down, and it flowed down to its full length.

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Now, there were two things that Jim and Della, the James Dillingham Youngs, were very proud of. One was Jim's gold watch, which had been passed down from his father and grandfather. The other was Della's hair. If the queen of Sheba had lived in the apartment across from theirs, Della might have let her hair hang out the window just to show off and make the queen's jewels and gifts seem less impressive. If King Solomon had been the building's caretaker and had all his treasures in the basement, Jim might have shown off his watch every time he walked by, just to make King Solomon jealous and tug at his beard in envy.

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'크리스마스 선물’은 오 헨리의 대표적인 단편소설로, 가난한 부부가 서로를 위해 가장 소중한 것을 선물하는 크리스마스 이야기입니다.

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• 작가: 오 헨리 (O. Henry, 1862-1910)는 미국의 유명한 단편소설가로, 반전이 있는 결말과 인간의 따뜻함을 그린 작품들로 알려져 있습니다.
• 배경: 19세기 말 뉴욕의 가난한 아파트에서 살고 있는 젊은 부부 델라와 짐의 이야기입니다. 이들은 주당 20달러의 소득으로 겨우 생활하고 있습니다.
• 내용: 크리스마스 선물을 사고 싶은 델라는 자신의 긴 머리칼을 팔아 20달러를 얻습니다. 그리고 짐의 시계에 어울리는 고급 시곗줄을 선물로 삽니다. 한편 짐은 자신의 시계를 팔아 델라의 머리칼에 어울리는 고급 머리빗을 선물로 삽니다. 이들은 서로를 위해 가장 소중한 것을 주었지만, 동시에 서로의 선물을 쓸 수 없게 되었습니다.
• 의미: 이 소설은 사랑하는 사람을 위해 희생할 수 있는 마음과 행동이 진정한 크리스마스 선물이라는 메시지를 전달합니다. 또한, 성경에서 나오는 성탄절 이야기인 '동방 박사들의 선물’과 비교하여, 가난하고 평범한 사람들도 예수님께 드릴 수 있는 귀한 선물이 있다는 의미도 담고 있습니다.

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