Labov’s mode on analysis of “The Gift of the Magi”

才让项毛

【Abstract】 William Labovs narrative analysis differs from some of the earlier approaches ， Six parts of model is ： 1.Abstract 2.Orientation 3.Complicating Action 4.Evaluation 5.Result 6.Coda. The famous short story “The Gift of the Magi”is written by O. Henry， this paper analysis this story aims to point out the meaning of Labov`s model in discourse analysis.

【Key words】Labov`s model； Narration； discourse analysis； The Gift of the Magi

【摘要】早期的研究當中拉波夫模式对于分析叙述语篇有不同的角度， 其模式包括六部分：1.点题 2.指向 3.进展 4.评议 5.结果 6.回应。《麦琪的礼物》是著名短篇小说家欧·亨利的代表作之一享誉全球， 通过运用拉波夫模式分析短篇小说来更好地理解和欣赏文学作品。

【关键词】拉波夫模式 叙述 语篇分析 麦琪的礼物

I. The definition of “narration”

Narration refers to the way that a story is told， and so belongs to the level of discourse.Basic elements and features of narrative have characters with delineate personalities and or identities. While the common elements are the setting， character， plot， conflict， climax， resolution， and comprise the theme and the atmosphere.

II. The discourse analysis of “The Gift of the Magi”

O. Henry （Sep 11， 1862–Jun 5， 1910）was an American writer whose short stories are known for wit， wordplay and twist ending. “The Gift of the Magi” about a young couple who are short of money but desperately want to buy each other Christmas gifts. The essential premise of this story has been re-told countless times.

Abstract （A）

The title of this story give the basic and important information： ①There is a character named “Magi” and she/he is going to have a story with the “Gift”.②The whole story will be told around the “Gift”The storys opening sentences showed： Life for Della is much more hard， this attracts readers to focus on what would happen next.

Orientation（O）

With the story goes on， Della and Jim， a young married couple. They lives in a modest apartment. It`s Christmas Eve， and Della herself want to buy Jim a Christmas present， all Della has left is $1.87. When Della lets down her hair， we learn from the story： her hair and Jims gold watch are the only prized possessions the couple has.

Third Person （Omniscient）

Technically， the story seems to be third person limited omniscient.It is told in the third-person.We dont see Jim all the time， and once he shows up， he is closed to us.

The narrator arrtrcts our attention immediately by two details of the storys setting： It happens on a Christmas Eve， and two main characters live in a very modest flat.Everything is set up for the rest of the story to unfold.

Complicating Action （CA）

The story goes on ， Della looking in shop windows for something she can afford.Rushing home， Della pulls down her beautiful hair in front， admiring it and thinking.She rushes out again and cuts off her hair to sell. She gets $20.00， just enough to buy the platinum chain.

Evaluation （E）

The conflict is where the “problem” appear in the story， This story began with a problem.By selling her hair， Della gets the money， solving the first problem through action. Thereafter she gets a perfect present， but now theres a new problem： will Jim be pleased by her gift， or will he be angry with her hair he liked so much？

Result （R）

When Jim arrives， he doesnt seem to react well： he stares at Della and cant seem to process that her hair is gone. But it doesnt look like hes angry， so much as simply shocked. Della cant quite understand what kind of reaction hes having， nor can we. This creates suspense； we want to know what it is hes actually feeling， how hell react to Dellas gift. When Della opens Jims present， we understand why Jim was so shocked.It also becomes clear now that hell love her no matter how she looks.Although the climax doesnt fully “predict” the ending， it is the first part of the twist.

Coda （C）

The narrator tells us that it doesnt matter that Jim and Dellas presents turned out to be useless.They are the wisest givers of all because their gifts are gifts of love.We leave feeling satisfied and happy.The ending is twist， here is a classic case of irony. The determination to find the perfect gift leads each character to make a sacrifice；that sacrifice makes each gift useless.The result is the exact opposite of what Jim and Della intended.What makes this ending so bittersweet is that it only comes about because they acted on their intentions： their gifts wouldnt have been useless if they hadnt given up their prize possessions.

III. Conclusion

There are different strategies to analysis different discourses.Labovs model remains effective today.As language itself continues to grow and change， it is quite probable that Labovs model will grow to accommodate that change， and to continue to be a useful tool.

References：

[1]Labov，William Socioloinguistic Patterns.Philadelphia： University of Pennsylvania Press，1972.

[2]黃国文.语篇分析概要[M].长沙：湖南教育出版社，1988：154.