In character with Della, her fears are not selfish. She
wants to look pretty, not for herself, but for Jim. For, after she returns home, she
uses the curling iron on her hair to make herself look the best that she can for her
husband: "If Jim doesn't kill me....But what could I do?" As she hears his footsteps,
she prays, "Please, God, make him think I am still pretty" since she does not want to
displease her husband, whom she loves dearly,
obviously.
When he enters and stares at her "fixedly with a
peculiar expression," it is not anger, surprise, disapproval, or horror, write O. Henry,
so Della need not worry about her looks. Rather, she is again concerned with Jim's
displeasure. If she were vain, she probably would not cut her hair; then, even if
she were to cut it, she would quickly say something in reaction to Jim that demonstrates
her resentment of having cut her hair. But, in this delightful story about unselfish
love, Della simply tries to make amends: "It'll grow out again--you won't mind, will
you?" Della does not speak of herself; she is not
concerned with her looks, per se as some readers mistakenly
suggest. She is only concerned about Jim's happiness, and he has been happy having her
with long hair; her unselfish concern is consistent with her character from the
beginning of O. Henry's story.
How else could Della be, as
O.Henry declares, "the wisest...the magi"?
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