The story of Jim and his wife Della in O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" shows how two people selflessly go out of their ability to make the other happy. Their efforts turned out to be useless in the present sense but then they were considered the best people to have ever did something for another.
Jim and Della are a poor couple who hardly have anything. And the festival of Christmas is approaching, meaning they had to prepare gifts for each other. Armed with just few sums of money for themselves, they set out to get each a gift that will prove the most useful. Della sold her hair to get Jim a watch chain, while Jim sold his watch to buy an ornamental comb for Della's beautiful hair. When both revealed their gifts, it turns out that there was no use for the present situation. But this selfless approach of the gifts showed how they brought out the true Christian spirit of putting others first. They are the wisest of all who had ever done this deed.
This story is a person vs. society conflict as it was the society that had imbibed on them the ritual of gifting presents. If this tradition hadn't been there, Jim would still have his watch and Della, her hair.
