Question

In "The Gift of the Magi," when Jim buys combs for Della, the irony is that

Answer 1

(I'm going to assume that this is a complete-the-sentence.)

The irony is that Della cut off all of her hair to pay for a gift for Jim, so she cannot use the combs. However, Jim sold his watch to pay for the combs, so he cannot use Della's gift, the chain.