Ralph Waldo Emerson’s article “Gifts” is a discussion on the social custom of gifts. The author conveys that love is the prime force that could be termed as the best possible gift and thus should be enumerated as the best possible gift that enriches both the giver and the receiver in a world dominated by give-and-take policies under the concept of the market economy. However, the hypothesis presented by the author can well be contradicted as give-and-take policies are the basic mode of the human communication system. The aspect of need becomes a fundamental issue in the context of gifts.
A gift of flowers can be treated as a very good option for a loved one but the same cannot be true if that loved individual is hungry. In this context, the best gift would be food. Thus, it is obvious that a hungry person is in need of food and therefore the need becomes a necessity, and a flower in this context would be an unworthy gift. As a result, it is obvious that the value of the gift depends on the receiver. So, it is an extended give-and-take policy and human commercialization where the value of the gift is variable on the situation of the gift.
Nevertheless, one cannot fully deny the humane principle of love as mentioned by the author. The fundamentals of the discussion start with the forms of gifts that are generally exchanged and it moves towards more holistic and spiritual aspects of gifts. The author covers the area of needs when gifts are a concern and then states the aspects of human values in the context of this custom. Thus, it is clear that there can be no specific single answers to the question of gift. It has a market side and a humane side and both can be true but it is better to choose the humane side of the gift rather than the market side.