The Last Leaf

Introduction to the story

Summary

‘The Last Leaf’ by O. Henry is a short story published in 1907 in his collection ‘The Trimmed Lamp and Other Story.’ The story is about Johnsy and Sue, two artists sharing an apartment in Greenwich Village. Johnsy falls ill due to pneumonia and loses hope of surviving and says that she’ll die after the last leaf from the vine outside will fall. Mr. Behrman in order to give Johnsy hope, draws his masterpiece of that last leaf on the vine. Behrman dies due to pneumonia at the end as he does the painting on a very windy and snowy night.

Characters

Johnsy- Artist, suffering from Pneumonia, no will to live

Sue- Artist, Johnsy’s flatmate

Mr Behrman- Painter, Old, appeared rude and distant, painted his masterpiece after 40 years in order to give hope to Johnsy.

^{The Painting- Source: Roads and Pages}

About the Author

Biography and awards

O. Henry (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910) was an American short story writer. O. Henry was the pen name adopted by him; his real name is William Sydney Porter. His stories are known for witty narration with a playful tone and surprise endings. His first collection of stories is ‘Cabbages and Kings’. Some of his famous short stories include ‘The gift of the Maggi’, ‘Cop and the Anthem’, etc.

The O. Henry Award is a prestigious annual prize named after Porter and is given as an award to outstanding short stories.

^{The Author -Source: American Literature}

Themes Highlighted

Idea of Sacrifice and art

Behrman’s masterpiece and his efforts are the sacrifice of his life to provide hope and will to Johnsy to live her life. The sacrifice of life is considered as the supreme form of giving. Sue too sacrifices her work and her time in order to take care of johnsy. The story depicts the life of two budding artists who are struggling to make the ends meet. They help each other to be the best vision of themselves. Behrman communicates his feelings to Johnsy through his painting. The story is woven as such that it reflects on the importance of art in human life.

Hope and Survival

The story reflects upon the importance of hope and survival in an individual’s life. And how it helps in facing the adversities of life. It doesn’t solve the problem but gives us enough strength to face it. Johnsy’s pessimistic attitude weakens her more than the actual disease. Johnsy’s recovery is inescapable from her rediscovery of her hope for her future. The last leaf gives her hope to try her luck at life once again, to attain her meaning and purpose of life.

^{Cartoon representation of the text- Source: Google}

Compassion and Friendship

Sue and Mr. Behrnman were compassionate towards Johnsy as they cared about her. It was their steady fast hope and constant love that nursed her back to health. Although it was a chance encounter between two budding artists, Sue and Johnsy instantly connected with each other. It was Sue’s unconditional love for Johnsy that helped her to cover from her disease.

The judgement of the outer persona

This theme is in relevance with Mr Behrman, Johnsy and Sue’s old and rude neighbour. The external or the first impression of Behrman gives cold vibes to the flatmates. Behrman is always seen as a rude cranky old person, not compassionate enough to care about anyone. But in stark contrast to this, he is the one who sacrificed his life, gave hope to Johnsy to live. He imbued optimism in Johnsy and also dedicated his masterpiece for her. This representation clearly discards the notion or assumptions based on the outer persona.

^{Mr Behrman- Source : Google}

Personal Opinions and Reviews

The book ‘The Best of O. Henry” published by Scholastic was included in our syllabus in class 8^th. I had never read a prescribed book with interest ever, until this. This story had different meaning for me back then and now when I re-read this, it had a whole new bunch of implications for me. This heart-warming story has stayed with me and surpassed the difficulties of time and still continues to teach me lessons every time I read it. This intensely emotional narrative is penned down with such simplicity which give such strong messages and make you happy yet sad at the end. This is such a beautiful story imbued with optimism to carry with yourself for life.

More insight

• Last leaf has many adaptations, one being the very famous Bollywood adaptation “Lootera” by Vikram Aditya Motwane starring Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha. Sonakshi Sinha plays the character inspired by Sue and suffers from Tuberculosis and Ranveer Singh paints the masterpiece. The movie was critically acclaimed.

• Falling leaves, a 1912 film is a loose adaptation.

• The two- reel silent film in 1917, produced by Broadway Star Features,and many more.

^{A still from the movie ‘Lootera’- Source: Google}

Conclusion

The story holds a bucket of emotions, throughout the course of the story. The story is an absolute masterpiece and critically acclaimed.

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