Lesson-7

The Last Leaf

By O Henry

The Last Leaf Introduction

Sue and Johnsy, two friends, share a rented apartment. Johnsy becomes ill with pneumonia and loses her desire to live. She declares that she will die when the last leaf falls from the ivy creeper visible through the window. When the last leaf falls from the tree, their neighbour, Mr Behrman, goes out into the storm to paint one. This gives Johnsy hope. Mr. Behrman, on the other hand, develops pneumonia and dies.

The Last Leaf Summary

O. Henry's popular story is 'The Last Leaf.' It's a heartwarming story. Sue and Johnsy were two young artists who were close friends. They shared a home. Once, Johnsy became ill. Outside the window, there was an ivy creeper. Its leaves were starting to fall. Johnsy had a premonition that she would die when the last ivy leaf fell. She was concerned. Behrman, an elderly painter, lived downstairs. He treated the girls as if they were his daughters. Sue told Bohrman about Johnsy's crush. He promised to assist her. It was snowing that night. The last leaf also dropped. Behanan, on the other hand, worked all night and painted a leaf on the wall.

The next morning, Johnsy was surprised to see that the ivy still had a leaf on it. Her desire to live had returned. She quickly recovered. However, old Behrman became ill with pneumonia and died. As a result, he gave up his own life to save Johnsy's. Art is a valuable asset that provides hope even in the most difficult situations. It possesses the ability to heal the human spirit. "The Last Leaf" exemplifies the value of art by saving a young life. Despite the fact that the artist gives up his own life in the process, his masterpiece immortalises him.

The Last Leaf Lesson Explanation

SUE and Johnsy, two young artists, shared a small flat. The flat was on the third storey of an old house.

Two girls named Sue and Johnsy, shared a small flat. They were talented artists. The apartment was situated on the third floor of an old house.

Johnsy fell very seriously ill in November. She had pneumonia. She would lie in her bed without moving, just gazing out of the window. Sue, her friend, became very worried. She sent for the doctor. Although he came every day there was no change in Johnsy’s condition.

• Pneumonia: a disease caused due to the infection of the lungs
• Gazing: looking

Johnsy became ill with pneumonia in November. She stayed in bed and stared out the window. Sue was concerned about Johnsy and made a call to the doctor. The doctor came by every day, but Johnsy's health did not improve.

One day the doctor took Sue aside and asked her, ”Is anything worrying Johnsy?”

Sue was secretly asked by the doctor if something was wrong with Johnsy.

“No,” replied Sue. “But why do you ask?”

Sue responded that there was nothing to be concerned about and inquired as to why the doctor thought so.

The doctor said “Johnsy, it seems, has made up her mind that she is not going to get well. If she doesn’t want to live, medicines will not help her.”

According to the doctor, it appeared that Johnsy had decided not to live and did not want to recover from his illness. Medications would not work on her in this situation.

Sue tried her best to make Johnsy take an interest in things around her. She talked about clothes and fashions, but Johnsy did not respond. Johnsy continued to lie still on her bed. Sue brought her drawing-board into Johnsy’s room and started painting. To take Johnsy’s mind off her illness, she whistled while working.

Sue attempted to cheer up Johnsy. She talked about interesting things like clothes and fashion with her, but Johnsy was unaffected. She was lying in bed. Sue sat beside her and began painting to catch her interest and distract her from her illness. Sue would whistle from time to time to cheer up Johnsy.

Suddenly Sue heard Johnsy whisper something. She quickly rushed to the bed and heard Johnsy counting backwards. She was looking out of the window and was saying, “Twelve!” After sometime she whispered “eleven”, then “ten”, then “nine”, “eight”, “seven”. Sue anxiously looked out of the window. She saw an old ivy creeper climbing half-way up the brick wall opposite their window. In the strong wind outside, the creeper was shedding its leaves.

Sue noticed Johnsy was speaking softly. While looking out the window, Johnsy was doing a backward count. Sue was intrigued and went outside to investigate. She noticed an ivy creeper plant beside the room's window. The leaves of the creeper were falling as strong winds blew.

“What is it, dear?” Sue asked.

Sue inquired as to the nature of the problem.

“Six,” whispered Johnsy. “They are falling faster now. Three days ago there were almost a hundred leaves. There are only five left now.”

"Six," said Johnsy. Then she mentioned that the leaves were falling faster than usual. She went on to say that three days ago, there were nearly a hundred keaves on the ivy creeper, but now there were only five.

“It is autumn,” said Sue, “and the leaves will fall.”

Sue responded that it was autumn, and it was natural for the creeper's leaves to fall.

“When the last leaf falls, I will die,” said Johnsy with finality. “I have known this for the last three days.”

Johnsy predicted that she'd die when the last leaf fell. She went on to say that she had known this for three days.

“Oh, that’s nonsense,” replied Sue. “What have old ivy leaves to do with your getting well? The doctor is confident that you will get better.”

Sue responded that this made no sense. Her health had nothing to do with the leaves. The doctor was confident in her recovery.

Johnsy did not say anything. Sue went and brought her a bowl of soup.

Johnsy was deafeningly quiet. Sue went to get a bowl of soup for Johnsy.

“I don’t want any soup,” said Johnsy. “I am not hungry… Now there are only four leaves left. I want to see the last one fall before it gets dark. Then I will sleep forever.”

The soup was refused by Johnsy. She had no desire to eat. Then she mentioned that the ivy plant still had four leaves on it. She wished to see the last leaf fall before sunset and then die peacefully.

Sue sat on Johnsy’s bed, kissed her and said, “You are not going to die. I can’t draw the curtain for I need the light. I want to finish the painting and get some money for us. Please, my dear friend,” she begged Johnsy, “promise not to look out of the window while I paint.”

Sue attempted to be affectionate toward Johnsy. She insisted that Johnsy would not die. She kept the curtain open because she required light to finish the painting. She'd sell it to make money for them. Sue requested that Johnsy not look out the window.

“All right,” said Johnsy. “Finish your painting soon for I want to see the last leaf fall. I’m tired of waiting. I have to die, so let me go away peacefully like one of those poor, tired leaves.”

Johnsy agreed and asked Sue to finish the painting in time to see the last leaf fall from the ivy plant. She was sick of waiting for it to fall. She was tired and wanted to die, just like the poor tired ivy leaves.

“Try to sleep,” said Sue. “I have to paint an old miner. I will call Behrman up to be my model.”

Sue requested that she try to sleep. She would use their neighbour, Behrman, as a model for her painting of an old miner.

Sue rushed down. Behrman lived on the ground floor.

Sue went downstairs to the ground floor of Behrman's house.

He was a sixty-year-old painter. His lifelong dream was to paint a masterpiece but that had remained a dream. Sue poured out her worries to Behrman. She told him how Johnsy was convinced that she would die when the last leaf fell.

Behrman was a painter who was 60 years old. He wished to create a masterpiece. Sue spoke with Johnsy about his condition. She stated that Johnsy was sure she would die when the last leaf of the ivy plant fell.

“Is she stupid?” asked Behrman. “How can she be so foolish?”

Behrman commented that Johnsy was being silly.

“She is running a high temperature,”complained Sue. “She refuses to eat or drink and that worries me a lot.”

Sue reported that Johnsy had a high fever. She wasn't eating either. Sue was concerned for her.

“I will come with you and see Johnsy,” Behrman said.

Behrman paid a visit to Johnsy.

They tiptoed into the room. Johnsy was sleeping. Sue drew the curtains together and they went to the next room. She peeped out through the window. There was only one leaf on the creeper. It was raining heavily and an icy-cold wind was blowing. It seemed as though the leaf would fall any minute now. Behrman did not say a word. He went back to his room.

They walked into the room quietly. Johnsy was fast asleep. Sue drew the curtains, and they proceeded to the adjacent room. Sue cast a look out the window. The creeper plant had only one leaf left. There was heavy rain, as well as strong, cold winds. The leaf was about to fall at any time. Behrman returned to his room without saying anything.

Johnsy woke up next morning. In a feeble voice she asked Sue to draw the curtains. Sue was nervous. She drew back the curtains very reluctantly.

• Feeble: weak

The next morning, Johnsy awoke and asked Sue to open the curtains in a weak voice. Sue was concerned and drew back hesitantly.

“Oh!” Sue exclaimed as she looked at the vine creeper. “Look, there is still one leaf on the creeper. It looks quite green and healthy. In spite of the storm and the fierce winds, it didn’t fall.”

Sue was relaxed when she announced that there was still one leaf on the creeper. It appeared to be healthy and green. Despite the storm, it hadn't fallen.

“I heard the wind last night,” said Johnsy. “I thought it would have fallen. It will surely fall today. Then I’ll die.”

Johnsy stated that she had heard the winds the night before. She had assumed that the leaf would undoubtedly fall. She went on to say that it would undoubtedly fall that day, and she would die as well.

“You won’t die,” said Sue energetically. “You have to live for your friends. What would happen to me if you die?”

Sue insisted that Johnsy would not die. She had no choice but to live for her friends. She went on to say that if Johnsy died, she would be lonely.

Johnsy smiled weakly and closed her eyes. After every hour or so she would look out of the window and find the leaf still there. It seemed to be clinging to the creeper.

Johnsy closed her eyes and smiled. She was weak. Almost every hour, she would check to see if the leaf was still there. The leaf appeared to be affixed to the creeper.

In the evening, there was another storm but the leaf did not fall. Johnsy lay for a long time looking at the leaf. Then she called out to Sue.

That evening, there was another storm, but the leaf did not fall. Johnsy continued to examine it before calling out to Sue.

“I have been a bad girl. You have looked after me so lovingly and I have not cooperated with you. I have been depressed and gloomy. The last leaf has shown me how wicked I have been. I have realised that it is a sin to want to die.”

She had been a bad girl, according to Johnsy. Sue cared for her while she refused to cooperate and remained depressed. The final leaf had made her realise her error. She stated that the desire to die was incorrect.

Sue hugged Johnsy. Then she gave her lots of hot soup and a mirror. Johnsy combed her hair and smiled brightly.

Sue was relieved to see Johnsy's transformation. She brought her soup and a mirror to help her with her hair. Johnsy was cheerful and bright.

In the afternoon the doctor came. After examining his patient he told Sue, “Johnsy now has the will to live. I am confident she’ll recover soon. Now I must go downstairs and see Behrman. He is also suffering from pneumonia. But I am afraid, there is no hope for him.”

The doctor came by that afternoon and said that Johnsy's desire to live had returned. He was confident she would recover. He went downstairs to check on Behrman, who was suffering from pneumonia and had no chance of recovery.

The next morning Sue came and sat on Johnsy’s bed. Taking Johnsy’s hand in hers she said, “I have something to tell you. Mr Behrman died of pneumonia this morning. He was ill for only two days. The first day the janitor found him on his bed. His clothes and shoes were wet and he was shivering. He had been out in that stormy night.”

• Janitor: a person whose job is to look after a building

Sue sat next to Johnsy the next morning and told her that Behrman had died that morning. He had been sick for the previous two days. The building's caretaker had found him in his bed. His clothes and shoes were soaked, and he shivered. He had gone out in the middle of the night during the storm.

Then they found a ladder and a lantern still lighted lying near his bed. There were also some brushes and green and yellow paints on the floor near the ladder. “Johnsy dear,” said Sue, “look out of the window. Look at that ivy leaf. Haven’t you wondered why it doesn’t flutter when the wind blows? That’s Behrman’s masterpiece. He painted it the night the last leaf fell.”

Near his bed was a ladder and a lantern. Paint brushes and green and yellow paint were also nearby. Sue requested that Johnsy observe the leaf. When the wind blew, it did not flutter. It was the masterpiece to which Behrman aspired. He painted this one after the last leaf fell at night.

About the Author

William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910) was an American short storey writer better known by his pen name O. Henry. Porter was born in the North Carolina town of Greensboro. In 1882, he relocated to Texas, where he met his wife, Athol Estes, with whom he had two children. Porter moved to New York in 1902, following the death of his wife, and soon remarried. Porter's most prolific writing period occurred while he was in New York, when he wrote 381 short stories.