This beautifully inspirational tale deals with unselfish sacrifice - how one man

was prepared to sacrifice his own well-being and use his talent to save the life of
another.

Two artists, Johanna (Johnsy) and Sue share an apartment in an artists'

community which is soon invaded by a malicious disease which spreads its
deadly influence, mowing down many members in this struggling but auspicious
society. Johnsy is infected and soon gives up hope for survival. She pins
her destiny to the survival of one last leaf on a vine which she perceives through
her window whilst lying in bed.

The attending physician informs Sue that Johnsy's chance for survival is limited
unless she has something to hope for. Sue informs Mr Behrman, an old fellow
artist, who is their downstairs-neighbour, about this and he is annoyed that
Johnsy has such little hope. He is aware of her wish to die when the last leaf falls.

The next morning, after a vicious storm, Johnsy sees the last remaining leaf still
clinging to life. She decides that she wants to continue living: there must be a
reason that the leaf has refused to die, and it is a sin to want to die. Johnsy
recovers from her illness.

Sue informs her some time later that Mr Behrman had died of pneumonia and
the medics had found a burning lamp, a ladder and a palette containing a
mixture of colours similar to that of a leaf, next to his completely wet, collapsed
body. He had contracted pneumonia and expired due to his frail condition.

It becomes pertinently clear that Mr Behrman had finally painted his long-
promised masterpiece - the leaf which saved Johnsy's life, sacrificing his in the
process.

“The Last Leaf” takes place during the second decade of the twentieth century in New York City’s
Greenwich Village and has as its central characters an old artist, Behrman, whose path crosses with
that of a young artist, Johnsy, and who gives her an incentive to live when she becomes seriously ill.
A third artist, Sue, is another young woman with whom Johnsy lives. Johnsy contracts pneumonia
and is convinced that she will die when the last of the leaves have fallen from a tree that she can see
outside of her window. Sue wishes she could do something to help her friend, but is powerless, to do
anything that would alter her fate. The last leaf, however, never seems to fall.

“The Last Leaf” is deceptively simple. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that it is actually a
deep exploration of friendship and the commitments and self-sacrifices that are central to such
relationships. Told in the third person, “The Last Leaf” shows the three artists to be of one mind in a
sense. Sue is committed to the piece she is working on throughout the story. Behrman continues to
work on an unfinished, in truth nonexistent, masterpiece. Johnsy, although an artist, is not as
committed to her art as are the other two, but she is single-mindedly committed to accepting that
her death will come with the falling of the final leaf from the ivy vine. They all share an ability to
remain focused on a goal, and it may not be significant whether their goals are the same or not.

That Johnsy and Sue share a friendship comes as no surprise. They are similar with similar interests.
Sue demonstrates her commitment to friendship by wanting to help Johnsy get well. When Behrman
first enters the story he seems to be something of a cranky old man. It soon becomes clear that he is
more than that and has a true liking for both young women, most probably because he shares their
interest in art and can understand the sacrifices and commitments living an artist’s life entails. After
a doctor visits Johnsy, the theme of commitment is underscored. He reveals that there is not much
he can do for her unless she commits herself to recovering. She has mostly given up hope, and the
doctor believes that focusing on getting well would serve her better than looking at the leaves and
waiting for them to fall.

The leaves Johnsy watches tumble from the vine lead her into sadness, but Behrman paints one that
comes to represent hope as it leads to some improvement in her condition when she finds that the
final leaf has not fallen.

Structure
The short story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry is structured around a dramatic event in the
lives of two female artists living in Greenwich Village: one of them falls sick with
pneumonia and is about to die. Her friend and an old artist living downstairs help their sick
friend regain her will to live.

Title
The title of the story is highly relevant for the story’s plot. As Johnsy falls ill with
pneumonia, she is convinced that she is going to die soon. She believes that she does not have
any reason to live and begins to count the leaves from an old ivy vine she sees up on the brick
wall outside her window. She is convinced that once the last leaf falls, she will die:

‘There goes another one. There are only five left now.’
‘Five what, dear? Tell your Sudie.’
‘Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go, too. I've known that for three
days. Didn't the doctor tell you?’ (ll. 74-78)

As the weather gets worse and worse, Sue (Johnsy’s friend) becomes desperate.

...
Beginning
The beginning of the story contains its exposition. Here, readers get to know the setting and
the main characters. We are introduced to Greenwich Village, a place filled with artists, and
we soon realize that the story is going to explore the theme of art:

...

Middle
The rising action is introduced by an intrigue: Johnsy falls sick with pneumonia and is so
weak that the doctor believes she only has a slim chance of living. He encourages Sue to help
Johnsy find a reason to live and implies that a man might be worth living for. However, Sue’s
reaction hints that she and Johnsy might be a couple, or that, for them, art is the main thing
worth living for:

‘She - she wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day.’ said Sue.
‘Paint? - bosh! Has she anything on her mind worth thinking twice - a man for instance?’
‘A man?’ said Sue, with a jew's-harp twang in her voice. ‘Is a man worth - but, no, doctor;
there is nothing of the kind.’ (ll. 36-40)

An important tension point is revealed when Sue overhears a weakened Johnsy counting
backwards from 12. She reveals that she is counting the leaves falling from the ivy vine on
the brick wall outside her window and states that she will die as the last leaf falls:

‘There goes another one. There are only five left now.’
‘Five what, dear? Tell your Sudie.’
‘Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go, too. I've known that for three
days. Didn't the doctor tell you?’ (ll. 74-78)

...

Ending
The ending of the story reveals the plot twist. As the doctor is optimistic about Johnsy’s
health, he is also grim about Behrman, the artist, who is very sick with pneumonia. That
afternoon, Sue tells Johnsy that Behrman has died in the hospital.

...

Characterization of Sue and

Johnsy
Here, we will present you the outer and inner traits of two of the main characters in “The Last
Leaf” by O. Henry: Sue and Johnsy.

Sue
Sue is one of the main characters in the story “The Last Leaf”.

Her outer characterization reveals that she is a young artist and that she comes from Maine.
She shares an art studio with Johnsy in Greenwich Village. As you can see, no further details
are given regarding Sue’s looks and appearance. However, several clues in the short story
indicate that Sue might be in love with Johnsy and that the two of them might form a couple.

Inner characterization

Sue’s inner characterization is revealed as soon as Johnsy falls sick with pneumonia. Sue
comes across as very concerned for Johnsy’s health, and her affection for the young woman
is suggested in her bitter reply to the doctor:

‘She - she wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day.’ said Sue.
‘Paint? - bosh! Has she anything on her mind worth thinking twice - a man for instance?’
‘A man?’ said Sue, with a jew's-harp twang in her voice. ‘Is a man worth - but, no, doctor;
there is nothing of the kind.’ (ll. 36-40)

As the doctor reveals that Johnsy’s chances to live are slim, Sue is devastated and ‘cried a
Japanese napkin to a pulp’ (ll. 48-49). Because she cares so much about Johnsy, she decides
to take her drawing materials to Johnsy’s bedside, so as to keep an eye on her.

...

Johnsy
Johnsy is another important character in the short story.

Outer characterization

Her outer characterization reveals that her name is, in fact, Joanna, that she is an artist, and
that she comes from California. Note that the name Joanna is masculinized by the nickname
Johnsy, which makes her come across as the more masculine one in the relationship.

...
Inner characterization

Johnsy’s inner characterization comes across when she gets sick with pneumonia. Before
getting sick, her greatest wish was to travel to Italy to paint the Bay of Naples, which reveals
that art is an important part of her life. However, as she gets sicker day by day, Johnsy soon
loses her wish to live and falls prey to desperation.

When she counts the leaves from the ivy vine, she is convinced that she will die once the last
leaf falls. This becomes a sort of obsession with Johnsy, who seems unaware of Sue’s efforts
to make her regain her wish to live.

...

Characterization of Behrman
Behrman is a very important character in the short story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, as his
sacrifice is what eventually saves Johnsy.

His outer characterization presents him as a painter who is “past sixty” (l. 109), having “the
body of an imp” (l. 110), the “head of a satyr” (l. 110), and a “Michael Angelo’s Moses
beard” (l. 109). The man lives on the ground floor beneath Sue and Johnsy’s studio, and he
has experienced artist’s block for decades. His failure as an artist makes him drink “gin to
excess” (l. 117) and the little money he earns come as a result of him posing for the younger
artists in Greenwich Village.

Inner characterization
The man’s inner characterization resurfaces when he hears about Johnsy’s illness. At first, he
is angry that a young woman like Johnsy wishes to die because of an obsession over ivy
leaves and reprimands Sue for not stopping her negative thoughts:

‘Vass!’ he cried. ‘Is dere people in de world mit der foolishness to die because leafs dey drop
off from a confounded vine? I haf not heard of such a thing. No, I will not bose as a model
for your fool hermitdunderhead. Vy do you allow dot silly pusiness to come in der brain of
her? Ach, dot poor leetle Miss Yohnsy.’ (ll. 130-134)

The above quotation also reveals an important element about Behrman – his German
ancestry, which becomes obvious through the man’s accent and the way he speaks.

He agrees to pose ...

Setting
Read here our analysis of the setting of “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry
Time setting
The short story was written in 1907 and the time setting is very close to the time of
publishing, as the beginning of the 20th century was the time when Greenwich Village gained
its reputation as a welcoming place for artists. Note that the events depicted in the story
spread over the course of a few days, from the moment Johnsy falls sick with pneumonia to
the day when she feels better and Behrman dies.

...

Physical setting
The Greenwich Village is depicted in the following extract:

In a little district west of Washington Square the streets have run crazy and broken
themselves into small strips called ‘places.’ These ‘places’ make strange angles and curves.
One Street crosses itself a time or two. An artist once discovered a valuable possibility in this
street. Suppose a collector with a bill for paints, paper and canvas should, in traversing this
route, suddenly meet himself coming back, without a cent having been paid on account! (ll.
1-7)

...

Social setting
Finally, the social setting focuses on the lives of artists in Greenwich Village in the 1900s.
Historically, Greenwich Village was known as a place for culture and art from the late
19th century, as it used to draw artists from all over the country and provided places for their
studios. As you have seen, Sue, Johnsy, and Behrman set their studios in Greenwich Village,
where they earn their living. Behrman, as he did paint for several years, “earned a little by
serving as a model to those young artists in the colony who could not pay the price of a
professional” (ll. 115-117). Sue, in her turn, draws pictures “for magazine stories” (l. 56) to
pay her way.

The social setting also focuses on an important aspect: the relationship between Sue and
Johnsy.

...

Narrator and point of view

The short story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry is narrated in the third-person by an anonymous
narrator who only functions as an observer.
The narrator has limited knowledge about the characters and their thoughts and feelings.
Throughout most of the story, the narrator focuses on Sue and her reactions to what happens
around her. The narrator knows what she thinks and feels: “After the doctor had gone Sue
went into the workroom and cried a Japanese napkin to a pulp. Then she swaggered into
Johnsy's room with her drawing board, whistling ragtime” (ll. 48-50).

However, note that the readers do not know what Behrman is thinking; we only get to know
what Behrman himself reveals to Sue:

‘You are just like a woman!’ yelled Behrman. ‘Who said I will not bose?

...

Language
An interesting element in the story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry is the way Behrman
speaks. As you can see, the following quotation hints at the man’s German ancestry
through the way he pronounces words in English and through the way he mixes
them with German articles:

‘Vass!’ he cried. ‘Is dere people in de world mit der foolishness to die because leafs
dey drop off from a confounded vine? I haf not heard of such a thing. No, I will not
bose as a model for your fool hermitdunderhead. Vy do you allow dot silly pusiness
to come in der brain of her? Ach, dot poor leetle Miss Yohnsy.’ (ll. 130-134)

When Sue talks to the doctor, we can easily note the tension between them. When
Sue talks to Behrman, the man comes across as protective towards her and Johnsy.
Finally, when Sue talks to Johnsy, readers can deduce that Sue is protective towards
her friend and that she loves her a lot.

Imagery
Imagery is very important in the story, as the use of descriptive passages helps
readers visualize the atmosphere in Greenwich Village, as well as the way
characters look or act. For example, visual imagery is employed in the following
extract, where Greenwich Village is described:

So, to quaint old Greenwich Village the art people soon came prowling, hunting for
north windows and eighteenth-century gables 10 and Dutch attics and low rents.
Then they imported some pewter mugs and a chafing dish or two from Sixth Avenue,
and became a ‘colony.’ (ll. 8-11)

...

Similes
Similes are also present in the story. When Johnsy talks about going “sailing down,
down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves” (ll. 103-104), the role of the simile is to
show the young woman’s lack of will to live and her tiredness caused by her disease.

...

Personification
Personification is another interesting technique employed in the story. As you have
seen, pneumonia is personified as “Mr. Pneumonia” (l. 22) and is depicted as an
angry and merciless man:

...

Symbols
Symbols are present in the story and the most important one is the ivy leaf. For
Johnsy, watching the leaves of the ivy vine fall becomes an obsession. She watches
them obsessively and becomes convinced that she will die once the last leaf falls.
For Johnsy, then, the ivy leaf comes to symbolize death and giving up, while it can
also come to symbolize will to live and hope. At first, Johnsy does not manage to find
any reason to live, yet the persistence of the ivy leaf encourages her to have hope.

...

Themes
The main theme explored in the short story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry is that of
selflessness and sacrifice. Other minor themes also resurface from the text, and the most
notable ones are the theme of hope and the theme of death.

Selflessness and sacrifice

This theme is illustrated by Behrman and his efforts to help Johnsy find a reason to live and
something to hold on to. When he finds out that Johnsy is convinced that she will die once
the last ivy leaf falls, the man is determined to do something to prevent her death. As an
ultimate sacrifice, he gets out in the rain and snow in the middle of the night to paint an ivy
leaf on the brick wall.

...

Hope
The theme of hope is illustrated in the story by Sue. Even though the doctor only gives
Johnsy one chance in ten to recover, Sue does not lose her hope. Note that she tries to be
optimistic in her interactions with Johnsy, lying to her about her chances to survive and
hoping that Johnsy finds something to cling on to:

...

Death
The theme of death is explored in several ways in the story. On the one hand, this theme is
hinted at through the title of the story, where the word “last” represents something close to an
end.

...

Perspectives
Here, we will help put the story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry into perspective by connecting
it to the literary period, and works with the same theme and by the same author.

Literary period
...

Works in the same genre

When it comes to the Realist genre, we recommend you read several other short stories
belonging to this movement. For instance, we recommend you focus on Kate Chopin and her
short stories “A Pair of Silk Stockings” or “The Story of an Hour”.

In “A Pair of Silk Stockings”, a young mother comes into the possession of an important sum
of money, which she decides to spend on her own pleasures instead of her family.

...

Works with the same theme and by the same

author
An interesting short story by O. Henry, which also shares a common theme with “The Last
Leaf” is “The Gift of the Magi”.

In the short story, the theme of selflessness and sacrifice is illustrated by a poor young
couple...
...