THE LAST LEAF by O Henry I Information

THE LAST LEAF by O’Henry

I. Information about the author

I. Information about the author The American short story writer O. Henry was born under the name William Sydney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1862. His short stories are well known throughout the world; noted for their witticism, clever wordplay, and unexpected endings. Like many other writers, O. Henry's early career wandered across different activities and professions before he found his calling as a short story writer. He started working in his uncle's drugstore in 1879 and became a licensed pharmacist by the age of 19. His first creative expressions came while working in the pharmacy. He would sketch the townspeople that frequented the store and was admired for his artistic skills.

II. The theme The first theme of this story is self-sacrifice. Mr. Behrman sacrificed his own health for Johnsy. The second theme is that you should never judge people by their outward appearances or social persona. In the story, the most gruff character, Behrman, "was a fierce little old man, who scoffed terribly at softness in any one. " And yet it is Behrman that takes the very "soft", compassionate step of painting the leaf, which in essence, saves Johnsy's life. In a way, he sacrifices his own to save hers. So we should not judge people by what image they promote, but instead by their actions, because it is, in the end, actions that truly make an impact. The third and the main theme of the story is hope. On one hand, when Johnsy is hopeless, she makes her steps closer to death. However she changes when she finds the leaf. On the other hand, Mr. Behrman dies after he becomes hopeful. However, he dies with success.

III. The form in which it is written is the mix of narration and dialogue. The style is short story. The genre of the story is drama.

IV. Structure in terms of its elements EXPOSITION Sue and Johnsy shared a flat on the third storey of an old house. But in the month of November, Sue’s friend Johnsy got pneumonia. RISING ACTION Johnsy thought that she would die when the last ivy leaf fell. Then Sue told Behrman about Johnsy’s problem.

CLIMAX Johnsy learnt a lesson from the last leaf that it is sin to want to die. FALLING ACTION The doctor told Sue that Johnsy would recover but Behrman got pneumonia, and there was no hope for him. RESOLUTION Sue told Johnsy that Behrman had sacrificed his life for the save of her.

V. Character portrayal Characters involved in the story: SUE JOHNSY MR. BEHRMAN DOCTOR

SUE Loving Caring She always taking care of. Johnsy JOHNSY Sick Easily give up She thinks she is going to die when the last leaf fall down from the tree she keep counting the leaf

MR. BEHRMAN Old Painter He was past sixty At last he painted a great masterpiece DOCTOR Busy Kind He have lots of patient to take care of He was always kind to Johnsy

VI. The problem The main problem in the story is hope. Without hope Johnsy reduces her chances in recovering. And here we can see another problem, which is strong friendship. In order to motivate Johnsy Sue does everything in her hand. And proves her loyalty. And finally selfsacrifice. Mr. Behrman sacrifices himself in order to save Johnsy.

VII. The main idea of this story is that a person's attitude is what matters the most in life. In the story, Johnsy is dying largely because she thinks she is dying. When her roommate tries to reason with her and treat her like an adult, Johnsy continues to fade toward death. But when the old man paints the leaf on the wall, she becomes convinced that she is not going to die after all. Objectively speaking, nothing has changed. But she has convinced herself that she can live where before she had convinced herself that she would die.

VIII. The title implies that the most important thing about the story is the leaf. On the one hand, this makes sense because it is the leaves that make Johnsy think she is going to die and it is the last leaf that makes her live. On the other hand, it seems like the title downplays the role of the human beings in the story. After all, it is really Johnsy's mind and Behrman's insight and kindness that make the story happen. It seems like maybe the title should have reflected that.

IX. General impression The Last Leaf is a perfect story. The author not only shows simplicity but grace through the plot. The characters are briefly described but play majors roles in this book. O’Henry writes a tale of romance and sickness through a leaf, the last leaf remaining on a tree outside the main characters house. I really liked it. Because, it is emotional, simple and sweet story.

Stylistic devices METAPHOR “Johnsy was lying white and still as a fallen statue. ” He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo's Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along with the body of an imp.

Stylistic devices SIMILE "You are just like a woman!" yelled Behrman, in his old blue shirt, took his seat as the hermit miner on an upturned kettle for a rock. No, I will not bose as a model for your fool hermit-dunderhead. He earned a little by serving as a model to those young artists in the colony who could not pay the price of a professional.

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