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contents:
Author: OHenry Story: the last leaf
Summary. Analysis:
Themes:
Death and Dying Pessimism Self-Sacrifice Love and Friendship

The last leaf - Art for Human Life

 O. Henry was born William Sydney Porter in Greenboro, North Carolina, where he lived nearly half of his life. His father, Algernon Sidney Porter, was a physician. When William was three, his mother died, and he was raised by his parental grandmother and paternal aunt. William was an avid reader, but at the age of fifteen he left school, and then worked in a drug store and on a Texas ranch.

 He continued to Houston, where he had a number of jobs, including that of bank clerk. After moving in 1882 to Texas, he worked on a ranch in LaSalle County for two years. In 1887 he married Athol Estes Roach; they had one daughter and one son.

 In 1894 Porter started a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone. It was at this time that he began heavy drinking. When the weekly failed, he joined the Houston Post as a reporter and columnist. In 1894 cash was found to have gone missing from the First National Bank in Austin, where Porter had worked as a bank teller. In 1897 he was convicted of embezzling money, although there has been much debate over his actual guilt. Porter entered in 1898 a penitentiary at Columbus, Ohio.

 He used several pen names, but his favorite was "O. Henry." To this day, there are conflicting stories about the origin of Porter's pseudonym; some say it was from French pharmacist Eteinne-Ossian Henry, some say it was borrowed from prison ward Orrin Henry, some say that it was taken from the call for the family cat: "Oh, Henry!" Wherever the name came from, it was the author of a dozen short stories from 1897 to 1901

some famous works

Henry's first collection, Cabbages And Kings appeared in 1904

The second, The Four Million, was published two years later "The Gift of the Magi "The Furnished Room

 The Trimmed Lamp (1907) "The Last Leaf"

Whirligigs (1910) "The Ransom of Red Chief"

 The Heart Of The West (1907)

Sixes And Sevens (1911)

Rolling Stones (1912)

Waifs And Strays (1917)

appeared posthumously

Summary

Once upon a time, there were two aspiring painters named Johnsy and Sue. They live near the New York city. Poor as they were, they still wanted to be famous some day. Because they could not afford the rent of the better apartment, they lived in an inexpensive apartment.

 One day, Johnsy got a disease named pneumonia. The disease kept striking her, and Johnsys health became worse and worse. Convinced that she would die of pneumonia, Johnsy gave in to keep alive. Sue tried to inspire her, but in vain. The doctor said that if Johnsy could get to thinking about living, maybe she would get well.

 Sue kept trying, and Behrman, who lived near Johnsy and Sue, decided to help her. With the falling of the leaves, Johnsy was convinced she would die when the last leaf fell to ground. But something happened. The last leaf did not fall and Johnsys health became better and better. When Johnsy got rid of the disease, Behrman died of pneumonia because of painting the last leaf during the night, with his shoes and clothes soaked

ANALYSIS
THEMES

Death and Dying:

Last leaf is a short story that entails the treasury of life and the existence of faith and hope. It need to the importance of living and how we deal with the hindrances we battle through our life story. It is a moving story across the traps that come across us in the most significant parts of our lives, the value of life is the centerpiece of story,

 where all the things go back and revolveApart of this story gives us a hint that God is the only one who knows that whether we ride on with life and chances or trail on and be drawn against the judgment, the melodramatic and picturesque setting of the story connects to the negative status of main character facing life and death subject matter.

Pessimism:
Johnsy the main character seems to be a very pessimistic person. She has lost the entire positive attitude in life due to her disease and she is waiting for her death. Your little lady has made up her mind that shes not going to get well. Has she anything on her mind

That is the first step of Johnsy that she has made up her mind that she will die when the last leaf fall. That signifies the mental and psychological condition of her and is describing the theme of pessimistic. She was looking out of window and counting -counting backwards

The psychological disturbances shown by O Henry in these lines as she is tired of waiting that when the last leaf falls, she will be near to death. When the last one falls I must go, too. Here in these lines Henry has showed extreme pessimism.

It is the last one, said Johnsy I thought it would surely fall during the night. I heard the wind. It will fall today, and I shall die at the same time. These words literated by Johnsy again show her desperate and chaotic state of mind. She has supposed the things which have no logic and waiting for her death, or waiting for the last leaf to fall.

Self-Sacrifice:

Mr. Behrman risks his life for Johnsy. He has sacrificed his own life, to give life to Johnsy the painting he made at the wall, shows his self sacrificing, kind and noble nature. He himself catches the pneumonia and dies, but he didnt let Johnsy to die.

With the character of Mr. Behrman, O Henry is showing the sacrificing mature of a man and it gives us a message that self sacrificing is a great deed and one has to kind and gentle towards others. Mr. Behrman died of pneumonia today in hospital.

Hope:
Theme of hope is very nicely presented in this story. Doctor is a very optimistic person and he tries to make Johnsy realized that is she has made her mind that she will die when the last leaf fall that could be harmful for her. He told her that he can only provide her medicine and that is effective as 50 cent, the next situation is in her hand.

I subtract 50 percent from the curative power of medicines. If you will get her to ask one question about the new writer styles in cloak sleeves I will promise you one-in-five chance for her, instead of

 So O Henry conveys message one never let go for hope and optimist approach in life. It is out state of mind which can bring worse or better for us in our lives Sadie, someday I hope to point the bay of Naples These lines show Johnsys desires and aspirations. It gives the picture of hope and this hope in life gives us the spirit of living in this world.

Love and Friendship:

In last leaf O Henry describes friendship and bondage between two friends. They care and love each other, and she supports Johnsy morally when she falls ill. She proves to be great support for Johnsy and she tries her level best to bring back Johnsy towards life and in the world of optimism.

Dear, Dear! said she, learning her won face down to the pillow think of me, if you wont think of yourself. What would I do?

 These lines show the effective relationship between two friends. Mr. Behrman also shows great deal of love for these girls. Although he is bit careless person but he really cared for Johnsy and his love is shown by his painting for the sake of Johnsys life.

The last leaf - Art for Human Life

After reading the story, perhaps many readers can say that American artists life is so poor. It seems be totally true. Nothing their property is. Their residences are bad too, north windows and eighteenth-century gables and Dutch attics and low rents. Sue and Johnsy are those kind of artist. However, Old Behrman is the best exemplary one. So is it true that The last leaf was written in order to accuse the misery of American artists? It must be NO.

The profound meaning of the story, as the main sound of a song, is the deep-felt love between poor artists. That love wins poverty, disease. That love is more valuable than art. It makes art become alive.

The time when that love is revealed is a cold, unseen stranger appears and touches his cold fingers on little Johnsy whose blood is going dry by wind from the west. Sue, her friend, does everything for her with a big heart. Sue draws many more illustrated paintings to earn money to buy soup, wine. She invites doctor to come to see her friend. She cooks, comforts Johnsy to eat and drink medicine.

With Sue, the biggest hope of her is to see Johnsy become happy with her desperation, drawing the Naples guff. So noble that love is. But it is not strong enough to drown Johnsys desperation. Reading these pages, readers seem to be nearly strangled by her bigger and bigger desperation:

I want to see the last one fall. I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of thinking. I want to turn loose my hold on everything, and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves. Johnsy seems to be approaching her end. At that time, Old Behrman appears.

Old Behrman is the most strange in the story. His life is unsuccessful and miserable. The biggest unsuccessful thing is in art. For forty years, he has not touched the hem of art fairy. And after twenty years, he even cannot lay the first line of drawing for his masterpiece which he has been dreaming. His work is model.

However, his portrait is staring at the end of life, he finishes his masterpiece: Johnsys life. He pours his rest life into Johnsy. That loveful voluntary act is silently taken place in a dark night but it makes Old artist become immortal.

The last leaf on the wall is hope and life which he leaves to not only Johnsy but also readers. It is sure that,Old Behrman understands Johnsys emotion. He sympathizes with her spleenful embittered heart. He also loves her and wants to dispute her from the death. His thought is both deep and simple: the artist, Johnsy, believes that when the last leaf falls, she dies.

 So if it never falls, she is alive. That is very simple. But leaf falling is not avoidable. And he creates a leaf which never falls. He protests the law of the nature. He fights with his lofty heart and sincere art. And he rescues Johnsy. This is the beautiful meaning of his action.

The scenery in which Old Behrman draw the leaf is very flutter, special and moral. In a dim and immense, cold and quiet night, the man is old and weak. How to draw a leaf like a real one. The last leaf is Behrmans masterpiece.

Because it, his last painting, is drawn by his own heart in a extremely difficult circumstance. It takes Johnsy back to her life in which she can carries out her dream. And also, the painting reminds readers of the great sacrifice of honest artist.

Through Behrman, the theme of the story is revealed fully. By The last leaf, OHenry sent to readers a message which is written on the last leaf which never falls: love everybody, for humans life, that is why art survives.