It is said that a doctor treats but God saves. How it is brought out in the story "The last leaf"?
Answers
When Johnsy falls ill, the doctor is called for. Though he does all that he feels science and his medical expertise can ‘accomplish’, he is certain that she will not survive. According to him, she seems to have ‘made up her mind’ to not recover. Sue tries to encourage her to stay strong, but Johnsy has completely lost hope and is hanging on to the last leaf on the vine. To her, it signifies her own life and she is actually waiting for it to fall off. The problem thus is not as much medical as it has to do with lack of will power. This is when Behrman steps in. Behrman braves the wind, rain and chill on that stormy night, to paint a leaf on Johnsy’s vine. As he does, he himself falls ill and eventually passes away, but not before ensuring that his masterpiece has saved the young girl’s life. It was thus God’s doing, that prompted the old man to think of the plan and act accordingly. Despite the doctor having given up on his patient, God chalked out a way to save her and sent Behrman as her saviour.