Justify the title of last leaf 200 to 250 words
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Explanation:
What is the significance of the title, "The Last Leaf"?
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BABY GORCZANY eNotes educator | CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
I believe that the title most accurately reflects the main idea of the story, which is the fact that Johnsy, the main focus of the story, who was desperately ill and close to death was inspired to live by, what she believed, was the last leaf on an old vine.
She had given up all hope of living and the last leaf's stubborn persistence became a symbolic image for her own survival. If the fragile leaf could endure whatever nature threw at it, she would be able to do so as well. When she saw that the leaf was clinging to life, she decided to do the same and that is what saved her.
It does not matter that the leaf was not real, for she did not know that. Johnsy had been counting the leaves on the ivy, noticing that they were all disappearing fast. She told Sue:
"...When the last one falls I must go, too. I've known that for three days. Didn't the doctor tell you?"
The fate of the last leaf, therefore, became inseparably intertwined with hers. She emphatically believed that if it went, she had to go too, as she tells Sue:
"...I want to see the last one fall before it gets dark. Then I'll go, too."
When the leaf refused to fall, she decided to fight just as hard to survive as it did, as she tells Susie:
"Something has made that last leaf stay there to show me how wicked I was. It is a sin to want to die..."
The situation is dramatically ironic since the leaf was no leaf at all but a masterful painting of one. The artist, Old Behrman, cared so much for Johnsy that he went out into the storm and painted the leaf against the wall, once the real one had actually fluttered off. This, in effect, became his triumphant masterpiece. His work of art saved another's life.
However, this act of kindness came at a great price, for the frail old man contracted pneumonia for being out in the terribly cold and wet weather and died soon after. This, in itself, makes the title even more fitting because Old Behrman's last painting of a 'last leaf' had been his greatest and best.
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POHNPEI397 eNotes educator | CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
I will talk a bit about why I think the story has this title.
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 (as painted by the old man) 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
Answer:
The last leaf.
Explanation:
The last leaf this title represents how a something as insignificant as a dry leaf can be a matter between life and death. The story set in Greenwich village shows how an artist's life becomes upside down after pneumonia hits her life. The ivy creeper in her yard having some leaves sheds constantly. As the artist notices she makes an instant connection that she will live until the last leaf is there. One day when it sheds , she will die too. It is a belief that keeps her alive and dead at the same time. Sick tired and distraught, Johnsy keeps herself busy . But the thought of dying and the leaf does not go away. Her friend who lives nearby comforts her.
As days pass , she realizes that her fear is coming true. She feels unable to move. She clings to her life, with strong instinct that death would come soon. The last leaf does not fall,for days. The woman artist recovers, and wonders why she did not die. But she soon learns that the old artist nearby painted a fake leaf to keep her hopes alive and he catches cold. He dies of pneumonia. The last leaf even though kept her alive but somehow killed someone else. This makes it significant. Had he not painted that fake leaf, she would have lost her life. The old man sacrificed his life .
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