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"The last leaf" is a story of extreme sacrifice. Justify
Answers
Answer:
O. Henry's whole story is based on the idea of someone painting a fake ivy leaf on the wall of a building for the purpose of saving the life of a girl who believes she will die when the last ivy-leaf falls. The author must have felt there had to be a character who would paint that leaf. The ending wouldn't be nearly as effective if the person who painted the leaf was never introduced to the reader. The author couldn't just say that some mysterious stranger had painted the fake leaf in the middle of the night. It had to be a painter, but in introducing a character who was a painter, there was a risk of giving away the surprise ending. Some readers were likely to suspect that this character was being introduced because he or she would get the notion to paint a fake ivy leaf. This would be especially the case if the painter did it because he was a young man in love with the sick girl. O. Henry disposes of that sentimental possibility with the following exchange between the doctor and Sue:
"Has she anything on her mind worth thinking about 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.”
Instead, the author introduces a character who is a painter but apparently highly unlikely to think of doing what he does. In the first place, Old Behrman is introduced because Sue needs someone to model for a magazine illustration. Behrman hasn't painted anything for years. He is an old man who is drunk all the time. He speaks with great contempt for the idea that anyone could die just because a leaf fell off a nearby vine.
Answer:
=> He had been ill for 2 days. The evidences indicated that the leaf was a masterpiece of Behrman. Thus it can be said that Behrman sacrificed his own life to save Johnsy's life. Hence, 'The last leaf is a story of extreme sacrifice.
Explanation: