the last leaf critical appreciation
Answers
In The Last Leaf by O. Henry we have the theme of commitment, sacrifice, friendship, compassion, hope and dedication. Set in the first decade of the twentieth century the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Henry may be exploring the theme of commitment. Throughout the story there is a sense that all three painters mentioned Sue, Johnsy and Behrman are committed to something. Sue has a piece to draw and is working on it throughout the story, while Behrman though he hasn’t completed his masterpiece remains focused on it. And Johnsy though not painting is committed to dying as soon as the last ivy leaf falls from the vine. By highlighting each characters commitment Henry may also be suggesting that those who live their lives artistically are driven or focused. Unlike the majority of people who may live their lives working nine to five and forget about work as soon as they clock out.
O’ Henry is an accomplished author, as also
suggested by the story ‘The Last Leaf’. The story has been brilliantly written,
without leaving out any loose ends.
The setting: The story is set in ‘quaint old
Greenwich Village’, where the rents are low. It is not a well-developed
urban set up, but rather the opposite. It is an area preferred by struggling artists
trying to make ends meet. The setting itself sets the tone of struggle and
suffering, though in mild way.
Characters: There are few characters in the story.
The main characters are Johnsy, a young aspiring painter suffering from
pnuemonia, her friend and roommate Sue, their neighbor Behrman, an aged painter
who has spent his life waiting for the opportunity to create his masterpiece
and the doctor who visits Johnsy. Each of these characters helps shed light on
Johnsy, her illness and her mental state. While each of them tries to do their
best to help her fight the disease, she is tremendously pessimistic and is bent
on dying. This makes the ill girl the focus of everyone’s attention.
Theme 1- Faith v/s Science
While the doctor tells Sue that his medicine
can cure half of Johnsy’s illness, he also tells her that she has ‘made up her
mind that she's not going to get well’. The fight thus becomes a
psychological one between Johnsy and the pneumonia. Here, science fails while
Behrman manages to keep Johnsy’s faith intact and she survives. Unfortunately,
he has to pay a heavy price for it. Ultimately, faith wins over science.
Theme 2- The goodness of humanity
When Sue tells Behrman about Johnsy’s obsession
with the leaf and her own chances of survival, he takes it upon himself to save
the young girl. He is not even related to either of the girls and is under no
compulsion to go out of the way to help them, but he does. That is how the
story touches upon the goodness of the human soul. He did not even live long
enough to be appreciated for his supreme sacrifice.
Theme 3- Friendship
The story shows friendship on two levels. The
first example of friendship is very evident, of Sue and Johnsy. They are
roommates and Sue is shown as a sincerely caring person, who does everything
she can, to make Johnsy feel better. The second understated example is that of Behrman
and Johnsy. In fact it is his friendship that saves the girl’s life.
Imagery:
The story is full of death related imagery like
the ‘cold breath of autumn’, ‘skeleton branches’, ‘fragile as a leaf’
and many such instances. In fact, the author almost convinces the readers that
Johnsy will not make it through the illness. It is only in the end that Sue
discloses to Johnsy that it was in fact Behrman, the ‘fierce little man’ who painted
his masterpiece and inspired her to live.
Irony: The story is ironical in the sense that
while Behrman spent his life wanting to create his masterpiece, he did
eventually create it, but it was recognized only after he passed away. Also,
the painting did not contribute to his financial gains, but even in death, it
brought him immense satisfaction, for that is why he risked his own life to
complete it.
Note: Please do not write the summary of a
story for its critical appreciation. Instead, use the listed headings to
examine the story.