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Unit 1: The Last Leaf by O. Henry

1.4 Analysis of the Story The Last Leaf Notes

The text under analysis is a story written by O’Henry. O’Henry is a pseudonym of William
Sydney Porter. He was an American writer, noted for his numerous short stories. He worked
in various jobs: as a rancher, bank teller, journalist, etc. He founded a comic weekly magazine
“The Rolling Stone” before being employed by “The Houston Post” to write a humorous daily
column.
The short story “The Last Leaf” portraits two young women named Sue and Johnsy living
together in New York. Pneumonia has hit the area they are living in and Johnsy, not being
used to the climate—as she is from California, is suffering from the disease. Sue takes on the
role as the caretaker of Johnsy. Because Johnsy is terminally ill, she is therefore in need of
medical help.
The unnamed doctor, who is called in to Johnsy’s aid, is portrayed as a presumptuous and
nonchalant man. He seems presumptuous by stating that he could increase Johnsy’s survival-
prognosis if Sue got her “to ask one question about the new winter styles in cloak sleeves”;
implying that by being a woman you automatically have an interest in fashion. The fact that
he also declares that Johnsy should think about finding herself a man, simply underlines my
point further: For all he knew Johnsy could be a lesbian. It is not apparent that she is though,
however there are innuendos throughout the story which could suggest that Sue and Johnsy
are more than just roommates.
The doctor gives Johnsy a ten-to-one chance to survive the illness in her current state. According
to him she needs to have the will to live, to survive. On the grounds that Johnsy has started
the countdown to her own death by the use of the falling last leafs of an ivy vine, one could
declare that will basically non-existent.
Sue convinces Johnsy to stop counting the falling leafs so that Sue can paint to make money
instead of watching over her beloved for a while. Sue – in the need of comfort and a model
for her artwork - seeks Mr. Behrman’s help and guidance. He is a sixty-year old man who lives
on the ground floor, directly beneath the girls. Mr. Behrman is also a painter, though he still
has not managed to paint his masterpiece. The old man expresses great concern about Johnsy’s
condition and initially, he helps Sue by posing for her portrait. He thereafter spends the rest
of that night painting his masterpiece on the brick-wall.

In 1898 O. Henry was convicted of embezzlement and served a three-year term in the federal
penitentiary. After that he contributed short stories to the popular magazines of his days for
the rest of his life. In all, Henry wrote 270 stories, and they consist of a rich mixture of semi-
realism, sentiment and surprise endings. He is frequently thought of as a “funny” writer.

O. Henry was interested in social problems and revealed his negative attitude to the bourgeois
society. O. Henry’s heroes are various: cowboys, writers, artists, milliners, clerks, politicians,
etc. His stories are characterized by colourful detail, keen wit and great narrative skill and
they still hold the attention of the present audience.
Hence, the general slant of the text is a 3rd person narration. It contains different elements:
an account of events, portraiture. The description is intercepted with a dialogue. The general
key to the text is sentimental and pessimistic. The scene is laid in Greenwich Village in a joint
studio. It touches upon an important event in the life of the main characters: Sue and Johnsy.
The title is highly symbolic and it agrees with the contents of the text.
In my opinion the text can be split into three logically connected parts. At the beginning of
the story the author introduces the two main characters. They get acquainted in a café, find
out that they are quite congenial and begin renting a joint studio. Then we learn that Johnsy

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