Grace Wernert

Literary Analysis
The Kindness of Strangers
The Last Leaf, written by O. Henry, is about how a woman, ill with
pneumonia, finds the will to live. Written with stunning descriptions of the
environment, this short story reels readers into the small studio in Greenwich
Village. In The Last Leaf, O. Henry uses vivid imagery and foreshadowing to
emphasize the generosity of Mr. Behrman.
O. Henrys adept use of imagery presents the maze of city streets in a unique
light. The streets that have run crazy and broken themselves into small strips give
the reader a sense of the closeness between the artists residing in Greenwich
Village. Their bond is reinforced further by the colony the artists form amid the
twisted streets. An unlikely friendship begins in the unruly mass of walkways; a
Californian, a young woman from Maine, and an unsuccessful codger quickly make
an unbreakable team. Not even the red-fisted, short-breathed old duffer
pneumonia can stop them from living their dreams.
When first described, Mr. Behrman is the last person a reader would expect to
be a hero. An old man with a Michael Angelos beard curling down from the head of
a satyr along the body of an imp with a tendency to drink and few artistic
accomplishments would hardly make a good connection for the two young artists
upstairs. It is his giving heart that makes him the hero. His comparison to a mastiffin-waiting is an apt description to his willingness to aid the two women, one of
whom is as light and fragile as a leaf.
While Mr. Behrman may not yet be a successful artist, he tells Sue that some
day [he] vill baint a masterpiece, but his habits belie his proclamation. His taste for
gin gives him read eyes plainly streaming and a strong scent of juniper berries.

Mr. Behrman does not have long to paint his masterpiece. When he has finally
accomplished the goal of his career, it is a single leaf. The leaf is as unhealthy as Mr.
Behrman, with its serrated edges tinted with the yellow of dissolution and decay
Joanna believes that the leaf will fall tomorrow and she shall die at the same
time. Alas, Joannas prediction is false. Mr. Behrmans kindness ensures that the
leaf will never fall and that Joanna wont die from pneumonia.
O.Henrys The Last Leaf is a story of friendship and kindness. It shows how
any person, not matter how eccentric or old, can make a difference in the lives of
the people around him. Mr. Behrman wasnt simply kind; he gave everything he had
to those women. He gave them his masterpiece, which is enough to make us all
have hope. Hope that the leaf may never fall, and that we may continue to live.