The last leaf

o. henry
AUTHORS BACKGROUND
William Sydney Porter, known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American short story writer.
O. Henry's short stories are known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization, and surprise
endings.
Born: September 11, 1862, Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
Died: June 5, 1910, New York City, New York, United States
Full name: William Sydney Porter
Short stories: The Gift of the Magi, The Ransom of Red Chief
Spouse: Sara Lindsey Coleman (m. 19071909), Athol Estes (m. 18871897)

CHARACTERS
Sue-
-loving
-caring
she always taking care of Johnsy
Johnsy
- sick
- easily give up
she think she is going to die when the last leaf fall down from the tree she keep counting
the leaf.
Doctor
- busy
- kind
he have lots of patient to take care of.
he was always kind to Johnsy.
Mr.Behrman
-old
-painter
he was past sixty
at last he painted a great masterpiece,
Mr.Pneumonia
-old gentleman
- bad
he was not a nice old gentleman
he was bad because he hurt a weak little woman from California which is Johnsy.

MORAL LESSON

The moral that comes through the most powerfully for me is that you should not judge
people by their outward appearances or social personality. DONT EVER, EVER LOSE HOPE,
BECAUSE HOPE IS THE HERO OF LIFE...
CONFLICT
It is Johnsy's declaration that as soon as the last leaf falls off of the vine, she too will fall
away, fade, and die.

THEME

When Johnsy sees the painted leaf against the wall through the window and says
something has made that the last leaf to show me how wicked I was. It is a sin to want
to die.

SETTING
The setting of the story takes place in a place called Greenwich Village, which is in New
York. It is really in only one place in this short story, and it is inside Sue and Johnsy's
house. In a small part of the city west of washington square.

SUMMARY

Johnsy and Sue are artists who move into Greenwich Village in New York City. As
Winter approaches and the weather gets colder, Johnsy becomes ill with pneumonia. She
gets so sick that she believes that when the last leaf falls from the vine outside her
window, she will die. An old artist, named Behrman, who lives in the same building as the
girls, bravesa storm one night to paint a leaf on the wall a leaf that will never fall. Cold
and wet from painting in the icy rain, he catches pneumonia and dies. This gives Johnsy the
hope to survive her illness, and it also creates the masterpiece Behrman had always dreamed
of painting.