•Introduction

O. Henry “the last leaf” is a short story about Johnsy, a poor young woman with severe pneumonia.
Johnsy’s character was introduced as one who is young artist who has long desired to visit Italy and
paint the Bay of Naples. But One day, she falls seriously ill with pneumonia.The author was able to
highlight about the importance of hope and optimism to face the difficulties we face in life.This story
reflects the authors that making sacrifices for the people we love and giving them hope.

•Summary

The story The Last Leaf began in November in Greenwich Village in New York, there were two women
who lived in a studio type apartment in a three-story building. The first woman is named Sue and the
other Johnsy or short for Joanna. The month brought a cold and windy atmosphere the signs of
Autumn.Due to the cold weather, many people were susceptible to a disease called Pneumonia. It made
many people suffer and meet their end thus making it a deadly disease at that time of the month.

Then, one-day Johnsy was examined by a doctor due to signs indicating that she is ill. Her state was
either going for the worse or for the better.But she was still sick in bed, it made her friend Sue worried
as she is insisting that she is gonna fade away. The doctor also asked if she has any reasons to not want
to live anymore, perhaps a man he asked. Sue Insisted that there was no such thing, the doctor then
says that he will do what he can but no more than that.

Johnsy always admired the plant ivy that she can see through their window and in most cases she looks
out and look at it. She was counting each leaf that fell and what still remains. In the other room, Sue was
busy drawing for a magazine when she noticed Johnsy. She then asks what she is doing and said that she
once had trouble counting the leaves but now it’s fewer it’s easy. And says that till the last leaf fall she
intends to watch the vine.Getting worried about her friend’s mind-set, Sue demands Johnsy that she
rest so that she can be well sooner.Since Sue is drawing for a magazine she needed a model thus asking
their friend Behrman who lives below the apartment building to do so.Behrman agreed and engaged in
a Conversation with Sue. She told him what Johnsy is currently thinking. Behrman became agitated to
the thought and insisted that one day he will paint a masterpiece freeing them all. Behrman wasn’t
exactly an artist, to begin with, he was somewhat waiting for a time to hold a paintbrush. Sue let the
window blinds down making Johnsy unable to see through it and watch the vine. She then asks Sue to
open it up to see what the leaves are doing. The last leaf that Johnsy predicted that will fall already due
to the strong wind didn’t.But the last leaf didn’t fall down even till morning it was still there. Johnsy,
therefore, forgets about her wanting to end her life and thus makes an effort to be well. But the next
time the doctor came to examine her, she heard the news that the man below the apartment caught
pneumonia and died. It was Behrman it was only two days that he caught the disease.It was becausee
he was out all night painting the ivy vine with its last leaf making it somewhat permanent to the wall.
This was Behrman’s masterpiece.
•Analysis

The short story’s use of symbolism can be seen in the last leaf on the tree, The last leaf left on the tree
serves as a symbol of life and death. As it is attached to the tree, it symbolizes holding on to life, and the
idea of it falling, as Johnsy explained, symbolizes death. However, when the last leaf falls, Johnsy will
die, but this is an absurd thoughts of her, and because of his fever that day is the reason why his mind
thinks of strange ideas, The Last Leaf is a short story that involves the treasure of life and having love
and hope. It shows the importance of living and how we deal with the obstacles we encounter in our
daily lives. And the story is based on the theme that life is important and faith and hope should not be
lost. We encounter many obstacles in life and must overcome them by fighting with a higher spirit.

 Conclusion

Although “The last leaf” is a very short piece, it is a rich example of a moral story that encourages
readers to value friends or family and love them truly. You can point out that Sue is a good friend of
Johnsy. However, Behrman, the neighbor whom Sue and Johnsy barely know, is not a good friend, just
an acquaintance. But he makes a loving gesture in using his talents to help the girl. He sacrificed himself
for her. Of course, he didn’t know he was going to die, but he still went out into the cold to paint the
leaf that saved her.This story teaches us to value friendship and help them if there is a problem.The
story is based on the theme that life is precious and faith and hope should never be lost. We come
across many hindrances in life and they should be overcome by fighting back in high spirits.The last leaf
reveals the truth that we should not immediately give up on the problems that come and appreciate life
and not lose hope, Like gold we should appreciate the things that come to are life and sacrifices for the
people we love and giving them hope