Two young artists, Sue and Joanna, rent a small studio together in the bohemian quarter of New York. In cold November, Joanna becomes seriously ill with pneumonia. All day long she lies in bed and looks out the window overlooking the gray wall of the neighboring building. The wall is covered with old ivy, flying under the gusts of the autumn wind. Joanna counts the falling leaves, she is sure that she will die when the wind blows the last leaf from the vine. The doctor tells Sue that the drugs won't help unless Joanna feels at least some interest in life. Sue doesn't know how to help her sick friend.
Sue visits her neighbor Berman to ask him to pose for a book illustration. She tells him that Joanna is sure of her imminent death along with the last ivy leaf that has flown away. The old, drinking artist, an embittered loser who dreamed of fame but never started a single painting, just laughs at these ridiculous fantasies.
The next morning, the friends see that one single ivy leaf is still miraculously in place, and all the following days too. Joanna comes to life, they consider this a sign that they should continue to live. The doctor visiting Joanna tells them that old Berman has been sent to the hospital with pneumonia.
The patient is recovering quickly and soon her life is out of danger. Then Sue tells her friend that the old artist has died. He got pneumonia while drawing on the wall of a neighboring building on a rainy and cold night the same lonely ivy leaf that had not flown away, which saved the young girl’s life. The very masterpiece that he had been planning to write all his life.
Detailed retelling
Two young female artists came from the deep provinces to New York. The girls are close childhood friends. Their names were Sue and Jonesy. They decided to rent a place for themselves, since they have no friends or relatives in such a large city. We chose an apartment in Greenwich Village, on the very top floor. Everyone knows that people associated with creativity live in this quarter.
At the end of October the beginning of November it was very cold, the girls did not have warm clothes, and Johnsy fell ill. The doctor's diagnosis saddened the girls. Pneumonia disease. The doctor said she has a one in a million chance of getting out. But the girl lost the spark in her life. The girls just lie on the bed, look out the window, then at the sky, at the trees and wait for the time of their death. She sees a tree from which leaves are falling. She decides for herself that as soon as the last leaf breaks, she will leave for another world.
Sue is looking for ways to get her friend back on her feet. She meets Elder Berman, he is an artist, who lives on the floor below. The master keeps trying to create a work of art, but it just doesn’t work out. Having learned about the girl, the old man was upset. In the evening, a strong storm began with rain and thunderstorms, Johnsy knew that in the morning the leaf on the tree would be gone, just like her. But what was her surprise that after such a disaster the leaf stayed on the tree. Jnosi was very surprised by this. She blushes, she feels ashamed, and suddenly she wants to live and fight.
The doctor came and noticed that the body was improving. The chances were 50% to 50%. The doctor came to the house again, the body began to climb out. The doctor said that there was an epidemic going through the house, and the old man from the bottom floor was also sick with the disease and maybe the next day the doctor's visit was more joyful, as he said wonderful news. Jonesy will live and the danger is over.
In the evening, Sue learns that the artist below died from an illness; his body stopped fighting the disease. Berman fell ill on that very terrible night when nature was raging. He depicted the same ivy leaf and, under heavy rain and cold wind, climbed a tree to attach it. Since there wasn’t a single leaf left on the ivy then. The Creator still created his excellent masterpiece. Thus, he saved the girl’s life and sacrificed his own.
Picture or drawing Last sheet
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O'Henry's story "The Last Leaf" is dedicated to how the main character, an artist, saves the life of a terminally ill girl at the cost of his own life. He does this thanks to his creativity, and his last work turns out to be a kind of parting gift to her.
Several people live in a small apartment, among them two young friends, Sue and Jonesy, and an old artist, Berman. One of the girls, Jonesy, becomes seriously ill, and the saddest thing is that she herself almost doesn’t want to live, she refuses to fight for life.
The girl determines for herself that she will die when the last leaf falls from the tree growing near her window, and convinces herself of this thought. But the artist cannot come to terms with the fact that she will simply wait for her death, preparing for it.
And he decides to outwit both death and nature - at night he wraps a drawn paper sheet, a copy of the real one, to a branch with a thread, so that the last leaf never falls and, therefore, the girl does not give herself the “command” to die.
His plan works: the girl, still waiting for the last leaf to fall and her death, begins to believe in the possibility of recovery. Watching as the last leaf does not fall and does not fall, she begins to slowly come to her senses. And, in the end, the disease wins.
However, soon after her own recovery, she learns that old man Berman has just died in the hospital. It turns out that he caught a serious cold when he hung a fake leaf on a tree on a cold, windy night. The artist dies, but as a memory of him, the girls are left with this leaf, created on the night when the last one actually fell.
Reflections on the purpose of the artist and art
O'Henry in this story reflects on what the actual purpose of the artist and art is. Describing the story of this unfortunate sick and hopeless girl, he comes to the conclusion that talented people come into this world in order to help simpler people and save their.
Because no one, except a person endowed with a creative imagination, could have had such an absurd and at the same time such a wonderful idea - to replace real sheets with paper ones, drawing them so skillfully that no one could tell the difference. But the artist had to pay for this salvation with his own life; this creative decision turned out to be his swan song of sorts.
He also talks about the will to live. After all, as the doctor said, Jonesy had a chance to survive only if she herself believed in such a possibility. But the girl was ready to give up cowardly until she saw the last leaf that had not fallen. O'Henry makes it clear to readers that everything in their lives depends only on themselves, that with willpower and a thirst for life one can even defeat death.
The famous humorist wrote a painfully touching story, full of deep meaning, making you think about life, about the desire to live and, above all, to remain a person capable of understanding and compassion. This is exactly what the story of the famous O. Henry “The Last Leaf” is about, a brief summary of which will be described in this material.
Brief biography of the author
The master of the short story genre was born on September 11, 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. I tried myself in different professions. He worked as an accountant in a real estate company, as a draftsman in the land administration, and as a cashier in a bank. He gained his first writing experience while working for a humor weekly in Austin. Subtle humor and unexpected endings are characteristic of his stories. During his creative life, about 300 stories were written; the complete collection of his works comprises 18 volumes.
Storyline of the story
A brief summary of O. Henry's work “The Last Leaf” can be described as follows: two young girls live in a room, one of whom fell ill with pneumonia. The disease began to progress, the patient’s attending physician repeatedly pointed out the patient’s depressed mood, the young girl got it into her head that she would die when the last leaf fell from the tree. Outside the window of the room there was ivy growing, which was struggling with the autumn weather, each leaf of the plant tore off and flew away under the onslaught of the merciless wind. An old unsuccessful artist, also distinguished by a bad and grumpy character, who dreams of becoming famous by writing his artistic masterpiece, knew the story of a girl living on the floor above.
In our summary of “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, I would like to note that the author, describing the complex and quarrelsome character of his neighbor-artist, does not single him out, does not sympathize with him, but does not criticize him either; the fullness of the picture is revealed in the last few words of the young girl, which describes recent events in the life of a recovering neighbor. The young organism prevailed over the disease, and the reason for recovery was precisely the last leaf that remained on the ivy. Day after day he fought for life, he did not want to give up. Neither the wind nor the approach of winter could frighten him, and this tiny piece of life inspired the girl, and she wanted to get well, wanted to live again.
Above, in the summary of “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, we talked about the old artist who dies at the end of the story. He dies quickly, also suffering from pneumonia, he is found unconscious on the floor of his room in wet clothes, and no one knows the reason for his action. And only a few days later, based on the words of the girls themselves, the reader will understand that this seemingly obnoxious old man, whose heart was truly pure, put his life on the line, and it was he who would save the dying girl by creating his masterpiece. The old man drew the last leaf of the tree and attached it to the branch. And he caught a cold that night.
An old man who has lived and experienced life will give a magnificent lesson that is more valuable than all words, which this girl will never forget, and thanks to him she will look at life in a new way. The old man saved the man and fulfilled his golden dream. This is the truly inspiring and at the same time touching story of O. Henry “The Last Leaf”, a summary of which is presented in this material. The story itself does not leave you indifferent and touches to the core.
The desire to live
The desire to live, fight for life, love it, no matter how difficult it may seem. Yes, sometimes it seems that she is unfair and cruel, but she is beautiful and unique. Sometimes, in order to realize this, you need to go through difficulties, find yourself on the brink of life and death. And it is precisely when you are on this chilly border that you realize how beautiful life is, how beautiful the simple things that surround us every day are: the singing of birds, the warmth of the sun, the blue of the sky. How important it is to remember this, how necessary it is to talk about this to children, and even if it seems to you that they will not understand you now, at this very moment, but it is worth talking about it, they will definitely remember your words when the time comes. The summary of O. Henry's book "The Last Leaf", described above, can serve as just such an example.
Conclusion. Bottom line
In conclusion, summing up the above, I would like to recommend reading “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, a brief summary of which was presented to your attention in this material. This work is one of the author's best masterpieces.
O'Henry's story "The Last Leaf" is dedicated to how the main character, an artist, saves the life of a terminally ill girl at the cost of his own life. He does this thanks to his creativity, and his last work turns out to be a kind of parting gift to her.
Several people live in a small apartment, among them two young friends, Sue and Jonesy, and an old artist, Berman. One of the girls, Jonesy, becomes seriously ill, and the saddest thing is that she herself almost doesn’t want to live, she refuses to fight for life.
The girl determines for herself that she will die when the last leaf falls from the tree growing near her window, and convinces herself of this thought. But the artist cannot come to terms with the fact that she will simply wait for her death, preparing for it.
And he decides to outwit both death and nature - at night he wraps a drawn paper sheet, a copy of the real one, to a branch with a thread, so that the last leaf never falls and, therefore, the girl does not give herself the “command” to die.
His plan works: the girl, still waiting for the last leaf to fall and her death, begins to believe in the possibility of recovery. Watching as the last leaf does not fall and does not fall, she begins to slowly come to her senses. And, in the end, the disease wins.
However, soon after her own recovery, she learns that old man Berman has just died in the hospital. It turns out that he caught a serious cold when he hung a fake leaf on a tree on a cold, windy night. The artist dies, but as a memory of him, the girls are left with this leaf, created on the night when the last one actually fell.
Reflections on the purpose of the artist and art
O'Henry in this story reflects on what the actual purpose of the artist and art is. Describing the story of this unfortunate sick and hopeless girl, he comes to the conclusion that talented people come into this world in order to help simpler people and save their.
Because no one, except a person endowed with a creative imagination, could have had such an absurd and at the same time such a wonderful idea - to replace real sheets with paper ones, drawing them so skillfully that no one could tell the difference. But the artist had to pay for this salvation with his own life; this creative decision turned out to be his swan song of sorts.
He also talks about the will to live. After all, as the doctor said, Jonesy had a chance to survive only if she herself believed in such a possibility. But the girl was ready to give up cowardly until she saw the last leaf that had not fallen. O'Henry makes it clear to readers that everything in their lives depends only on themselves, that with willpower and a thirst for life one can even defeat death.
The short story by the American writer O. Henry “The Last Leaf” was first published in 1907, included in the collection of short stories “The Burning Lamp”. The first and most famous film adaptation of the novel took place in 1952. The film was called "The Chief of the Redskins and Others."
Young artists Jonesy and Sue rent a small apartment for two in Greenwich Village, a New York neighborhood where artistic people have always preferred to live. Jonesy got pneumonia. The doctor who treated the girl said that the artist had no chance of saving herself. She will only survive if she wants to. But Jonesy had already lost interest in life. Lying in bed, the girl looks out the window at the ivy, observing how many leaves are left on it. The cold November wind tears off more and more leaves every day. Jonesy is sure she will die when the last one is torn down. The young artist’s assumptions are unfounded, because she may die earlier or later, or not die at all. However, Jonesy unconsciously connects the ending of his life with the disappearance of the last leaf.
Sue is concerned about her friend's dark thoughts. It is useless to persuade Jonesy to get rid of his ridiculous idea. Sue shares her experiences with Berman, an old artist who lives in the same house. Berman dreams of creating a real masterpiece. However, the dream has remained just a dream for many years. Sue invites her colleague to pose for her. The girl wants to paint him as a hermit gold digger. Upon learning what is happening to Jonesy, Berman becomes so upset that he refuses to pose.
The next morning after Sue’s conversation with the old artist, Jonesy notices that there is one last leaf left on the ivy, symbolizing for the girl the last thread connecting her to life. Jonesy watches how the leaf resists the desperate gusts of wind. In the evening it began to rain heavily. The artist is confident that when she wakes up tomorrow morning, the leaf will no longer be on the ivy.
But in the morning Johnsy discovers that the sheet is still in its place. The girl sees this as a sign. She was wrong to wish herself death; she was driven by cowardice. The doctor who visited Jonesy notes that the patient has improved significantly and that the chances of recovery have increased markedly. Her friends find out that Berman is also sick, but he will not be able to recover. A day later, the doctor informs Jonesy that her life is no longer in danger. On the evening of the same day, the girl learned that Berman had died in the hospital. In addition, the artist learns that the old man, in a sense, died through her fault. He caught a cold and pneumonia the night the ivy lost its last leaf. Berman knew what this piece of paper meant to Jonesy, and he drew a new one. The artist fell ill while attaching a leaf to a branch in the bitter wind and pouring rain.
Artist Jonesy
Creative individuals have a more vulnerable soul than ordinary people. They are easily disappointed and quickly fall into depression for no apparent reason. This is exactly what Jonesy turned out to be. The first difficulties of life associated with the disease made her lose heart. Being a creative person, the girl draws a parallel between the ivy leaves, disappearing every day, and the days of her life, the number of which also decreases every day. Perhaps a representative of another profession would not have thought of drawing such parallels.
Old Man Berman
The old artist was not very lucky in life. He couldn't become famous or rich. Berman's dream is to create a real masterpiece that would immortalize his name. However, time passes, and the artist cannot get down to work. He simply does not know what exactly needs to be painted, while realizing that a real masterpiece must certainly come out from under his brush.
Finally, fate gives the artist the opportunity to realize his dream in an unusual way. His dying neighbor places all her hope in the last ivy leaf. She will definitely die if this leaf falls from the branch. Berman is upset by the girl’s gloomy thoughts, but deep down in his soul he understands her perfectly, since his soul is also vulnerable and full of artistic images that are incomprehensible to others. A real masterpiece turned out to be a small, inconspicuous sheet that did more than the most stunning painting of any of Berman’s famous colleagues.
Artist Sue
Jonesy's friend takes on the role of mediator between those who have lost hope and those who are able to return it. Sue treasures Jonesy. The girls are united not only by their profession. Living in the same apartment, they became a kind of small family, supporting each other.
Sue sincerely wants to help her friend. But her lack of life experience does not allow her to do this. Jonesy needs more than just medicine. The girl has lost the will to live, and this is much worse than the inability to buy the necessary medications. Sue doesn't know how to give Johnsy back what she lost. The artist goes to Berman so that he, as a senior comrade, can give her advice.
Analysis of the work
The author's skill is manifested in the description of everyday situations. Having excluded fantasy, not every writer can create the unusual out of the ordinary. The plot of the novel seems too prosaic at first. But for those who decide to read the work to the end, an unexpected and exciting ending awaits.
Magic in the work
“The Last Leaf” is another example of a man-made miracle. Reading the novella, the reader involuntarily recalls the story “Scarlet Sails”. The plots of the works are completely different. What unites them is a miracle created by human hands. A girl named Assol spent her entire life waiting for her lover on a ship with scarlet sails simply because she received a “prediction” in childhood. The old man, who wanted to give hope to the unfortunate child, made the girl believe in a miracle. Arthur Gray performed another miracle, making her dream come true.
Jonesy is not waiting for a lover. She has lost her bearings and does not know how to move on. She needs some kind of sign, which she, in the end, creates for herself. At the same time, the reader observes the hopelessness imposed by the girl. The ivy leaf will sooner or later tear away from the branch, which means that death is seen by Jonesy as something inevitable. Deep down, the young artist has already given up on life. Perhaps she does not see her future, expecting the same inglorious fate that befell her neighbor Berman. He did not reach any heights and until his old age remained a failure, flattering himself with the hope of creating a picture that would enrich and glorify him.
In our next article you will find an outstanding master of short stories, who during his creative career has created almost three hundred short stories and one novel.
Another entertaining short story is dedicated to the story of unlucky kidnappers who wanted to profit from a child, but fate decreed otherwise.
Berman's "masterpiece" is truly priceless. One small, barely noticeable piece of paper was able to do what no known painting could do - save a human life. The failed artist did not become rich and famous, but his art was the last argument in favor of life for a dying girl. Berman actually sacrificed himself to save another man.
It is likely that it is after the death of the old artist that Jonesy’s life will take on a new meaning. The girl will be able to feel joy from every day she lives and will begin to appreciate the time allotted to her in this world. Now she knows what an ordinary piece of paper can do. Maybe her work will someday force someone to make the right choice.
