The Last Leaf by O. Henry – Summary, Themes, Explanation & Important Questions
📚 Table of Contents
Go On The Link: Winds of Change Question Answers Summary, Explanation
Summary of the Text
The Last Leaf is a touching story about friendship, hope, sacrifice, and the power of optimism. Sue and Johnsy are two young artists who live together in a small apartment. During a cold November, Johnsy falls seriously ill with pneumonia. She becomes weak and loses all hope of recovering. Looking out of her window at an old ivy creeper, she develops the strange belief that she will die when the last leaf falls from the vine.
Despite the doctor's treatment and Sue's constant care and encouragement, Johnsy refuses to eat or think positively. Sue becomes deeply worried because she knows that a patient's will to live is very important for recovery. Sue shares her concern with their elderly neighbour, Behrman, an unsuccessful painter who has always dreamed of creating a masterpiece. Although he scolds Johnsy for her foolish belief, he secretly decides to help.
One stormy night, after the real last leaf falls from the ivy creeper, Behrman climbs a ladder in the freezing rain and paints a lifelike leaf on the wall. The painted leaf remains firmly attached despite the strong winds and heavy rain. Seeing that the "last leaf" has not fallen, Johnsy begins to believe that if the leaf can survive the storm, she too should fight for her life. Her hope returns, and she gradually recovers.
Later, Sue tells Johnsy the truth. The leaf she had been watching was not real—it was painted by Behrman during the storm. In doing so, he caught pneumonia and died. His painted leaf became the masterpiece he had always wanted to create because it saved Johnsy's life.
The story ends by showing that selfless love, hope, and sacrifice can overcome despair, and that true art is measured not only by beauty but also by the lives it touches.
Theme Explanation
1. Hope and the Will to Live
One of the central themes of The Last Leaf is the power of hope. Johnsy loses the desire to live and believes that she will die when the last ivy leaf falls. However, when the last leaf appears to survive strong winds and storms, she feels inspired by its strength. She realises that it is wrong to give up and regains her will to live. The story shows that hope and a positive attitude can give a person the strength to overcome difficult situations.
2. Selfless Love and Sacrifice
The story also highlights the theme of selfless love and sacrifice through Behrman. When he learns about Johnsy’s strange belief, he paints an ivy leaf on the wall during a cold and stormy night. His painting gives Johnsy hope and saves her life, but Behrman himself falls ill with pneumonia and dies. His final painting becomes his masterpiece because it is created not for fame or money, but to save another person’s life.
The Last Leaf By O' Henry
Textual Analysis
Text
Sue and Johnsy, two young artists, shared a small flat. The flat was on the third storey of an old house.
Johnsy fell very seriously ill in November. She had pneumonia. She would lie in her bed without moving, just gazing out of the window. Sue, her friend, became very worried. She sent for the doctor. Although he came every day there was no change in Johnsy’s condition.
One day the doctor took Sue aside and asked her, “Is anything worrying Johnsy?”
“No,” replied Sue. “But why do you ask?”
The doctor said “Johnsy, it seems, has made up her mind that she is not going to get well. If she doesn’t want to live, medicines will not help her.”
Sue tried her best to make Johnsy take an interest in things around her. She talked about clothes and fashions, but Johnsy did not respond. Johnsy continued to lie still on her bed. Sue brought her drawing-board into Johnsy’s room and started painting. To take Johnsy’s mind off her illness, she whistled while working.
Suddenly Sue heard Johnsy whisper something. She quickly rushed to the bed and heard Johnsy counting backwards. She was looking out of the window and was saying, “Twelve!” After sometime she whispered “eleven”, then “ten”, then “nine”, “eight”, “seven”. Sue anxiously looked out of the window. She saw an old ivy creeper climbing half-way up the brick wall opposite their window. In the strong wind outside, the creeper was shedding its leaves. “What is it, dear?” Sue asked.
“Six,” whispered Johnsy. “They are falling faster now. Three days ago there were almost a hundred leaves. There are only five left now.”
“It is autumn,” said Sue, “and the leaves will fall.”
“When the last leaf falls, I will die,” said Johnsy with finality. “I have known this for the last three days.”
“Oh, that’s nonsense,” replied Sue. “What have old ivy leaves to do with your getting well? The doctor is confident that you will get better.”
Johnsy did not say anything. Sue went and brought her a bowl of soup.
“I don’t want any soup,” said Johnsy. “I am not hungry … Now there are only four leaves left. I want to see the last one fall before it gets dark. Then I will sleep forever.”
Sue sat on Johnsy’s bed, kissed her and said, “You are not going to die. I can’t draw the curtain for I need the light. I want to finish the painting and get some money for us. Please, my dear friend,” she begged Johnsy, “promise not to look out of the window while I paint.”
“All right,” said Johnsy. “Finish your painting soon for I want to see the last leaf fall. I’m tired of waiting. I have to die, so let me go away peacefully like one of those poor, tired leaves.”
“Try to sleep,” said Sue. “I have to paint an old miner. I will call Behrman up to be my model.” Sue rushed down. Behrman lived on the ground floor.
Word- Meaning
Shedding- Losing or dropping
Explanation
Sue and Johnsy were two young artists who shared a small flat. In November, Johnsy became seriously ill with pneumonia and gradually lost her desire to live. The doctor told Sue that medicines would not help her unless she developed the will to recover. Sue tried her best to cheer Johnsy up by talking to her and painting in her room.
However, Johnsy became obsessed with the leaves of an old ivy creeper outside her window. As the leaves fell one by one in the autumn wind, she began counting them backwards. She firmly believed that she would die when the last leaf fell. Sue tried to convince her that this idea was foolish and encouraged her to eat and remain hopeful, but Johnsy continued to wait for the last leaf to fall. Deeply worried about her friend, Sue decided to call Behrman, an old painter who lived on the ground floor.
Text
He was a sixty-year-old painter. His lifelong dream was to paint a masterpiece but that had remained a dream. Sue poured out her worries to Behrman. She told him how Johnsy was convinced that she would die when the last leaf fell.
“Is she stupid?” asked Behrman. “How can she be so foolish?”
“She is running a high temperature,” complained Sue. “She refuses to eat or drink and that worries me a lot.”
“I will come with you and see Johnsy,” Behrman said.
They tiptoed into the room. Johnsy was sleeping. Sue drew the curtains together and they went to the next room. She peeped out through the window. There was only one leaf on the creeper. It was raining heavily and an icy-cold wind was blowing. It seemed as though the leaf would fall any minute now. Behrman did not say a word. He went back to his room.
Johnsy woke up next morning. In a feeble voice she asked Sue to draw the curtains. Sue was nervous. She drew back the curtains very reluctantly.
“Oh!” Sue exclaimed as she looked at the vine creeper. “Look, there is still one leaf on the creeper. It looks quite green and healthy. In spite of the storm and the fierce winds, it didn’t fall.”
“I heard the wind last night,” said Johnsy. “I thought it would have fallen. It will surely fall today. Then I’ll die.”
“You won’t die,” said Sue energetically. “You have to live for your friends. What would happen to me if you die?”
Johnsy smiled weakly and closed her eyes. After every hour or so she would look out of the window and find the leaf still there. It seemed to be clinging to the creeper.
In the evening, there was another storm but the leaf did not fall. Johnsy lay for a long time looking at the leaf. Then she called out to Sue.
“I have been a bad girl. You have looked after me so lovingly and I have not cooperated with you. I have been depressed and gloomy. The last leaf has shown me how wicked I have been. I have realised that it is a sin to want to die.”
Sue hugged Johnsy. Then she gave her lots of hot soup and a mirror. Johnsy combed her hair and smiled brightly.
In the afternoon the doctor came. After examining his patient, he told Sue, “Johnsy now has the will to live. I am confident she’ll recover soon. Now I must go downstairs and see Behrman. He is also suffering from pneumonia. But I am afraid, there is no hope for him.” The next morning Sue came and sat on Johnsy’s bed. Taking Johnsy’s hand in hers she said, “I have something to tell you. Mr Behrman died of pneumonia this morning. He was ill for only two days. The first day the janitor found him on his bed. His clothes and shoes were wet and he was shivering. He had been out in that stormy night.”
Then they found a ladder and a lantern still lighted lying near his bed. There were also some brushes and green and yellow paints on the floor near the ladder. “Johnsy dear,” said Sue, “look out of the window. Look at that ivy leaf. Haven’t you wondered why it doesn’t flutter when the wind blows? That’s Behrman’s masterpiece. He painted it the night the last leaf fell.”
O. Henry (An abridged version of the original story)
Word- Meaning
Peeped - Looked quickly or secretly Icy- cold Extremely cold Feeble- Weak Reluctantly- Unwillingly or hesitantly
Explanation
Behrman was a sixty-year-old painter who had always dreamed of painting a masterpiece. When Sue told him about Johnsy’s strange belief, he became concerned. That night, there was heavy rain and a strong, icy wind, and only one leaf remained on the ivy creeper.
The next morning, Johnsy was surprised to see that the last leaf was still there. Even after another storm, it did not fall. The leaf’s strength inspired Johnsy and changed her attitude towards life. She realised that she had been wrong to lose hope and gradually regained her desire to live. Soon, the doctor announced that she would recover.
Later, Sue revealed that Behrman had died of pneumonia after going out on the stormy night. The real last leaf had fallen, but Behrman had painted a realistic leaf on the wall to give Johnsy hope. This painted leaf became his long-awaited masterpiece because it saved Johnsy’s life. The story highlights the power of hope, friendship, selfless sacrifice and art.
