Last_Leaf

The text under review is a short story written by American novelist O’Henry. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North California in 1862 and died in 1910 aged 47. He worked as a bank clerk. He was sentenced to prison being found guilty for embezzlement. He had to send money to his daughter for living so he started to write short stories and publish them. He had fourteen stories published under various pseudonyms while he was in prison, but was becoming best known as "O. Henry". This pseudonym he imported from his prison guard who was of Irish origin. The text I’m dealing with is presented a description of story, which would have happened in real life. Because of this author couldn’t help using dialogs between main characters. The text is written in the third person, but O’ Henry through his characters leave his own mark. In exposition author introduce Greenwich village, is an old town where people enthralled by paintings and art came. It is a popular place for young artists, because of the low rent on the apartments, and atmosphere. At the topmost floor of an squeaky three-story building lived Sue and Johnsy (nickname for Joanna). They met at a restaurant where they found out that they share the same interests when it comes to art and food. Then, Six months after Sue, O’Henry said that she from Maine there are shown category of place, and it’s should indicate us that she should be more adopted for difficulties, and Johnsy form California, it’s category of place too, a mite of a little woman with blood thinned by CA zephyrs – there we also see metaphor, which reflect us how delicate she should be, started with their joint studio, Johnsy was sick with pneumonia, like others in their town. She had very little chance to live, and Sue was saddened. Johnsy said that if the last leaf on the Ivy vine fell, she would pass away. So, even doctor gives her only one in ten chances to survive, raising them to one in five if Sue can get her to hope for something important like a man, not her true desire to "paint the Bay of Naples some day" Sue went on to do an art piece, while she requested Johnsy not to look at what she was painting. She preceded and called Behrmen, Behrmen was an old guy, but after hearing Johnsy’s plan, he was upset. He went on to go to the duo’s room, and did something with the thought of Sue. Then text comes to the highest point – climax. After the sun rose, Johnsy saw the ivy vine and no leaf fell. She was shocked, and watched the leaf for a very one time. Finally, Johnsy realized that she had been a bad girl because of that thought. She finally ate food after not eating because she thought that she would pass away already. The doctor arrived at their art studio. He said that Johnsy’s condition is improving at a very good rate. However, the doctor said that Behrman is also having difficulty because of pneumonia. He went on to Behrman’s studio and tried to treat him. The next day, the doctor came once again and said to Sue : “She’s out of danger. You won. Nutrition and care now – that’s all.” In the denouement we have know that while Sue was talking to Johnsy, they went on and talked about Behrman. He died at the hospital ago, despite being ill in a measly two days. The janitor found him in a bad condition, mainly because his clothing were wet and icy cold. They found a lantern beside him, together with equipment for painting. Sue instructed her to look at the window, and ask her why she thinks that the last leaf never fell. It never fell because it was Behrman’s masterpiece, and he painted it the night the last leaf fell. So, making conclusion we can say, many things lead Johnsy to be touched with the idea of death. When Johnsy becomes ill with pneumonia, she loses her strength and her body becomes weaker. That makes her think that it is the end of her life. She also believes that her doctor says she will not live very long. "I've known that for three days. Didn't the doctor tell you'" When someone loses hope, surely he will find everything around him unhappy and disappointing. This is exactly what happens to Johnsy. The thing that has the greatest impact on her is the ivy vine. Johnsy keeps watching the vine while its leaves fall one after the other. This little point that may be a usual thing for some people is unusual in the case of Johnsy. That bare vine which has only a few leaves on it, affects Johnsy Psychologically. Johnsy, by staring at it all the time, starts to feel that she will also die when the vine dies. In other words, when the last leaf falls. Psychologists might suggest that it is because of a negative feeling in her subconscious mind. However, when she wakes up after a rainy night and finds that the last leaf is still there, Johnsy begins to think wisely. She tells Sue how bad she is because of her silly ideas. Finding that the last leaf is still there is a turning point in Johnsy's case. She begins to recover and think optimistically. She says, " Sudie, some day I hope to paint the Bay of Naples." Instead, someone else dies and gives his life as a gift for Johnsy. Mr.Behrman, the artist who dreams of painting a masterpiece one day, is the neighbor of Sue and Johnsy. When he knows about Johnsy and the vine, he tries to do something in order to help her. In a rainy night, when the last leaf falls, he takes a ladder and there he paints a leaf that will never falls. Because of the cold weather that night, Mr. Behrman becomes ill with pneumonia too. He cannot oppose the disease so he dies in the hospital. The plot is revolves around two artist girls - Sue and Johnsy - who have their own 'studio' in quaint old Greenwich Village. What they had is a relationship fostered on mutual trust, and let me quote: “and their common tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves!” – by this zeugma author show that they weren’t rich. But they also didn’t care about it. That was in May, All went good till Johnsy fell ill with pneumonia one cold November month – there we see category of coherence, and now we know that their happy-life last for 6 month. And category of retrospection, girls would remember that days. Pneumonia is threatening their artist colony. And Johnsy was touched too. The doctor put Johnsy chances at one-in-ten, which he swelled up to one-in-five – it’s category of prospection. After the doctor's verdict Sue cried a Japanese napkin to a pulp – there we see metaphor and hyperbola; it’s used to show how bad Sue felt. Johnsy is near death and lying in bed. She's waiting for the last leaf to fall off of an ivy vine. She can see it through her window. O’ Henry says, that Johnsy “lying white and still as a fallen statue”, may be by this metaphor he wanted to show us that she was upset broke inside, that her hope Is too went into pieces. And then Johnsy says, «I’m tired of thinking," "I want to turn loose my hold on everything, and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves". By this metaphor the writer shows Johnsy apathy, absolute nonchalance, but she deliberately does it, to make Sue worrying about her, and show her importance for Sue. She declared that she wouldn't leave the room until she saw the last leaf fall off, which she was sure would happen before dark, and prove Johnsy's paranoid fears unfounded. On the ground floor of Sue's studio lived old Behrman. He was over sixty and sported a long Michael Angelo Moses beard dangling over an impish body. A failure in art - his drawing board had waited 40 years to receive the first line of the great masterpiece he planned to create! – There we can indicate category of retrospection, and it helps us to come closer to Behrman image. And in addiction if we refer to his speech, such words as, for example:”Vass, dere, confounded – we may think that NY isn’t his place, he should be lonely if he even didn’t speak English well, it may mean that he probably had no people to communicate with, and the later word is even a vulgarism. And facts that he worked as a model to young artists, and drank gin to excess and still talked on his coming masterpiece helps us to realize who he is. And Sue was his regular customer. Later that day Sue went over to Behrman to get him to pose for an art piece but it was just a reason, she wanted someone to talk and she told him about Johnsy. Days passed and the old vine started making small steps to becoming bald! As each day came and went, its leaves one after the other. And Johnsy…her belief was becoming a reality! She was slowly slipping away into death. So the leaves fell one after the other until one very last! Johnsy busied herself bidding her final farewell to the world. Days slipped away like sand; soon and fast, but the last leaf refused to fall off, nothing could take it off. Johnsy was lying for a long time and looking on it. And she reconsidered her minds decided that she must live. But next day Sue took bad news from doctor, he said that old Behrman died because of pneumonia and she decided to told Johnsy about it and said that he was found with  lantern, still lighted, a ladder that had been moved from its place. And art supplies and a painting board with green and yellow colors mixed on it. And that that leaf is Behrman masterpiece, which gave a hope for Johnsy. And when we’ve done this text, we could understand author message – you should believe in yourself and never give up, whether there is some support or not, because not everyone have such an angel like Johnsy had Old Behrman. And the leaf, that symbolized 'hope' that empowers a person for having the strength to fight death. Johnsy's believe that the last leaf would make her life too cease with its fall was so firm that no miraculous drug could save her against her rigidity. Behrman's wait for the right time to make his master-piece that he had fancied for so long was over the moment he realized that he had the ability to save a life by inflicting 'hope' in that person's mind. The Last Leaf of the ivy vine had the power to sustain Johnsy's life and Berhman had the power to sustain the last leaf by creating it. This art gave Johnsy the power to sustain her 'hope' to live and indeed, until hope persists. Category of author is presented implicitly, but through his words we could guest his attitude to the main persons, how tenderly and carefully he described them:”Johnsy was familiar for Joana, Michael Angelo’s Moses beard of Behrman, dialogs between personages:”Tell your Suedy, My dear, white rabbit and so on. And