The Greenwich Village quarter became a haven for people of art, who were attracted to it by its ancient roofs, Dutch attics and cheap rent.
Sue and Jonesy's (Joanna) studio was at the top of a three-story brick building. The girls, who met in May at a restaurant on Eighth Street, discovered that they had a lot in common and decided to work together. In November, a stranger named Pneumonia came to the neighborhood. He knocked tiny, anemic Joanna off her feet.
One morning, the girl’s attending physician called Sue into the hallway and said that the patient was too weak. According to the doctor, if Jonesy does not find something worth living for in the near future, then her chances of recovery will not be even one in ten. After crying alone, Sue went into the room where Joanna was lying and began to draw. Suddenly she heard a quiet whisper: her friend was counting backwards the leaves flying off the ivy clinging to the brick wall of a neighboring house. Three days ago there were almost a hundred; now there are five left. Jonesy believes that when the last leaf falls, she will die. Sue asks her to eat some broth and let her finish the drawing so she can buy wine and pork cutlets. Jonesy doesn't want wine. She dreams of seeing the last leaf fall.
Sue asks her friend to close her eyes to give her the opportunity to finish the work, and goes after Berman (an old artist who lives on the floor below), from whom she wants to paint a gold miner-hermit. She shares Jonesy's stupid fantasies with the drunken loser. Berman loses his temper.
The next morning, Jonesy asks to lift the curtain. Sue looks in surprise at the last leaf left on the ivy after a rainy, windy night. The patient waits all day for him to fall. At night it rains again and the north wind blows. At dawn, the girls discover an ivy leaf still in the same place. Jonesy repents of wishing for death. She asks Sue to give her broth and milk with port. The doctor who came in the afternoon says that the chances of recovery have become equal. With good care, Jonesy should recover. He also informs Sue about Berman’s pneumonia. There is no hope for him. The old artist is sent to the hospital. The next day, Jonesy is out of danger. Berman dies. Sue tells her friend that the last sheet was drawn by an old artist.
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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 whole 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 doesn’t 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.
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.
A very symbolic and interesting story about the value of human life, about the influence a person himself has on his life, how an artist, at the cost of his life, saved the life of another person and left his last masterpiece.
O. Henry's story "The Last Leaf" was filmed in 1952 in the film "The Leader of the Redskins and Others..."
The last sheet of O. Henry summary:
Sue and Jonesy are two young artists who rent a top-floor apartment in Greenwich Village, New York. Everything was fine, but in November Jonesy became seriously ill with pneumonia. The doctor said that everything depends on Jonesy herself, if she wants, she will be healthy again.
But Jonesy is depressed and apathetic. She just lies in bed, looks out the window and counts the remaining leaves on the ivy. She decided that when the last leaf fell from the old ivy, she would die that day.
Her friend tried to convince her, to help her recover, but to no avail. So Sue goes to the old artist Berman, who lived on the floor below, he wanted to create a masterpiece and asked Sue to pose for him, the girl tells him about Jonesy's problem. The artist does not understand how Jonesy can believe in such nonsense, but still this story does not leave him indifferent.
The weather was stormy at night: heavy rain and wind. In the morning, sick Jonesy demands to open the curtain and they see that there is only one leaf left on the ivy. Johnsy had no doubt that when the last leaf fell, she would die. But throughout the day and the next morning the leaf continued to hang. This really surprises the girls.
Finally, Johnsy realizes how stupid she was being, thinking that she would die because of a fallen leaf, and her optimism gradually returns. The doctor who came for an examination also confirmed that the girl’s health was improving, which cannot be said about her neighbor, the artist Berman.
The next day the girl was already completely healthy. And Sue told her that old man Berman died in the hospital of pneumonia. He caught a cold on a night when there was heavy rain, and the wind that night caused the last ivy leaf to fall off. The old man drew a new one and attached it to the ivy, but while he was fastening it, he got very wet and cold, which is why he fell ill.
Still, old man Berman managed to create his last masterpiece and save the girl’s life with it.
O.Henry
"Last page"
Two young artists, Sue and Jonesy, rent an apartment on the top floor of a building in New York's Greenwich Village, where artists have long settled. In November, Jonesy falls ill with pneumonia. The doctor’s verdict is disappointing: “She has a one in ten chance. And only if she herself wants to live.” But Jonesy had just lost interest in life. She lies in bed, looks out the window and counts how many leaves are left on the old ivy, which has entwined its shoots around the wall opposite. Jonesy is convinced that when the last leaf falls, she will die.
Sue talks about her friend's dark thoughts to the old artist Berman, who lives downstairs. He has been planning to create a masterpiece for a long time, but so far something has not come together. Having heard about Jonesy, old man Berman was terribly upset and did not want to pose for Sue, who painted him as a hermit gold miner.
The next morning it turns out that there is only one leaf left on the ivy. Jonesy watches how he resists the gusts of wind. It got dark, it began to rain, the wind blew even stronger, and Johnsy has no doubt that in the morning she will no longer see this leaf. But she is wrong: to her great surprise, the brave leaf continues to fight the bad weather. This makes a strong impression on Jonesy. She becomes ashamed of her cowardice, and she gains the desire to live. The doctor who visited her notes an improvement. In his opinion, the chances of surviving and dying are already equal. He adds that the neighbor downstairs also caught pneumonia, but the poor fellow has no chance of recovery. A day later, the doctor declares that Jonesy’s life is now out of danger. In the evening, Sue tells her friend the sad news: old man Berman has died in the hospital. He caught a cold that stormy night when the ivy lost its last leaf and the artist drew a new one and, under the pouring rain and icy wind, attached it to the branch. Berman still created his masterpiece.
Jonesy and Sue, two young aspiring artists, rent an apartment on the top floor of a building in New York's Greenwich Village. From time immemorial, people who are directly related to art have settled there. In November, Jonesy learns that she has pneumonia. Doctors tell the girl that her chances are approximately 10 percent, and she will survive only if she really wants to live. Unfortunately, Jonesy lost interest in life. She lies motionless in bed and looks out the window, counting how many leaves are left on the ivy entwined on the wall opposite. Jonesy thinks that she will die as soon as the last leaf falls from the tree.
Sue shares her friend's dark thoughts with Berman, an old artist who lives in the same house. All his life he has dreamed of creating a masterpiece, but so far he has had little success. Berman, hearing about Jonesy's troubles, was incredibly upset. He lost the desire to pose for Sue, who was painting a portrait of the hermit gold miner from him.
The next morning there is only one last leaf left on the ivy. Jonesy watches as the wind tries its best to tear it off, but the leaf stubbornly resists the elements. It’s getting dark outside, light rain is falling, and the wind is picking up. Jonesy no longer doubts that in the morning he will not see this last leaf. But she was wrong. To her surprise, the brave leaf continues to fight, and does not break away even under the most powerful attacks of the wind. Jonesy is amazed by what is happening. She is ashamed of herself because of her cowardice. The girl finds within herself the desire to continue living. The doctor who comes to examine the patient informs her about positive changes. He says Jonesy's chances of life and death are about the same. He adds that her downstairs neighbor also has inflammation, but he has no chance of surviving.
Several days pass and the doctor reports that Jonesy's life is safe. That evening, Sue comes to Jonesy and reports that old man Berman has died. He caught a cold on that unfortunate night when the last leaf fell from the ivy. The artist drew a new leaf, which he attached to the tree in the pouring rain and wind. Berman still created the masterpiece he dreamed of.
