The Last Leaf

The last leaf is the moving tale of a young artist willingly giving in to the imminent trap of death and of a veteran artist putting in the best artistic effort of his life to save her life. Following the outbreak of the disease pneumonia Sue, the young artist, fell victim to the onslaught and developed a morbid obsession.  The doctor who had diagnosed her with the disease told Sue that medicines would not be able to cure her of her affliction if she did not want to get better on her own. Sue lay languidly in her bed, counting the leaves on the ivy creeper. She had developed the notion that the fall of the last leaf would mark the end of her life. Her friend Sue, another artist, tried her best to boost up her confidence and help her get over her morbid obsession with death but everything seemed to be impossible to make her sane enough to realize the fact that the fall of the last leaf on the ivy creeper did not have anything to do with her life. Sue was extremely jittery when there was only one leaf left on the ivy creeper. Perturbed as she was she could not but discuss the steady deterioration of her beloved friend with the veteran artist Behrman and her apprehension that she was going to float away as a leaf when she would loosen her hold on the world. For forty years Behrman had not been able to achieve anything in the field of art and proved to be a failure. Yet he did not lose faith in himself and said that one of the days he would paint a masterpiece. He earned a little by posing for those artists who could not pay the price of the professional. When he learnt of Jhonsy’s morbid obsession with death and of the fact that she had equated it with the fall of the last leaf on the ivy creeper, the sensitive artist Behrman could not but detest such a foolish notion of the young girl. At the same time he had decided to come out of the life of his failure and paint the cherished masterpiece of his life. On the second night when there had been only one ivy leaf that had proved to be persistent in the howling wind and pouring rain throughout the night, Johnsy was convinced that it would fall in the raging wind and she would die simultanenously. After a stormy and rainy night was over, Jhonsy told her friend in a relentless tone to raise the shed as she wanted to be sure of the fall of the last leaf that held the key to her life. But to her great sense of satisfaction the leaf was there, giving her back the desire to live. At the same time she had been able to realize that the survival of the last leaf had shown her how wicked she was. She not only overcame her morbid obsession with death but also became certain that that it was sinful to want to die. Sue learnt from the visiting doctor in the afternoon that Jhonsy would recover with good nursing but the painter of the masterpiece, the last leaf on the wall for Jhonsy to live, had no chance of his survival as he had got an attack of severe pneumonia. The artist with his love for the life of the young artist and his masterpiece had been out in the cold on the dreadful night and ended up painting the artificial leaf on the wall that the young artist had taken for a real one. Jhonsy was yet to learn from Sue that it had not flashed across her mind that the ivy leaf that had saved her life did not flutter in the wind. She gave it the distinction of being the masterpiece of the artist who had painted it on the very night the real leaf had fallen.

What does the author say about the streets in the little district west of Washington?

According to the author, the streets in the little district south of Washington run in a zigzag manner, breaking them into strips called ‘places. These places make strange angles and curves and one street crosses itself once or twice.

What did an artist once discover in the street crossing itself?

Once it occurred to an artist that the street crossing itself in such a manner would offer a collector a possibility that might prove valuable to him. If the collector had a bill for paints, paper and canvas, he might well discover himself coming back following the same street without having paid a cent.  

Why did the old Greenwich Village appeal to artists?

The artists came flocking to the old Greenwich village because of the old architectural beauty of its  buildings with its north windows and eighteen century gables and Dutch attics and low rents.

Who were Sue and Johnsy? Where did they hail from?

Sue and Jhonsy were two budding artists who had a studio at the top of a squatty, three-storey brick.

Sue was from Maine while Johnsy was from California.

How did Sue and Jhonsy come to share the same studio?

Sue and Johnsy met each other at the table d’hôte of an Eight Street Delmonico’s, and discovered that they shared same tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves. This discovery struck a chord in them and they together started their joint studio.

Why is Pneumonia spelt with a capital letter?

Pneumonia is spelt with a capital letter because it has been personified, that is, it is given life like qualities.

Why does the author say that pneumonia was not a chivalric gentleman?

Chivalry was the quality of the brave knights of the medieval period, noted for their courtesy towards women but Pneumonia did not show any courtesy towards Johnsy, a woman, who had already been weakened by the disease California Zephyrs. This is why the author does not describe Pneumonia as a chivalric gentleman.

What happened to Johnsy immediately after she had got an attack of pneumonia?

Immediately after the onslaught of pneumonia, Johnsy lost the ability to move and she lay still on her painted iron bedstead, looking through the small Dutch window-panes at the blank side of the next brick house.

Who called the doctor? What did the doctor say about Johnsy’s chance of recovery?

Sue called the doctor out of her concern about her friend Johnsy who had got the attack of pneumonia.

The doctor did not have a favourable opinion of his patient Johnsy. He said that she had one chance in ten and that too depended on her longing to live. Out of a sense of frustration, the doctor said that a medical practitioner with all his knowledge could not do anything when the desire to live was not there in the patient. He further informed Sue that her friend had developed a morbid obsession with death. The doctor tried to find out about whether the patient had any particular liking. Sue told him that she wanted to paint the bay of Naples. The doctor told her that despite all his efforts, the curative power of medicines would lose fifty percent of their efficacy if the patient continued to cling on to her despair such as counting the carriages in her funeral procession. On the other hand her chance to survive would go up by fifty percent if she started taking interest in life by asking questions about the latest trends in dresses such as winter styles in cloak sleeves.

What effect did the doctor’s opinion have on Sue?

After the doctor had left giving his opinion of the patient Johnsy, Sue was emotionally upset. She went into the workroom and started crying copiously, leaving her Japanese napkin thoroughly soaked.

How did Sue enter Johnsy’s room?

Sue entered Johnsy’s room with a swagger, singing a popular musical tune so as to give her friend an impression that there was nothing to worry about her illness.

What according to the author is common between young artists and young authors?

According to the author, young artists consolidate their position in the field of art by drawing illustrations for magazine stories which are written by young authors with a view to consolidating their position in the field of literature.

What did Sue start painting immediately after entering the room of Johnsy? What did she hear at the time of painting?

Immediately after entering Johnsy’s room, Sue started sketching a magazine story- a pair of elegant horseshow riding trousers and a monocle of the figure of the hero, an Idaho cowboy.

While sketching the illustration, sue heard a faint repetitive sound.

What did Sue do after hearing the low sound? What did she discover?

After hearing the low sounds being repeated, Sue went quickly to the bedside and discovered that Johnsy, with her eyes wide open, was looking out of the window counting something and back. With her gaze fixed towards the outside of the window, Johnsy counted back to seven from twelve. With proper attention, Sue looked out of the window to get an idea of what she was counting. She found a bare and gloomy yard at a distance of fifty feet and the blank side of the brick house twenty feet away. She saw an old ivy creeper that was twisted and decayed at the roots, climbing half way up the brick wall. She realized the severity of autumn had caused the creeper to shed nearly all its leaves, leaving it nearly bare. On discovering these, Sue asked her friend to know about what she was counting.

What did Sue learn when she asked Johnsy about the way she was counting?

When Sue asked Johnsy about what she was counting, she told her that the ivy vine was shedding leaves faster than before. According to her there had nearly been a hundred leaves on the vine and her head ached when she counted them. But now she could count the leaves easily as there were only five leaves after one had just fallen. Then she added that when the last leaf fell, he would die.

How did Sue try to cheer up Johnsy?

Sue tried to cheer up Johnsy, telling her that the ivy vine did not have anything to do with her recovery. She rubbished he words as those of an idiot. Then she turned the version of the doctor upside down saying that he had been hopeful of her recovery and said that her chances were ten to one. Speaking in an optimistic manner, she compared the prospect of her recovery to the way they used to ride on the street cars or walk past a new building’.

What did Behrman want to paint? Was he successful? What price did he have to pay for that?

Behrman was an artist who proved to be a fiasco in the field of art. He always wanted to paint a masterpiece as the sign of his artistic genius. Out

Though he could never paint a masterpiece, the greatest work of his life as an artist in a professional manner, he painted the a leaf on the brick wall of the house opposite to the window of the sick girl Johnsy, giving her the impression that it was the last leaf that had not fallen in spite of the intensity of the howling storm and reviving her.

The passion with which Behrman had painted the last leaf in the pouring rain and the storm had made him fall prey to Pneumonia. He painted the masterpiece with his love and artistic dedication only at the cost of his life.

What did Johnsy say when she saw that the ivy had not fallen?

When Johnsy saw that the ivy leaf had not fallen, she got back the strength of her mind and said in a tone of repentance that she had been a bad girl. She said that the survival of the last leaf had taught her the lesson that it was a sin to want to die. She told her friend Sue to bring her a little broth and some milk with a little port in it. She also asked for a mirror to examine herself and told Sue pack some pillows about her as she wanted to sit up and watch her cook.

What was the desire expressed by Jhonsy a little after she had discovered that the last leaf had not fallen?

One hour after Jhonsy had discovered that the last leaf had not fallen, she told her friend about her desire to paint the Bay of Naples some day.