The Last Leaf Summary – O. Henry

O. Henry’s The Last Leaf, first published in 1907, is a short story about friendship, hope, and sacrifice, in which a young artist’s belief in a falling ivy leaf determines her will to live.

The Last Leaf Main Characters analysis

• Johnsy (Joanna) — a young, fragile artist from California who becomes seriously ill with pneumonia and begins to believe that she will die when the last ivy leaf falls.
• Sue — Johnsy’s close friend and roommate, a young artist from Maine who cares deeply for Johnsy and does everything she can to help her recover.
• Mr. Behrman — an elderly, unsuccessful artist who has dreamed for years of creating a masterpiece but has never managed to do so. Despite his gruff personality, he cares warmly for Sue and Johnsy and ultimately sacrifices his own life to save Johnsy.

The Last Leaf Summary

In a small neighborhood of Greenwich Village in New York, where the streets were oddly tangled and rents were low, most of the residents were artists and people in creative professions.

The studio shared by the friends Sue and Johnsy was located in the attic of a three-story building. They were both newcomers—one from Maine and the other from California. The girls moved in during May, but by November, pneumonia had begun to spread through the neighborhood, claiming dozens of lives.

Johnsy, whose full name was Joanna, was tiny and delicate, and she also fell ill. She lay motionless in bed, staring out the window at the blank wall of a neighboring brick building. One morning, the doctor told Sue that good treatment and care would not be enough for Johnsy to recover. She also had to want to get better herself.

Sue was working on an illustration for a magazine when she suddenly heard Johnsy whispering quietly. Johnsy was looking out the window and counting the leaves remaining on an old ivy vine that had climbed halfway up the brick wall. “When the last leaf falls, I will die,” she said.

Sue began scolding her friend for such foolish thoughts, insisting that the old ivy had nothing to do with her health. She urged the sick girl to eat and then to leave her alone so she could finish the drawing, sell it, and earn some money for food. But Johnsy said she did not want to eat and that there was no need to buy anything for her. Her only wish was to see the last leaf fall. There were only four leaves left….

Sue persuaded her friend not to look out the window until she had finished the drawing, and to do that, she needed to ask the old artist Behrman to pose for her. Behrman was an unsuccessful artist in his sixties. For many years, he had dreamed of creating a masterpiece, but he had never actually begun one. Instead, he painted signs and advertisements to earn enough money to live. Sometimes he posed for other artists for a small fee. Behrman also drank heavily and was a rather grumpy old man who made fun of other people’s feelings. But he treated his two young neighbors with warmth.

Sue told the old artist about Johnsy’s thoughts and explained that she was afraid her friend’s life might really end when the last ivy leaf fell. The old man could not believe that Johnsy would put her faith in such nonsense.

Then, after going upstairs to their studio, Sue showed the old man the leaf through the window. They looked anxiously at the old ivy and silently exchanged glances. Johnsy was asleep at the time, while outside, the rain continued to pour.

The next morning, Johnsy asked Sue to raise the curtain. After the night’s storm, only one leaf remained on the ivy. “That’s the last one,” Johnsy said. “It will fall today, and then I will die too.” The day passed, but the leaf continued to hold bravely to the branch. That night, rain fell again and a strong wind blew. In the morning, the leaf was still there. After that, the girl began to believe that she would recover.

Johnsy stared at the last leaf for a long time, then asked Sue for a little broth and milk. An hour later, she said, “Sue, I hope to paint the Bay of Naples someday.” During the day, the doctor happily assured Sue that her friend’s chances of recovery were now much better. He added that he had to visit another seriously ill patient—the old artist Behrman.

The next day, the doctor declared, “The danger has passed. You have won.” Sue then decided to tell Johnsy the truth.

“Mr. Behrman died today in the hospital of pneumonia. He had been ill for only two days. The day before yesterday morning, the janitor found the poor old man unconscious on the floor of his room. His shoes and all his clothes were soaked through and cold as ice. No one could understand where he had been on such a terrible night. Then they found a lantern that was still burning, a ladder that had been moved from its place, several discarded brushes, and a palette with yellow and green paint on it.

“Look out the window, dear, at the last ivy leaf. Didn’t you wonder why it never trembled or moved in the wind? Yes, darling, that is Behrman’s masterpiece. He painted it on the night the last leaf fell.”

Behrman finally created his masterpiece. In doing so, he saved the young girl’s life while sacrificing his own.