The Last Leaf of O. Henry (Complete Analysis)

2. THE LAST LEAF
O. HENRY

3. II. Culture of the Country:
In conversation, you should give
continuous feedback to the person
or at least nod continuously .
Most Americans are impatient yet
disciplined.
Most Americans work hard during
the week days and look forward to
weekends.
It is all about making money.

4. III. Comparison to Philippine
Culture:
It is all about making money.
Filipinos are happy people.
Friendship is vital.
Filipinos are busy both weekdays
and weekends.

5. IV. Connection to other
Disciplines:
PATHOLOGY
• Came from the Greek word
“pneuma” meaning the
lungs.
• The lungs is concerned for
breathing without breath,
there is no life.

6. VISUAL ARTS
• A masterpiece is a great
work of art, like a painting,
sculpture or piece of
music or writing (poetry,
fiction, etc.)

7. Psychology
• Optimism also plays a role in
the recovery from illness and
disease. Multiple studies have
investigated the role of
optimism in people undergoing
treatment for cancer. These
studies have found that
optimistic people experience
less distress when faced with
potentially life-threatening
cancer diagnoses.

8. V. Definition of Terms:
1. Bay of Naples — a
picturesque seacoast off the
Italian city of Naples, in
the Tyrrhenian Sea.
2. juniper berries — a fragrant,
berrylike fruit used to flavor gin
3. pharmacopoeia — a
manual of medicinal drugs
and their uses

9. 3. duffer — an incompetent or dull-witted
person, esp. an old man.
4. Chivalric — from chivalry, a
code of honor held by knights in
medieval times which promoted
bravery, courtesy, and devotion to
the weak
5. table d’hôte —a communal
table for all guests at a hotel or
restaurant, offering a limited
number of choices at a fixed price.

10. VI. Synopsis/Summary:
Johnsy and Sue are artists
who move into Greenwich
Village in New York City. As
Winter approaches and the
weather gets colder, Johnsy
becomes ill with pneumonia.
She gets so sick that she
believes that when the last leaf
falls from the vine outside her
window, she will die.

11. An old artist, named Behrman,
who lives in the same building as
the girls, braves a storm one
night to paint a leaf on the wall
— a leaf that will never fall. Cold
and wet from painting in the icy
rain, he catches pneumonia
and dies. This gives Johnsy the
hope to survive her illness, and it
also creates the masterpiece
Behrman had always dreamed
of painting.

12. Start answering now!

13. VII. Genre:
Short Story
• 35 pages,
paperback

14. VIII. Universality:
A sacrifice is the act
of giving up
something, or not
having something or
doing something
yourself, to help
somebody else.

15. We saw how Mr. Behrman
gave his life to help Johnsy
in The Last Leaf. He made
the greatest sacrifice
anybody could make. But
sacrifices are not always
as great as Mr Behrman's.
We make small sacrifices
almost every day.

16. IX. Author
o William Sydney
Porter (O. Henry)
o September 11,
1862- June 4, 1910
o Master of surprise
endings who wrote
about life of
ordinary people in
New York.

17. X. Symbolism:
•The falling leaves-
Despair
•The last leaf- Hope
•Mr. Behrman- a true
friend/family
•Bay of Naples- dreams

18. XI. Figures of Speech
PERSONIFICATION
‘But the vine is killing her’ said
Sue.
“The streets run crazy and
broken themselves into small
strips called ‘places’.”
Simile
 “Johnsy was lying white
and still as a fallen statue.”

19. Imagery
 “His shoes and clothing
were wet through and icy
cold.”
“I have something to tell
you, white mouse.”
Comparison
 “Young artists must pave their way
to art by drawing pictures for
magazine stories that young
authors write to pave their way to
literature.”

20. XII. Plot:
Man in Road- Johnsy
Man in Hole- Sue
Man in a Tub- Mr.
Behrman

21. XIII. Narrator’s Point of View:
Third person point of view
In a little district west of
Washington Square the
streets have run crazy
and broken themselves
into small strips called
“places.” These
“places” makestrange
angles and curves

22. XIV. Characters:
•Sue- Round and Static
•Johnsy- Round and
Dynamic
•Mr. Behrman- Round
and Dynamic

23. XV. Setting:
The story happens in a
three-story brick
building and the time is
the cold rainy days in
December.

24. XVI. Theme:
When Johnsy sees the
painted leaf against the wall
through the window then she
says,
“Something has made that
last leaf stay there to show
me a how wicked I was. It is a
sin to want to die.”