In the short story “The Last Leaf,” by O. Henry, Sue and Johnsy met
and decided to share a flat in May. In December, pneumonia started
making the rounds in their neighborhood. Johnsy got sick, and the
Doctor told Sue that Johnsy had a 1 in 10 chance in surviving depending
upon her attitude. Sue moved her painting supplies into Johnsy room to
keep her company, and became puzzled when Johnsy started saying “ . .
.twelve, eleven, ten . . .” She was counting leaves on the vine outside
of their window, and she informed Sue that she expected to die when the
last leaf fell.
Shortly thereafter, Sue was asking their old German neighbor Mr.
Behrman to pose for her painting, and they got into a discussion about
Johnsy, and she told Behrman that Johnsy expected to die when the last
leaf fell from the vine. Behrman who was an artist who’d never painted a
master piece agreed to sit for Sue, but when they look at the window at
the vine they notice that the pounding rain and ice has knocked the
last leaf off of the vine. After painting Behrman, Sue falls asleep.
The next day when Johnsy demands the blinds be raised so that she can
see the vine, she notices there is still a leaf. The leaf stays and
stays, and Johnsy decides she’ll survive. The next day they learn that
Behrman has died of pneumonia, and Sue tells Johnsy the leaf Behrman
painted outside the window was his life’s masterpiece.
3 коментарі:
What a movin' story! To give a girl the thing she so desperately needed - HOPE - was the greatest gift ever!
Ksenia, for sure. Sometimes people do not appreciate such a gift of fate. But in reality, it is priceless!!!
Beautiful blog!!! The story is very interesting and impressive.
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