Optimism and Hope
A Critique Paper of Symbolic Interpretation of
the Short Story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry
by Alyanna May M. Lopez of 11-Onesta
This short story is made by William Sydney Porter, with his famous pen name, O. Henry. William Sydney Porter is an American short story writer famous for his stories with surprise endings and plot twists. Another well-known aspect of his short stories is the characteristic of showing coincidence to ordinary life and common people using wits, humor, and grim. “The Last Leaf” does not stray far from the stated description. Some of his popular stories is “The Gift of the Magi” (1905) and “Cabbages and the King” (1904). “The Last Leaf” was published in the compilation entitled, “The Trimmed Lamp and Other Stories,” in 1907, and it is a very good story to read due to its moral lesson.
Summary
The story started with the description of the setting in the streets of Washington Square, Greenwich Village, New York. The author described the streets as “places” that are “crazy and broken” and make “strange angles and curves.” this started the mood of the story in a gloomy and dark atmosphere. The introduction continued to the four characters, namely; Johnsy, Sue, Mr. Behrman, and the doctor. It started with the meeting of the two main characters, Johnsy and Sue, and continued to the introduction of the personified sickness, Mr. Pneumonia, which they described as “ a cold, unseen stranger ...with icy fingers.” Johnsy got the sickness, the doctor hinted that the sick should believe and hope to get well so that there will be better results. Yet she was already counting her days and used the ivy leaves on the brick wall as her life countdown. Sue was really positive and helped her friend in all kinds of ways to make her feel and get better.
Mr. Behrman, an alcoholic and straightforward, yet kind man. He had a strong opinion about Johnsy and how she was acting while she’s sick. When morning came, Johnsy and Sue looked out the window and saw the same leaf from yesterday, still hanging, and Johnsy, who was sure she’d die last night, suddenly became determined to get well, and she did. The story ended with the news of Mr. Behrman’s death. Another plot twist, Mr. Behrman painted the last leaf on the window of Johnsy’s room, the night the last leaf fell and due to that, he got Pneumonia and died.
Symbolic Interpretation Analysis
Starting of with the characters of the story, Johnsy would represent us, a normal human being, in a stressful situation in the most vulnerable state. When faced with harsh situations, we feel grief and sadness, and we tend to feel depressed and negative. Sue, on the other hand, would represent our friends and family, the ones who would be there for us in the midst of our worst times. They are the ones who would support us, give us strength not to give up, to keep moving on, and to believe that there is still tomorrow, a rainbow after the storm. They are the ones that would make us believe that we are not alone, and that they are always there for us, beside us to help us and stretch out their hand to us. In a more abstract view, Sue would be “hope,” a value we should have in hard times, hope that everything will be better in the end.
Next is Mr. Behrman, who was actually the one who made Johnsy realize that there is still hope. In our life, he would be our parents, teachers, mentors, who guide us into the right path and never lets us astray. They would be the ones who would give us a slap in the face the moment we start changing bad. The ones who would make us realize the truth, that we should not give up but rather stand up and face the situation. The doctor, in an abstract sense, would be “optimism” and “positivity,” Another value we need to have every day. Being positive has thousands of perks, one being that it boosts our mood and keeps us happy even in the saddest times. Thinking positively helps us surpass hardships in a better and easier way. It keeps us moving and makes us avoid of giving up. Not really a character, but a personified disease, Mr. Pneumonia, is our worst nightmares, bad moments and obstacles in life. The friendship of Sue and Johnsy also shows the real value of true friendship, which is really hard to find.
The last symbolism is the last leaf, a symbol of both hope and despair, plus fortitude and determination. First, it was a symbol of despair for Johnsy since it was how she counted her last moments of living. It turned into a value of fortitude, determination, resilience, and perseverance because of its ability to keep holding on. Even if the leaf’s so-called resiliency to withstand the winds and cold weather that made Johnsy want to live again, when in reality it did not fall because it is just a painting made by Mr. Behrman. It became a symbol of hope for Johnsy to once again stand up and live her life. It gave her the will to start her life anew. From a different perspective, the last leaf may stand for people like Johnsy, who were survivors from extreme and dire situations.
Overall Assessment
If I were to rate the short story, I would give it a 9 out of 10. The purpose of the article was shown, that with the power of hope and determination nothing is impossible to achieve. O, Henry wants the readers to realize that in the midst of our worst times, we should never give up and that we should always place hope in our heart and mind. The author's intended audience are those people who are depressed and are starting to lose their will to live. The author wants to show them that they aren’t alone, they have their friends, loved ones, their family, teachers, mentors, and everyone around them that supports them in their life.
The tone, mood, and atmosphere of the story is good. Starting with a grim and dreadful atmosphere, while starting to get heavier and gloomier as we delve into the story. Then finally in the turning point of the story, the mood lightened up only to shaken again from the news of Mr. Berhman’s death. It followed the intended audience since they relate to it.
O. Henry wrote The Last Leaf in 1907 and as implied that the story was written in the early 19th Century, the story used Old English, very different from modern English that we are more comfortable. The story used deep words and figures of speech from Old English, which is really different from our normal modern figure of speech, but that is just what you would expect in Old English Literature. The construction of the sentences was slightly different, with good comprehension skill and concentration, the story would be easy to understand and good to read. If the reader does not have that skill then he or she will have difficulty in reading and understanding, therefore making it hard for the reader to enjoy and see the beauty of the selection.
Conclusion
In summary, the selection is very good. It had a nice flow, a unique plot twist shown at the best timing. The characters each had importance and purpose. The way things were described were also good and helped in making vivid imagery within me, a reader's mind. The tone and the atmosphere within the story helped me have the perfect mood when reading the story. The morale of the story was well-thought of and properly shown Everything was good and not a word or space was wasted in the story and for this amazing story, I want to applaud Mr. William Sydney Porter and his story.
✅
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