The Last Leaf, A Beautiful Masterpiece
The Last Leaf by O. Henry was a very powerful and moving story. O. Henry, the pen name of famous William Sydney Porter, was a writer of short stories. As what he has said, "Write what you like; there is no other rule." He is best known for having astonishing endings, and we are yet to capture lessons from it. Pertinent to his story "The Last Leaf", he mixed emotions on the different characters as he portrayed his idea significantly. He openly showed ideas on love, friendship, and hope.
The story revolves around Johnsy and Sue, two young aspiring painters who share the same taste and interest in art. When Mr. Pneumonia arrives, Johnsy started to become ill. As Johnsy has been diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor says that she only has a one out of ten chance to survive—unless she finds the will to live. When the doctor asks whether something bothers Johnsy, Sue said that Johnsy was not able to fulfill her ambition of painting the Bay of Naples. Afterwards, Johnsy said that she will die as the last leaf falls, and Sue finds it silly and persists on telling her that she just needs a reason to live. Sue then visits their neighbor, Mr. Behrman, who is an old and unsuccessful painter, still yearning to paint his masterpiece.
When Behrman found out the state of Johnsy, he hesitated to do something. He really did not like the idea of Johnsy depending her health on the fall of the last leaf, so he stayed out all night amidst the violent storm and rain and painted a realistic leaf on the wall outside Johnsy and Sue's window. Looking forward, Johnsy started to yearn and recover. Sadly, Mr. Behrman caught pneumonia due to extreme cold and exposure to rain, and died a few days later. As Sue tells Johnsy about the good deed of Mr. Behrman, Johnsy said that Mr. Behrman was successfully able to paint his masterpiece.
After I read the story, I have grasped something. There are really times when we come to a point of our lives that some things are happening without our vision of seeing it happen. Sometimes, there are tragic moments that we have to face, no matter how struggling and intricate it is. The love of these two young women for each other showed its depth and immensity, and I could not ask for more. Looking behind the context, Johnsy and Sue might be in a romantic relationship. The story also exhibited a struggling love that delves on what they really feel for each other, which makes the atmosphere more intense and bluer.
While I was reading the short story, every word was breathtaking. The plot was inexplicably beautiful. I felt sad at the very beginning when Johnsy was diagnosed with pneumonia. I am so fragile when it comes to a character being sick and fatigued, that is why I was more interested in knowing the ending of the story. I felt sad for Mr. Behrman as well. Currently, art is still somehow underestimated and a lot of people still perceive art as a passion that will not make you successful—which is merely false. A lot of artists are struggling to keep art alive and cherished, and I believe that art makes the world more beautiful and vivid. It is one concept that I loved about the story, and it is desponding to know that Mr. Behrman was an unsuccessful painter. Honestly, this world needs more art; we need to give them more importance and appreciation—for it is what they deserve.
The characteristics depicted by Sue also moved me. She was very concerned about Johnsy. She was very into her and the love is really there, and that is what I loved most about her. I really witnessed how much she tried to keep Johnsy alive, and I wholly commend her for that. Personally, I feel what Johnsy feels. She lost hope, and she just wants things to be as easy as it should be. I have also experienced that. I really find life hard, especially that I feel so weak and purposeless; but in the end, I strived very hard with all my best to prove that I deserve to be happy.
I realized that losing hope is losing a purpose in this world. In times of great devastation and sadness, and even if we are at the peak of indifference and frustration, we must not give up. We must learn how to carry ourselves on, and continue to motivate ourselves to be better. We must not let these negativities outdo us because it can be very deteriorating, and O. Henry just delineated how hope must be lived up. In the end, I have learned to be an inspiration for other people, to be a reason of someone to live. It may look like a small thing, but its impact is very powerful. I was fascinated by Mr. Behrman's persistence to paint a leaf for Johnsy, because it made the story more poignant and highlighted. Overall, the story was worth the time, and the plot was moving. I genuinely loved the story, for it contains a lot of packed lessons.
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