English Summary
'The Last Leaf' by O. Henry is a touching story of friendship, hope, and sacrifice set in Greenwich Village, New York. Two young artists, Sue and Johnsy (Johanna), share a studio apartment. Johnsy falls seriously ill with pneumonia. The doctor says her chances of survival are slim because she has lost the will to live. Johnsy has developed a strange fixation: she believes she will die when the last leaf falls from an old ivy vine outside her window.
Sue, worried for her friend, tries to cheer her up and also calls their downstairs neighbor, Mr. Behrman, a failed old painter who dreams of creating a masterpiece. Sue shares Johnsy's superstition about the leaves with Behrman. That night, a fierce cold wind and rainstorm hits the city. Johnsy is sure the last leaf will fall and with it, her life. However, when she looks out in the morning, the last leaf is still clinging to the vine, braving the storm.
This gives Johnsy a glimmer of hope. She realizes it is sinful to want to die and begins to recover. The doctor confirms her improving condition. Later, Sue reveals the truth to Johnsy: the last leaf never fell because it was not real. On that stormy night, old Behrman went out and painted a perfect, lifelike ivy leaf on the wall where the last leaf was supposed to be. He caught pneumonia from the cold and died two days later. But in doing so, he had finally painted his masterpiece—a leaf so real it gave a young girl the will to live. His selfless act saved Johnsy's life.
Chapter 7: The Last Leaf - Hindi Summary (हिंदी सारांश)
ओ. हेनरी की 'द लास्ट लीफ' न्यूयॉर्क के ग्रीनविच विलेज में सेट मित्रता, आशा और बलिदान की एक मार्मिक कहानी है। दो युवा कलाकार, सू और जॉन्सी (जोहाना), एक स्टूडियो अपार्टमेंट साझा करती हैं। जॉन्सी निमोनिया से गंभीर रूप से बीमार पड़ जाती है। डॉक्टर कहता है कि उसके बचने की संभावना कम है क्योंकि उसने जीने की इच्छा खो दी है। जॉन्सी को एक अजीब धारणा हो गई है: उसे विश्वास है कि जब उसकी खिड़की के बाहर एक पुरानी आइवी बेल से आखिरी पत्ती गिर जाएगी, तब वह मर जाएगी।
सू, अपनी दोस्त के लिए चिंतित, उसे खुश करने की कोशिश करती है और उनके नीचे रहने वाले पड़ोसी, मिस्टर बेहरमन को भी बुलाती है, जो एक असफल बूढ़ा चित्रकार है जो एक उत्कृष्ट कृति बनाने का सपना देखता है। सू बेहरमन के साथ पत्तियों के बारे में जॉन्सी की अंधविश्वास साझा करती है। उस रात, शहर में एक तेज ठंडी हवा और बारिश का तूफान आता है। जॉन्सी को यकीन है कि आखिरी पत्ती गिर जाएगी और उसके साथ, उसकी जान चली जाएगी। हालाँकि, जब वह सुबह बाहर देखती है, तो आखिरी पत्ती अभी भी बेल से चिपकी हुई है, तूफान का सामना करते हुए।
इससे जॉन्सी को आशा की एक किरण मिलती है। उसे एहसास होता है कि मरना चाहना पाप है और वह ठीक होने लगती है। डॉक्टर उसकी सुधरती हुई हालत की पुष्टि करता है। बाद में, सू जॉन्सी को सच्चाई बताती है: आखिरी पत्ती कभी नहीं गिरी क्योंकि वह असली नहीं थी। उस तूफानी रात, बूढ़े बेहरमन बाहर गए और उस दीवार पर एक आदर्श, सजीव आइवी पत्ती चित्रित की जहाँ आखिरी पत्ती होनी चाहिए थी। उसे ठंड से निमोनिया हो गया और दो दिन बाद उसकी मृत्यु हो गई। लेकिन ऐसा करके, उसने आखिरकार अपनी उत्कृष्ट कृति चित्रित की थी—एक पत्ती इतनी वास्तविक कि उसने एक युवा लड़की को जीने की इच्छा दी। उसके निस्वार्थ कार्य ने जॉन्सी की जान बचा ली।
Character Sketch
Johnsy (Johanna): A young, talented but fragile artist. She falls victim to pneumonia and, more dangerously, to despair. She loses her will to live and links her fate to the falling ivy leaves—a symbol of her fading hope. Her weakness is psychological. However, the persistence of the 'last leaf' rekindles her will to live, showing that hope, however small, can lead to recovery. She represents vulnerability and the power of a changed perspective.
Sue: Johnsy's caring, practical, and loyal friend and roommate. She is the nurturing force who tends to Johnsy, works to earn for both, and seeks help. She is the bridge between Johnsy's inner world of despair and the external solution (Behrman). Her concern and actions are instrumental in saving Johnsy's life. She represents selfless friendship and proactive care.
Mr. Behrman: An old, failed painter who lives downstairs. He is gruff, alcoholic, and talks endlessly about his never-painted masterpiece. Beneath his rough exterior lies a heart of gold. His lifelong dream is realized not on a grand canvas, but through a simple, profound act of sacrifice. By painting the last leaf in the storm, he gives Johnsy the will to live and creates his true masterpiece—an act of supreme human kindness. He represents unrealized potential, hidden courage, and the ultimate sacrifice for another.
10 Previous Year Questions & Solutions
1. What was Johnsy's illness? What was the real cause of her deteriorating condition according to the doctor? (2020)
Answer: Johnsy was suffering from pneumonia. According to the doctor, the real cause of her deteriorating condition was not just the disease, but her loss of the will to live. He said that if a patient does not want to live, medicines become ineffective. Johnsy had made up her mind that she was going to die.
2. What strange belief did Johnsy develop during her illness? (2022)
Answer: Johnsy developed the strange belief that she would die when the last leaf fell from the old ivy vine outside her window. She had been counting the falling leaves and was convinced that her life was tied to the last remaining leaf. She told Sue, "When the last one falls, I must go too."
3. Describe the character of Mr. Behrman. What was his lifelong dream? (2019)
Answer: Mr. Behrman was a sixty-year-old failed painter who lived on the ground floor. He was a fierce, alcoholic man with a long beard and a bad temper, but he had a soft spot for the two girls upstairs. His lifelong dream was to paint a masterpiece, but he had never begun it. He considered himself a protector of the young artists.
4. What did Sue and Behrman see when they looked out of the window at the ivy vine? (2023)
Answer: When Sue and Behrman looked out at the ivy vine, they saw that after the persistent rain and fierce gusts of wind, only one last leaf was left on the branch, about twenty feet above the ground. It was hanging bravely from the stem, a symbol of tenacity against the storm.
5. What gave Johnsy the will to live again? (2018)
Answer: Johnsy regained the will to live when she saw that the last ivy leaf had survived the stormy night and was still clinging to the vine the next morning. Its perseverance in the face of wind and rain made her feel ashamed of her own wish to die. She realized it was a sin to want to die and decided to fight for her life.
6. How did the last leaf on the vine remain intact during the stormy night? (2021)
Answer: The last leaf did not remain intact naturally. On that stormy night, old Behrman, having heard of Johnsy's superstition, went out with a ladder, lantern, and paints. In the cold wind and rain, he painted a perfect, lifelike ivy leaf on the wall where the last real leaf was visible. The leaf that survived was his painting.
7. Why is Behrman's painting called his masterpiece? (2022)
Answer: Behrman's painting is called his masterpiece because it was so perfectly real that it fooled Johnsy into thinking it was a real leaf. More importantly, it was a masterpiece of human sacrifice and love. It achieved what great art should: it profoundly impacted a life, giving hope and the will to live. It was his greatest work because it saved a life.
8. What is the theme of sacrifice in the story 'The Last Leaf'? (2020)
Answer: The theme of sacrifice is central. Old Behrman sacrifices his own life to save Johnsy's. Knowing he could catch pneumonia in the cold storm, he goes out to paint the leaf anyway. His selfless act, which costs him his life, becomes the ultimate sacrifice, demonstrating that true artistry and heroism lie in acts of kindness and saving others.
9. How does O. Henry use the literary device of irony in the story? (2023)
Answer: O. Henry uses situational irony. Behrman, who failed to paint a masterpiece in 40 years, creates one in a single night, but it's not a grand canvas—it's a simple leaf on a wall. The irony is that his greatest artistic success comes through an act of deception meant to save a life, and it leads to his death, the very thing it prevented for Johnsy.
10. What message does the story 'The Last Leaf' convey about hope and friendship? (2019)
Answer: The story conveys that hope is a powerful force for healing, and even a small symbol of perseverance (the leaf) can restore the will to live. It also celebrates deep friendship and sacrifice. Sue's care and Behrman's ultimate sacrifice show that true friendship involves selfless actions to protect and save those we care about.
