Asked by: Puiu Tres
business and finance publishing industry

What is the significance of the last leaf falling from the ivy vine in the last leaf?

40
Henry's short story "The Last Leaf," the ivyleaves are significant because, for Johnsy, they have become ameasure of her time on earth.


Keeping this in view, what is the significance of ivy leaves in the story the last leaf?

For Johnsy, watching the leaves of the ivyvine fall becomes an obsession. She watches them obsessively andbecomes convinced that she will die once the last leaffalls. For Johnsy, then, the ivy leaf comes to symbolizedeath and giving up, while it can also come to symbolize will tolive and hope.

Beside above, what does Johnsy tell Sue will happen when the last leaf from the ivy vine falls? “The Last Leaf” concernsJohnsy, a poor young woman who is seriously ill withpneumonia. She believes that when the ivy vine on the walloutside her window loses all its leaves, she willalso die. Her neighbour Behrman, an artist, tricks her by paintinga leaf on the wall.

Beside this, what is the significance of the last leaf?

The title implies that the most important thingabout the story is the leaf. On the one hand, this makessense because it is the leaves that make Johnsy think she isgoing to die and it is the last leaf (as painted by the oldman) that makes her live.

Why did the last leaf not fall from the vine?

Behrman caught pneumonia because he was out inthe cold, rainy night standing on a ladder and painting aleaf on the ivy on the wall across Johnsy's window. Thelast leaf is not a leaf at all. How can there be anylink between a yellowing leaf falling off from an ivyvine during autumn and a person breathing herlast?

Related Question Answers

Bosanski Espadilha

Professional

What is the lesson of the story the last leaf?

The moral of the story the last leaf by o Henryis that even if we have to face bad things, we should always helpour loved ones.

Chrif Muhlehner

Professional

What did you learn about the last leaf?

The story Last Leaf by O Henry is a masterpiece.This story has many good lessons for all to learn. The storyis about the power of friendship, hope, love, sacrifice and care.Sue and Johnsy are two friends living together; Johnsy is infectedwith pneumonia epidemic.

Maryan Mingazetdinov

Professional

What is Johnsy's illness what can cure her?

Answer : In the short story 'The Last Leaf' by O. Henry,Johnsy was suffering from pneumonia. According toJohnsy's doctor, only the willingness to live couldcure her of her illness. Optimism and the willingnessto live played a major role in the curative power ofmedicines.

Cosima Rabindra

Explainer

What is the author's purpose in the last leaf?

"The Last Leaf" is a short story by O. Henrypublished in 1907 in his collection The Trimmed Lamp and OtherStory. The story is set in Greenwich Village during a pneumoniaepidemic. It tells the story of an old artist who saves the life ofa young artist, dying of pneumonia, by giving her the will tolive.

Abdelouahad Vyazalov

Explainer

What do ivy leaves symbolize?

Ivy. Ivy, being an evergreen plant,represents eternity, fidelity, and strong affectionate attachment,such as wedded love and friendship. The ivy plant is also astrong plant which can grow in the hardest enviroment.Another association of Ivy as an evergreen, is perenniallife and immortality.

Dimo Gueorguieva

Explainer

How is pneumonia personified in the story the last leaf?

In "The Last Leaf," pneumonia ispersonified as Mr. Pneumonia and described as a coldstranger and a "ravager" that has "stalked" over the country,touching people and infecting them with inflammation of the lungsat random.

Lennon Rueter

Pundit

How did Behrman save the life of Johnsy?

Behrman had worked through the rain and snow topaint the leaf outside Johnsy's window. As a result, hecaught pneumonia and died. He sacrificed his own life tosave Johnsy's life through the means of his masterpiece -the last leaf painted on the wall.

Dario Hartje

Pundit

Who are the main characters in the last leaf?

Main living characters of this story were,Sue, Johnsy and Mr. Behrman and Doctor and a nonlivingcharacter Mr. Pneumonia. Sue is a loving and caring friendwho always takes care of Johnsy. Sue by herself is a young artistand being one of the best friends of Johnsy, always takes care ofher.

Aldona Jackenkroll

Pundit

What is the theme or message of the last leaf?

In The Last Leaf by O. Henry we have thetheme of commitment, sacrifice, friendship, compassion, hopeand dedication.

Dienabou Compes

Pundit

What was the cause of Johnsy's illness How would the illness be treated?

Johnsy's illness was that she was suffering frompneumonia. The doctor said that she seemed to have made up her mindthat she was not going to get well and so medicines wouldnot be able to cure her. She could only be cured byher willingness to live.

Teodorico Potin

Pundit

What did the doctor tell Sue about the condition of Johnsy?

When Johnsy falls ill with pneumonia and fails toshow any sign of recovery, the doctor visits and tellsSue the following: "She has one chance in—let us say,ten," he said, as he shook down the mercury in his clinicalthermometer. "And that chance is for her to want tolive.

Janin Vintikov

Teacher

What illness does Johnsy have?

This disease, pneumonia, killed many people.Johnsy lay on her bed, hardly moving.

Saleem Radiker

Teacher

Why did Sue refer to the last leaf as Behrman's masterpiece?

That is why Sue calls it aMasterpiece. It is because of this Masterpiecethat Johnsy regains her will to live. Thus Behrman'spainting proves a Masterpiece in that it saves the life of agirl who has lost all hopes of recovery.

Lilibeth Iche

Teacher

What was Behrman's dream?

Behrman's dream is to paint a Masterpiece. Thisdream does come true but only with his death. He Paints anIvy leaf on a wall. He works in the cold winter rain.

Larissa Schmidle

Teacher

Who were Sue and Johnsy?

Sue and Johnsy are aspiring young artists whohave come to the great city of New York in order to earn theirlivings at the kind of work they both love. Sue is fromMaine. Johnsy came all the way from California. According tothe narrator, they met at a restaurant where they both ate theirdinners.

Vital Neudert

Reviewer

How did Johnsy associate herself with the falling leaves?

Johnsy suffers from pneumonia. She links herillness with the leaves of ivy creepers. She has madeup her mind that with the fall of the last leaf ofthe ivy creeper, she would also die. Johnsy peeps throughthe window to make herself sure that whether the lastleaf fell or not.

Ascendina Tschach

Reviewer

What brought the doctor to the house of Sue and Johnsy?

Answer: The doctor visited Sue andJhonsy,s house to check Sue,s illness as she wassuffering from pnuemonia.Jhonsy called for the doctor to seeSue if she was recovering.

Btissame Portnov

Reviewer

Why are the leaves on the ivy vine significant?

In O. Henry's short story "The Last Leaf," theivy leaves are significant because, for Johnsy, theyhave become a measure of her time on earth. Johnsy informs herfriend that she has been counting the ivy leaves that havefallen off the wall, and now only five are left. "When the last onefalls I must go, too.

Bartosz Dumitriu

Reviewer

Why did Johnsy keep looking out of the window?

Johnsy keep looking out of the window because shehad a funny thought that she would die with the lastleaf to fall. Therefore, she was waiting for the last leafto fall. Hence, she was peeping that creeper from thewindow. This that that she would die with the fall ofthe last leaf was what she was waitingfor.