Language

An interesting element in the story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry is the way Behrman speaks. As you can see, the following quotation hints at the man’s German ancestry through the way he pronounces words in English and through the way he mixes them with German articles:

‘Vass!’ he cried. ‘Is dere people in de world mit der foolishness to die because leafs dey drop off from a confounded vine? I haf not heard of such a thing. No, I will not bose as a model for your fool hermitdunderhead. Vy do you allow dot silly pusiness to come in der brain of her? Ach, dot poor leetle Miss Yohnsy.’ (ll. 130-134)

When Sue talks to the doctor, we can easily note the tension between them. When Sue talks to Behrman, the man comes across as protective towards her and Johnsy. Finally, when Sue talks to Johnsy, readers can deduce that Sue is protective towards her friend and that she loves her a lot.

Imagery

Imagery is very important in the story, as the use of descriptive passages helps readers visualize the atmosphere in Greenwich Village, as well as the way characters look or act. For example, visual imagery is employed in the following extract, where Greenwich Village is described:

So, to quaint old Greenwich Village the art people soon came prowling, hunting for north windows and eighteenth-century gables 10 and Dutch attics and low rents. Then they imported some pewter mugs and a chafing dish or two from Sixth Avenue, and became a ‘colony.’ (ll. 8-11)

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Similes

Similes are also present in the story. When Johnsy talks about going “sailing down, down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves” (ll. 103-104), the role of the simile is to show the young woman’s lack of will to live and her tiredness caused by her disease.

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Personification

Personification is another interesting technique employed in the story. As you have seen, pneumonia is personified as “Mr. Pneumonia” (l. 22) and is depicted as an angry and merciless man:

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Symbols

Symbols are present in the story and the most important one is the ivy leaf. For Johnsy, watching the leaves of the ivy vine fall becomes an obsession. She watches them obsessively and becomes convinced that she will die once the last leaf falls. For Johnsy, then, the ivy leaf comes to symbolize death and giving up, while it can also come to symbolize will to live and hope. At first, Johnsy does not manage to find any reason to live, yet the persistence of the ivy leaf encourages her to have hope.

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