Structure

The short story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry is structured around a dramatic event in the lives of two female artists living in Greenwich Village: one of them falls sick with pneumonia and is about to die. Her friend and an old artist living downstairs help their sick friend regain her will to live.

Title

The title of the story is highly relevant for the story’s plot. As Johnsy falls ill with pneumonia, she is convinced that she is going to die soon. She believes that she does not have any reason to live and begins to count the leaves from an old ivy vine she sees up on the brick wall outside her window. She is convinced that once the last leaf falls, she will die:

‘There goes another one. There are only five left now.’
‘Five what, dear? Tell your Sudie.’
‘Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go, too. I've known that for three days. Didn't the doctor tell you?’ (ll. 74-78)

As the weather gets worse and worse, Sue (Johnsy’s friend) becomes desperate.

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Beginning

The beginning of the story contains its exposition. Here, readers get to know the setting and the main characters. We are introduced to Greenwich Village, a place filled with artists, and we soon realize that the story is going to explore the theme of art:

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Middle

The rising action is introduced by an intrigue: Johnsy falls sick with pneumonia and is so weak that the doctor believes she only has a slim chance of living. He encourages Sue to help Johnsy find a reason to live and implies that a man might be worth living for. However, Sue’s reaction hints that she and Johnsy might be a couple, or that, for them, art is the main thing worth living for:

‘She - she wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day.’ said Sue.
‘Paint? - bosh! Has she anything on her mind worth thinking twice - a man for instance?’
‘A man?’ said Sue, with a jew's-harp twang in her voice. ‘Is a man worth - but, no, doctor; there is nothing of the kind.’ (ll. 36-40)

An important tension point is revealed when Sue overhears a weakened Johnsy counting backwards from 12. She reveals that she is counting the leaves falling from the ivy vine on the brick wall outside her window and states that she will die as the last leaf falls:

‘There goes another one. There are only five left now.’
‘Five what, dear? Tell your Sudie.’
‘Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go, too. I've known that for three days. Didn't the doctor tell you?’ (ll. 74-78)

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Ending

The ending of the story reveals the plot twist. As the doctor is optimistic about Johnsy’s health, he is also grim about Behrman, the artist, who is very sick with pneumonia. That afternoon, Sue tells Johnsy that Behrman has died in the hospital.

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