Themes

The main theme explored in the short story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry is that of selflessness and sacrifice. Other minor themes also resurface from the text, and the most notable ones are the theme of hope and the theme of death.

Selflessness and sacrifice

This theme is illustrated by Behrman and his efforts to help Johnsy find a reason to live and something to hold on to. When he finds out that Johnsy is convinced that she will die once the last ivy leaf falls, the man is determined to do something to prevent her death. As an ultimate sacrifice, he gets out in the rain and snow in the middle of the night to paint an ivy leaf on the brick wall.

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Hope

The theme of hope is illustrated in the story by Sue. Even though the doctor only gives Johnsy one chance in ten to recover, Sue does not lose her hope. Note that she tries to be optimistic in her interactions with Johnsy, lying to her about her chances to survive and hoping that Johnsy finds something to cling on to:

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Death

The theme of death is explored in several ways in the story. On the one hand, this theme is hinted at through the title of the story, where the word “last” represents something close to an end.

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