THE LAST LEAF OF HOPE
after O. Henry
“The Last Leaf”
He, who has
health,
has hope.
And he, who
has hope,
has everything.
Arab proverb
1
O. HENRY
(1862 – 1910)
2
ABOUT
THE
AUTHOR
O. Henry (1862-1910):
O’Henry, pseudonym of William Sydney
Porter, is an American writer of short stories,
best known for his ironic plot twists and
surprise endings. O. Henry attended school
only until age l5, when he dropped out to work
in his uncle’s drugstore. During his 20s he
moved to Texas, where he worked for more
than ten years as a clerk and a bank teller.
O’Henry did not write professionally until he
3
About the Author
reached his mid-30s, when he sold several
pieces to the Detroit Free Press and the
Houston Daily Post. In 1894 he founded a shortlived weekly humor magazine, The Rolling Stone.
Charged with embezzling funds from the
bank in Texas where he had worked from 1891
to 1894, O. Henry fled to Honduras rather than
stay to stand trial. When he learned that his
wife was dying, he returned to Texas in 1897;
and after her death he turned himself to the
authorities and served three years in prison,
4
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
where he began to write short stories and
used the pseudonym O. Henry. Drawing on his
life experience, O. Henry published over 500
short stories in dozens of widely read
periodicals, which made him recognised as one
of the most popular writers in America.
O. Henry's most famous stories, such as
“The Gift of the Magi,” “The Furnished Room,”
and "The Ransom of Red Chief," make simple
yet effective use of paradoxical coincidences
to produce ironic endings. For example, in “The
5
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Gift of the Magi”, a husband sells his watch to
buy his wife a Christmas present of a pair of
hair combs; but, she cuts and sells her long
hair to buy him a Christmas present of a new
chain for his watch. His style of storytelling
became a model not only for short fiction, but
also for American motion pictures and
television programs.
Writing at the rate of more than one story
per week, O. Henry published ten collections of
stories during a career that barely spanned a
decade. Three more collections, Sixes And
Sevens (1911), Rolling Stones (1912) and Waifs6
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
And Strays (1917), were published after his
death.
O’Henry's last years were shadowed by
alcoholism, ill health, and financial problems. He
died virtually penniless on June 5, 1910, in New
York. In 19l9 the O’Henry Memorial Awards for
the best American short stories published each
year were founded by the Society of Arts and
Sciences. The Complete Works of O. Henry was
published in l953.
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FACTS ON WILLIAM SYDNEY PORTER
He was born September 11, 1862 in
North Carolina, where he spent his
childhood.
 An acclaimed master of short stories
and tales.
 Starting in 1895 he wrote a column for
the Houston Daily Post.
 In early 1898 Porter was found guilty of
embezzlement charges and sentenced
to five years in an Ohio prison.
 Three years and about a dozen short
stories later, he emerged from prison as
"O. Henry" to help shield his true
identity.

8
FACTS ON WILLIAM SYDNEY PORTER




O. Henry wrote with realistic detail based
on his first-hand experiences both in Texas
and in New York City.
In 1907, he published many of his Texas
stories in The Heart of the West.
He moved to New York City, where over the
next ten years before his death in 1910, he
published over 300 stories and gained
worldwide acclaim as America's favorite
short story writer.
Porter died on June 5, 1910 in New York
City at the age of forty seven. An alcoholic,
he died virtually penniless.
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“THE LAST LEAF”
Who are the main characters?
 Prove that the girls were poor.
 What happened to Johnsy?
 What did doctor tell Sue about Johnny's
illness?
 What did Sue call NONSENSE?
 What was Behrman?
 Why did he die?

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GENERAL UNDERSTANDING
OF THE
TEXT
Q: What was, at first, Johnsy determined to
do if the last ivy leaf should fall?
She made up her mind to die when the last
leaf fell.
Q: What did she decide to do when she saw
the last leaf still cling to the vine after two
night’s rain and wind ?
She decided not to give up her life.
11
General Understanding of the Text
Q: How was it that the cold fierce wind did not
blow away the last leaf ?
Behrman, a kind neighbour, who was aware
of Johnsy’s state of mind, risked death to
paint the last leaf, and saved her with his
masterpiece.
Q: Why did she call the painted leaf Behrman’s
masterpiece ?
Because it was so perfect that the girls
both mistook it for the real thing.
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GENERAL UNDERSTANDING
OF THE
TEXT
The story revolves around the last ivy leaf .
“The last leaf” is the most important of all the
clues which help organize the story into one.
Besides “the last leaf”, there are other clues
that thread together the events in the story:
A. The doctor’s three visits. From the
doctor we learn the gravity of Johnsy’s and Mr.
Behrman’s illness (“she has a one chance in ten”,
then an “even chance”, and then “she’s out of
danger”. For Mr. Behrman’s illness, see Para. 26)
13
GENERAL UNDERSTANDING
OF THE
TEXT
B. The Soup. Johnsy refused to take any
soup offered to her when she had decided to
die with the fall of the last ivy leaf. But when
she was encouraged by the last ivy leaf that
would not give in to the weather and her will to
live returned, she asked for some soup.
C. The Bay of Naples. Before Johnsy fell ill,
she had wanted to paint the Bay of Naples
(L16) . When she inspired by the last undying
ivy leaf she again hoped to paint the Bay of
Naples (L105).
14
GENERAL UNDERSTANDING
OF THE
TEXT
D. Mr. Behrman’s Masterpiece. (Paras. 18-20;
Para. 39) Mr. Behrman was a failure in art and
for forty years he had always been about to
paint a masterpiece. He had always talked of his
coming masterpiece. He believed that some day
he would paint a masterpiece. And being a kind
man, Old Behrman finally he painted his
masterpiece on the wall and saved the life of
Johnsy at the expense of his own.
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ORGANIZATION OF TEXT
Scene 1: (Paras. 1-2: Sue & Johnsy)
Sue’s roommate Johnsy caught pneumonia.
Scene 2: (Paras. 3-8: Doctor & Sue)
The doctor told Sue that Johnsy needed
a strong will to live on.
Scene 3: (Paras. 9-17:Johnsy & Sue)
Johnsy decided that she would die when
the last ivy leaf fall.
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ORGANIZATION
OF
TEXT
Scene 4: (Paras. 18-21: Behrman & Sue)
Sue told Behrman about Johnsy’s fancy.
Scene 5: (Paras. 22-33: Sue & Johnsy)
As Johnsy was encouraged by the last
leaf that wouldn't give in to the weather,
her will to live returned to her.
17
ORGANIZATION OF TEXT
Scene 6: (Paras. 34-37: Doctor & Sue)
The doctor told sue that Johnsy would
recover, but Behrman caught pneumonia
himself and his case was hopeless.
Scene 7: (Paras. 38-39: Sue & Johnsy)
Sue told Johnsy that Behrman had
performed a kind deed without any thought of
self.
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WHAT EPISODE THIS PHOTO
DEAL WITH?
19
WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT “SACRIFICE” IN
ENGLISH?
A sacrifice is the act of giving up something, or not
having something or doing something yourself, to help
somebody else. We saw how Mr Behrman gave his life
to help Johnsy in The Last Leaf. He made the greatest
sacrifice anybody could make.
But sacrifices are not always as great as
Mr Behrman's. We make small sacrifices
almost every day. How about you? What
is the greatest sacrifice you have ever
made for your family or friends?
Did Mr. Behrman know he would die
after finishing “The Last Leaf”?
No, it was probably not.
THE KEY-WORD OF THE STORY
HOPE
Find examples in the text.
Who said the main words in this story?
22
COMPARE TWO GIRLS
Sue
Johnsy
23
Complete the word-web:
Priorities of young people
24
Make rating of your priorities
THE LAST LEAF OF HOPE
after O. Henry
“The Last Leaf”
He, who has health, has
hope.
And he, who has hope,
has everything.
Arab proverb
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
He, who has health, has hope.
And he, who has hope,
has everything.
Arab proverb
37