The Last Leaf

• Introduction to Characters: Sue and Johnsy are two young artists who share a small flat on the third storey of an old house. They live together harmoniously until illness strikes.
• Johnsy’s Illness: In November, Johnsy falls seriously ill with pneumonia. She becomes bedridden and spends her time gazing out of the window. The doctor informs Sue that Johnsy has lost the will to live, making it difficult for medicines to cure her.
• The Ivy Creeper: Johnsy develops a morbid obsession with an old ivy creeper climbing the wall opposite her window. As the autumn wind blows the leaves away, she begins counting them backwards. She is convinced that when the last leaf falls, she will die.
• Sue’s Distress: Sue is deeply worried and tries to distract Johnsy with talk of clothes and fashion, but Johnsy remains unresponsive. Sue tries to keep Johnsy from looking out the window, even as Johnsy insists on waiting to see the last leaf fall.
• Behrman’s Involvement: Sue confides in their neighbour, Behrman, a sixty-year-old painter who lives on the ground floor. Behrman has always dreamed of painting a masterpiece but has never succeeded. When told of Johnsy’s foolish conviction about the leaf, he becomes upset but agrees to help.
• The Stormy Night: That night, a heavy storm rages with fierce winds and rain. There is only one leaf left on the creeper. Sue closes the curtains to hide the view, fearing the leaf will fall by morning.
• The Miracle: The next morning, Johnsy asks for the curtains to be drawn. To their surprise, the last leaf is still clinging to the vine, looking green and healthy despite the storm. Johnsy watches it all day, and it remains there even through another storm in the evening.
• Johnsy’s Recovery: Seeing the leaf survive gives Johnsy a new perspective. She realizes it was wicked to want to die. She apologizes to Sue, starts eating again, and regains her will to live. The doctor confirms that she is out of danger.
• Behrman’s Sacrifice: Later, Sue reveals the truth to Johnsy. Mr. Behrman has died of pneumonia after being ill for only two days. The janitor had found him in his room, wet and shivering, with a lantern, a ladder, and scattered paints nearby.
• The Masterpiece: It is revealed that Behrman had gone out in the storm to paint a leaf on the wall after the real last leaf had fallen. The leaf that gave Johnsy the hope to live was not real; it was Behrman’s true masterpiece.