Sue - a girl who never loses the presence of mind,
earns for living by painting, caring for her sick friend and encourages her,
inspiring confidence with words and deeds. "You are just like a
woman!" - an exhaustive description of Behrman. The writer reveals Sue by
means of character's action, for example
:"Sue went into the workroom and
cried"; "but then immediately cheers up and goes into Johnsy's
room"; "whistling ragtime"; "Sue came to the bed where
Johnsy lay, contentedly knitting a very blue and very useless woollen shoulder
scarf, and put one arm around her, pillows and all"; "Wearily Sue
obeyed.". Each time the author shows how Sue supports her friend and
worries about her health, and expresses it by Sue's speech, for instance: "Don't be a goosey. Why, the doctor
told me this morning that your chances for getting well real soon were - let's
see exactly what he said - he said the chances were ten to one! Why, that's
almost as good a chance as we have in New York when we ride on the street cars
or walk past a new building. Try to take some broth now, and let Sudie go back
to her drawing, so she can sell the editor man with it, and buy port wine for
her sick child, and pork chops for her greedy
self."; "I'd rather be here by you..."; "I don't want you
to keep looking at those silly ivy leaves.". She is a caring person, waiting on Johnsy and
hoping for her recovery, it becomes obviously because of the direct characterization.
The author skillfully describes the ill girl
Johnsy and her pessimistic mood. The writer reveals Johnsy by means of physical appearance, for example :"a little woman"; "white and
still as fallen statue"; "light and fragile as a leaf";
"dull, wide-open eyes". She essentially gives up, which does not
seem to make her much of a fighter. The author shows it by Johnsy's speech, for
example: "When the last one falls I
must go, too. I've known that for three days."; "There goes another.
No, I don't want any broth. That leaves just four. I want to see the last one
fall before it gets dark. Then I'll go, too."; "because I want to see
the last one fall.". With the help of direct characterization the
author describes Johnsy accessibly. We understand that she is rather weak,
light, fragile, impressionable, a fantasy-prone sweet girl. And again the word
to Berman: "Ach, dot poor leetle
Miss Johnsy!"; "Gott! dis is not any blace in which one so goot as
Miss Yohnsy shall lie sick.". And indeed his last act gives grounds to
assume that everyone loved Johnsy.
Then comes Mr. Behrman - the embodiment of
contradictions. On the one hand
caricature-repelling appearance, on the other hand an admired deed. The
writer reveals Behrman by means of
physical appearance, for example :"He
was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo's Moses beard curling down from the
head of a satyr along with the body of an imp,"; "...he was a fierce
little old man with his red eyes.". He makes very little money as an
artist. He is always about to do something, but never quite gets it done. O. Henry
presents it by character's actions, for example : "Behrman was a failure in art.";"... scoffed terribly at
softness in any one..."; "He had been always about to paint a
masterpiece, but had never yet begun it."; "For several years he had
painted nothing except now and then a daub in the line of commerce or
advertising. He earned a little by serving as a model to those young artists in
the colony who could not pay the price of a professional."; "He drank
gin to excess, and still talked of his coming masterpiece.". The
author shows Behrman's behaviour by his speech, for instance: "No, I will not bose as a model for
your fool hermit-dunderhead." and "'Who said I will not bose? For
half an hour I haf peen trying to say dot I am ready to bose!";
"Gott! dis is not any blace in which one so goot as Miss Yohnsy shall lie
sick. Some day I vill baint a masterpiece, and ve shall all go away. Gott!
yes". Also, O. Henry makes some emphasis on Behrman's ignorance and his relation to the lower
class. It is vividly showed by usage of
conversational (low-flown) words. In the beginning, the author gives us
a direct characterization of Mr. Behrman that doesn’t care about anyone else
other than himself, but in the end he shows his true personality by painting
the last leaf on the tree and he sacrifices his life for a young girl, that we
understand from indirect characterization of the character.
And as for
a doctor- very kind and busy person. O. Henry reveals a doctor by means
of physical appearance, for example: "...a shaggy, gray eyebrow...".
We can easily understand that a doctor is rather a kind person because of his
desire to help the patient. And the author displays it by character's speech,
for example :"I will do all that
science, so far as it may filter through my efforts, can accomplish.".
Also, he always has a lot of patients, such
lines improves this fact: "One
morning the busy doctor invited Sue into the hallway...".
And the antagonist of the story, an
impersonal thing that personified in the story like a separate character-an
awful disease called Mr. Pneumonia. The author reveals Mr. Pneumonia by means
of physical appearance, for example: “…with his icy fingers”; “…the red-fisted,
short-breathed old duffer.”. O. Henry presents Mr. Pneumonia by his
actions, for example: “stalked about the
colony, touching one here and there with his icy fingers”; “ this ravager
strode boldly, smiting his victims by scores, but his feet trod slowly through
the maze of the narrow and moss-grown 'places.”. The author’s description
shows vividly the ugliness of Mr. Pneumonia.
The composition of the
story contributes
empathy and complicity of readers. In the introduction we get acquainted with
the description of district in which painters come to set up their art studio
and it has curious maze streets criss-crossing
one another. This description of the streets has relevance to the story in
which a strong and strange psychological morbidity is focused. Also it acquaints us with friends and artists
Sue and Jones and their neighbor - the feisty old man. Calm beginning gradually
acquires a disturbing narrative tone. The main part of the story presented in a
sad way. The girl’s disease, despair of her friend, joyless of Berman’s life,
everything was like an old creaky steps in their home. The climax of the story,
as it always happens, manifested in the end of the story: the last leaf is a
drawing, the last Berman’s picture. A nondescript leaf that helped Jones to
recover, became the main masterpiece of the old painter. The presence intrigue,
internal conflict of heroes, overcoming of their external obstacles, the
emotional tone of the narrative, an unexpected outcome arouse a great interest
and desire to re-read it and to study a language of the story.
The types of speech employed by the author of the
analysed story are narration : “Mr. Pneumonia
was not what you would call a chivalric old gentleman. A mite of a little woman
with blood thinned by California zephyrs was hardly fair game for the
red-fisted, short-breathed old duffer.”, description: “in a little district west of Washington Square the streets have run
crazy and broken themselves into small strips called 'places.' These 'places'
make strange angles and curves. One Street crosses itself a time or two.”
and dialogues: “-'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?'”.
In order to portray the general atmosphere of
the story vividly and convincingly the author of the analysed story uses such stylistic devices as:
The metaphor: “But
whenever my patient begins to count the carriages in her funeral procession I
subtract 50 per cent from the curative power of medicines.”;
“The
lonesomest thing in all the world is a soul when it is making ready to go on its
mysterious, far journey.” is used to emphasize the main image of the short story under analysis.
It helps to create obvious image of Johnsy’s feeling of despair.
The narrator’s ironic treatment is seen from
the use of such words: “ Young artists must pave their way to Art by drawing pictures for
magazine stories that young authors write to pave their way to Literature.”.
The simile: “…and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves”;“… white
and still as fallen statue”;“ …and who regarded himself as especial
mastiff-in-waiting to protect the two young artists in the studio above” suggests the narrator’s desire to
show and highlight the appearance, actions and to show fully the whole
situation taking place in the story with the help of comparison.
The choice of such epithets
as:“cold stranger, icy fingers, chivalric old gentleman, red-fisted, greedy-self,
a jew’s harp twang, a mite of a little woman” is used
to make the text more emotional and reinforce the impression about a
person who is described with the help of epithets.
The hyperbole: “the streets have run crazy and broken themselves into small strips
called 'places.' These 'places' make strange angles and curves. One Street
crosses itself a time or two. An artist once discovered a valuable possibility
in this street.”;“Suppose a collector with a bill for paints, paper and canvas
should, in traversing this route, suddenly meet himself coming back, without a
cent having been paid on account!”; “… and had a Michael Angelo's Moses
beard curling down from the head of a satyr along with the body of an
imp”;“…and who regarded himself as especial mastiff-in-waiting to protect the
two young artists in the studio above” is used to intensify the description of a
place and appearance and to create a humorous effect.
In a way to make the sentence more rhythmical, the author
uses polysyndeton: “"Twelve,"
she said, and little later "eleven"; and then "ten," and
"nine"; and then "eight" and "seven", almost
together.”
Such repetitions
as: “She was looking out the window and counting - counting
backward”; “An old, old ivy”; “… and go sailing down,
down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves” show the strong emotions of the speaker.
Also we can
distinguish epiphora: “Who said I will not bose? For half an hour I
haf peen trying to say dot I am ready to bose” and anaphora:
“ I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of
thinking.”.
Cases of oxymoron is also used to show some irony: “ Johnsy, the merciless”; “…with blood
thinned by California zephyrs”;“…a
pair of elegant horseshow riding trousers and a monocle of the figure of the
hero, an Idaho cowboy”; “…with magnificent scorn”.
O. Henry uses a
lot of cases of personification such as: “… the rain still beat against the windows and pattered down from
the low Dutch eaves”; “The cold breath
of autumn had stricken its leaves from the vine until its skeleton branches
clung, almost bare, to the crumbling bricks”; “In November a cold, unseen stranger,
whom the doctors called Pneumonia, stalked about the colony, touching one here
and there with his icy fingers; this ravager strode boldly, smiting his
victims by scores, but his feet trod slowly through the maze of the narrow and
moss-grown 'places; Mr. Pneumonia was not what you would call a chivalric old
gentleman; the red-fisted, short-breathed old duffer”. He shows a disease
as a life creature that plays with human’s health and can ruin their lives.
To create humorous
effect the author applies zeugma: “So, to quaint old Greenwich Village the
art people soon came prowling, hunting for north windows and eighteenth-century
gables and Dutch attics and low rents”, “ They had met at the table d'hte
of an Eighth Street "Delmonico's," and found their tastes in art,
chicory salad and bishop sleeves so congenial that the joint studio resulted.”.
Also in order to convey the mood, the state of the
main characters, the whole condition of the story and paying attention to the
details O. Henry makes use of such
stylistic devices as: rhetorical
question: “Vy do you allow dot silly
pusiness to come in der brain of her?”; “What have old ivy leaves to do with
your getting well?”. Antonomasia: “Mr.
Pneumonia”. Climax: “But I
think you are a horrid old - old flibbertigibbet”. Metonymy: “Three days ago there were almost a hundred.
It made my head ache to count them. But now it's easy. There goes another one.
There are only five left now”; “…people have of lining-up on the side of the
undertaker”. “Then they imported some pewter mugs and a chafing dish or two
from Sixth Avenue, and became a 'colony.'”. Ellipsis: “Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one
falls I must go, too”; “Paint? - bosh!”. Emphatic structure: “there
yet stood out against the brick wall one ivy leaf.”. Inversion: “Still dark green near its stem, with its
serrated edges tinted with the yellow of dissolution and decay, it hung bravely
from the branch some twenty feet above the ground.”. Detachment:“Leaves. On the ivy vine.”.
A closer look at the stylistic devices of the
text allows to a better understanding of the creative style of the author,
penetrates the main idea of the story and causes a sympathy for its characters.
Summing up the
analysis of the story I want to say that this story helps to believe in
kindness, love and friendship. O.Henry brilliantly uses the twist or surprise
ending ( a technique that O. Henry is famous for ).It was the final
realization that the last leaf was not real but a painting which seemed to have
a magical healing power that renewed Johnsy's will to live and to defeat her
pneumonia. Personification, symbolism and similes catch the reader’s attention
and bring to us the
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