The last leaf question answers :

 The Last Leaf Summary :

The Last Leaf was a short story written by O. Henry. The story begins with Johnsy and Sue who were young artists and friends living together in a small flat. Once, Johnsy fell seriously ill in the month of November. The doctor diagnosed that she was suffering from pneumonia. Her friend, Sue was really worried and tried to cheer her up so that she would recover soon. But Johnsy had given up the hope of survival. She had somehow made up her mind that she would never recover and would die soon. Seeing her condition deteriorate, the doctor asked Sue to relieve Johnsy from all worries, otherwise, her medicines wouldn’t respond to her illness.

Sue tried her best to cheer up Johnsy, but she took no interest in the surroundings. She was non-responsive to any of Sue’s efforts. One day, while Johnsy was lying on her bed, she noticed an ivy plant through the window that was gradually losing all its leaves. Seeing the bare condition of the tree, Johnsy said that she would die the day the last leaf would fall off the plant. Although the ivy plant had nothing to do with her illness, Johnsy was too depressed to think positively about her own recovery.

Meanwhile, Sue continued convincing Johnsy that she would recover from her illness soon and she should not pin her journey of survival on the last leaf of the ivy plant. As days passed, Johnsy kept counting the remaining leaves of the plant every day. Unable to bear the pain of her dear friend, Sue approached Behrman, an aged artist who lived downstairs and explained about Johnsy’s mental state. She told him how her friend had pinned her survival on the last leaf of the ivy plant.

Soon, Behrman came to visit Johnsy but found her asleep. Sue pulled the curtains of the window of her room and they went to sit in the other room. That day, it was raining heavily along with a storm and she felt the leaves of the ivy plant would shed off soon. She hesitantly peeped out of the window and saw only one leaf on the creeper which might fall off the plant anytime. However, Behrman said no word and returned to his room. That night, the old artist decided to do something for Johnsy. He painted a similar leaf of an ivy plant and tied it on the creeper while Johnsy was asleep. But while doing so, he fell ill due to the exposure to freezing cold weather and heavy rainfall outside. After two days, he died of pneumonia.

The following morning, Johnsy looked out of the window after a vicious storm the previous night and saw there was the last leaf that was still clinging to the ivy plant. This gave her the hope to live. She realized that she was foolish to pin her survival on the last leaf of a plant. She understood that there must be a definite reason why the last leaf remained in the creeper and it was sinful of her to want to die at such a young age. Soon, Johnsy recovered from her illness.

Later, when Johnsy recovered from illness completely, Sue informed her that Behrman had died of pneumonia. He had contracted the disease while being out in the cold and wet weather and he had painted the last leaf to give Johnsy the hope of survival. Finally, Behrman had successfully painted his masterpiece—the leaf that saved Johnsy’s life and gave her hope to live longer, while he sacrificed his own life in the process.

Question 1.

What is Johnsy’s illness? What can cure her, the medicine or the willingness to live?

Answer:

Johnsy, a young artist, was ill. She was suffering from pneumonia. But later on she suffered from a misconception that she would die as soon as the last leaf on the creeper would fall down. The medicine had no effect on her. Her willingness to live could cure her.

Question 2.

Do you think the feeling of depression Johnsy has is common among teenagers?

Answer:

Life has two aspects i.e. positive and negative. It depends upon us how we take it. Nowadays it is very common that teenagers are getting depressed because of cut-throat competition. On the other hand, a majority of teenagers who take life positively and faces difficulties boldly never lose hope and proceed further.

Question 3.

Behrman has a dream. What is it? Does it come true?

Answer:

Behrman had a dream to paint a masterpiece in his life. He kept waiting for the opportunity to give it a practical shape. Yes, he could materialize his dream when he painted the last leaf of the ivy creeper.

Question 4.

What is Behrman’s masterpiece? What makes Sue say so?

Answer:

Behrman was a 60-year old artist who had a dream to paint a masterpiece. His painting of an ivy leaf was his masterpiece which saved the life of Johnsy. It was such a painting that it was not easy to make out whether the leaf was real or it was just a painting. When Behrman died painting this life-saving painting, Sue called it a masterpiece.

Question 1.

Have you ever felt depressed and dejected? How did you overcome such feelings? Share your experience with your classmates.

Answer:

Our life is full of troubles. To move ahead we have to face the troubles boldly. Sometimes because of troublesome conditions, we get depressed and dejected. We lose interest in the world around us. Pessimism surrounds us. In this state of mind, we should try to think positively and get rid of this condition. Our faithful friends can also be helpful in this regard. I felt depressed and dejected when I could not score good marks in the final examination of Class VI. I was a meritorious student. I was sure that I would get the highest marks in the class. Unfortunately, a month before the final exam, I suffered from severe typhoid. It continued for 15 days. I became weak and could not prepare properly for the exam. As a result, I got the lowest marks in the class. But my parents and teachers consoled me by telling me that it happens with everyone. They said me to be confident and be prepared to do my best in the next class.