Wednesday, September 30, 2015

What could be another title for "The Last Leaf"?

The first title that comes to mind is "Staying Alive." This short story shows how life is based on hope as much as science or medicine. Johnsy has contracted pneumonia. She believes she will die when the last leaf falls from the tree growing against the wall outside her window.
Her friend Sue persuades their neighbor, Mr. Behrman, to paint a leaf on the wall behind the tree. Because this leaf doesn't fall, Johnsy stays alive long enough to recover fully from her pneumonia. Ironically, however, Mr. Behrman himself dies of pneumonia caught from being outside painting the leaf. This kind of irony is typical of O'Henry's method. The leaf becomes Mr. Behrman's final masterpiece. This leads to another possible title for this story: "The Masterpiece."

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