RE: The Last Leaf help me with homework: O.Henry is famous for surprise endings
O.Henry is famous for surprise endings or “twists” in his stories. In The Last Leaf, Johnsy seems to be dying of pneumonia when the story begins, but it is Mr Behrman who dies in the end, while Johnsy survives. Now we know how Mr Behrman died, think of these other points and discuss them:
- What did Mr. Behrman paint before he died?
- Try to describe his masterpiece.
- What did Mr. Behrman’s painting do for Johnsy to help her survive?
- What feeling did it give her?
- Why does Sue call “The Last Leaf” Behrman’s masterpiece?
Another main character is Mr. Pneumonia, though he doesn’t sound much like a painter. How would you describe Mr. Pneumonia?
2. His masterpiece is not a masterpiece in general sense, it was just a leaf on the window which made Johnsy think that this is the leaf that survived the storm.