‘The Last Leaf’, first published in O Henry’s collection ‘The Trimmed Lamp’, is quite a moving story that cherishes the treasury of life and the existence of faith and hope. While the story is set in Greenwich village, New York, it speaks volumes on the many battles humans strife through their journey of life.
The story presents the life of three struggling artists – Sue (who was from Maine), Johnsy (who was from California) and old Behrman. They live an impoverished life in an artists’ colony in Greenwich village. It is an area marked by low rents. Thus we understand that they belong to the lower strata of the society and strive hard for success while hoping to make it big one day. They understand each other's fate very well and yet support each other even at the cost of their own life. They may be impoverished but their lives are splendid. The notion of friendship and self-sacrifice is the central idea of the story and keeps the reader hooked till the end.
The story commences in Sue and Johnsy’s jointly owned apartment, that is at the top of an old three-story brick house, in an artists’ colony of Greenwich village. The two friends also use this apartment as their studio.
In the month of November, Johnsy comes down with a serious attack of pneumonia. The disease has a bad reputation in this village and seems to have taken several lives. When Sue calls for the doctor, she is told that her friend Johnsy has slim chances of survival. This was not because of her physical illness, but more because Johnsy had foolishly associated her chances of survival to that of the falling leaves of the ivy-tree.
We are then introduced to Behrman, an old artist who was way past sixty years in age. He lived on the ground floor of the same apartment as that of Sue and Johnsy. He comes forward to help Sue in saving Johnsy’s life.
The story while maintaining the surprise elements, ends with a sting in the tail. Throughout the story, we read that Johnsy was ill and was expected to die with the fall of the last leaf. However, Behrman who paints the last leaf on the wall and battles the stormy night dies of pneumonia. Behrman was successful both in painting his masterpiece and in saving Johnsy’s life. Though Behrman appears once and speaks only twice in the story, his affection for Johnsy and Sue is well manifested in the story through his sacrifice. He thus becomes the very epitome of the theme of the story that self-sacrifice through love for others achieves happiness. The unexpected ending not only creates hope for other artists like Behrman but also recognizes him as a typical O Henry hero.
After reading the stories "The Lottery" and "All Summer in a Day," we can compare and contrast the characters' reactions to Tessie and Margot as follows:
- Differences: In "The Lottery," at least at the beginning, the characters treat Tessie well and find her quirks humorous. In "All Summer in a Day," the characters do not treat Margot well at all and do not find her quirks to be humorous. They simply hate that she is different.
- Similarities: In both stories, at a certain point, the other characters become extremely hostile toward Tessie and Margot. In the first case, the characters lose their temper as Tessie begins to question the lottery results. In the second case, the children lock Margot up as she begins to talk about the sun.
<h3>Who are Tessie and Margot?</h3>
Tessie is a character in the short story "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson. As the lottery winner, Tessie's prize is to be stoned to death in a sacrificial ritual by the other villagers. Margot is a character in "All Summer in a Day," by Ray Bradbury. She is nine years old and lives in Venus. She is the only child in her group that remembers what the sun looks and feels like. She is more frail and quiet than the others.
In both stories, the characters of Margot and Tessie are found to be different than the others. However, while Margot is always treated with hostility, Tessie is treated with good humor and acceptance at first.
However, at a certain point, both characters are attacked by the others. Margot is screamed at and locked in a closet. Tessie is also screamed at once she begins to question the lottery. In the end, she is killed.
With the information above in mind, we can conclude that the explanation and answer provided are correct.
Learn more about "The Lottery" here:
brainly.com/question/14192752
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Answer:
fall, leaves, pumpkin I think that's what you asked for haha
