A Critical Analysis on O. Henrys The Last Leaf The film based on O.

Henrys well renowned short story, The Last Leaf, begins with an artist, Joanna, narrating about how a small district in New York in which she lived in attracted a lot of people most especially immigrants and artists such as herself. She then introduced the other essential characters of the story; Susan, her younger sister who caught Pneumonia during the cold days of November and evidently lost her will to live as time passed by, and Mr. Burlane, an artist who lived in the same apartment as them and has been struggling for fifty years in making his masterpiece. Susan, seeing that her condition seemed to become worse, decided that when the last leaf on the dying vine outside their apartment window falls, she will die. Clearly Joana, as her sister, would be devastated. She did everything she could to keep Susan alive. But as the winds begun to grow stronger on that stormy night, Mr. Burlane sacrificed himself by painting under the strong gusts of wind and rain despite his old age. The next day, as Joana was told about Mr. Burlanes death, Susan took a peak out the window to see that the last leaf was still there. After a few weeks, Susan became better but noticed that the leaf didnt flutter nor moved one bit. There they realized that it was Mr. Burlanes Masterpiece, The Last Leaf. Based on the summary above, there is honestly a lot I can say about it but basically the short film circulates around the idea of hope, love, and selfsacrifice. In my opinion, hope and love are closely related in the story for it can be found in the bond of the two sisters. Joana hopes for Susan to stop being pessimistic and think positively so that she could get well. Here you notice how Joana truly loves and cares for her sister even though at times Susan can be stubborn. But what really caught my eye is Mr. Burlanes self-sacrifice to save a person who still has a lot to live for but instead chose to let her life slip away. This shows how he is different from his physical appearance: an irritable old man on the outside but kind and gentle on the inside. Thus drawing another idea, Dont Judge a Book by Its Cover. I also clearly remember a statement mentioned in the film that caught my attention. It is because through Mr. Burlanes love and self-sacrifice, he changed Susans life for the better and even ended his fifty years of struggle by finally painting his masterpiece. The greatest portrait of all time is the life of a common carpenter whose love and sacrifice changed the world forever.

Guide Questions to be answered: 1. Who are the characters? Describe each vividly. Joana Brady Susan Brady is Joanas younger sister who eventually gets Pneumonia and slowly loses her will to live as her condition seemed to worsen. Mr. Burlane is Joana and Susans neighbor and is also an artist who has been struggling for a long time in making his masterpiece. Mrs. McCleary is the landlady or the owner of the apartment Joana, Susan and Mr. Burlane are staying in. Mr. Scholosser is the owner of the shop that Mr. Burlane works at. Mr./Dr. Winchester is the Susans doctor. 2. Each one of us is an artist. Explain. In my opinion, each one of us IS an artist. Being an Artist does not necessarily mean that that person is good at painting, drawing, or sculpting. It is being able to express your feelings and emotions through something which you can let yourself loose and truly be yourself. And I believe that we all have that certain something that makes us be who we really are.
3. What was Mr. Burlanes greatest masterpiece?

Mr. Burlanes greatest masterpiece is the last leaf on the wall outside Susans window. It is because he loves and even sacrificed his health for Susan. A great portrait comes from a common person whose love and sacrifice changed the world. 4. What is the message of the story? The story shows that we encounter a lot of trials and difficulties in our lives. So we should never lose hope even if we are in a midst of a crisis. No matter how difficult it may be, we must continue to fight because obstacle we face is a gift given to us by God.