The Last Leaf

Friendship is an inherent part of what generates the hope that keeps Johnsy alive. It is a binding force in the story. However, the story suggests that part of friendship is demonstrating selflessness. In short, friendship requires sacrifice.

The story emphasizes the friendships among the main characters. Sue and Johnsy, both far from their roots in Maine and California, respectively, clearly rely on one another. In turn, their downstairs neighbor, Behrman, believes “that it was his special duty to do everything possible to help Sue and Johnsy” (15). These friendships manifest with a poignant simplicity that somewhat belies their depth. As the story progresses, Sue and Behrman express their own dreams and desires always in the context of how reaching their goals will benefit each other. Both characters are consistently oriented toward considering what they can offer to each other—especially to Johnsy, who is most in need. Behrman exclaims that once he does create his masterpiece, “we shall all go away from here [Greenwich Village]” (16). Similarly, Sue remarks, “I can sell my picture, and then I can buy something more for you [Johnsy] to eat to make you strong” (14). Even Johnsy, on deciding to recover, summons Sue in order to issue something of an apology and try to offer what she can: “Something has made that last leaf stay there to show me how bad I was. […] bring me a looking-glass, so that I can see myself. And then I’ll sit up and watch you cook” (17). This apology suggests self-reflection and an effort to show appreciation for Sue’s efforts.

However, sacrifice as an inherent part of friendship also manifests in many forms. The most obvious sacrifice is Behrman’s. In the midst of a pneumonia outbreak, after his own exposure to Johnsy, he ventures into the freezing rain to paint her a single perfect leaf. Sue makes her own sacrifices as well. In addition to the patience and care she shows toward Johnsy, she summons Behrman. It is arguably Sue’s persuasion that is what inspires Behrman to create his masterpiece. Before Behrman goes out, the two of them “looked out the window fearfully at the tree. Then they looked at each other for a moment without speaking” (16). Sue paints Behrman nearly the whole night, getting only “an hour’s sleep” (16). Yet Sue is less passive in Johnsy’s rescue than she might appear on the surface; though Sue is the one painting Behrman, this period of communion between the two suggests that she is in fact Behrman’s muse or model. Finally, even Johnsy sacrifices the ease that death might offer in order to stay with her friend. Life can be difficult and messy, full of striving. As Johnsy remarks at her lowest, “I have done enough waiting. I have done enough thinking” (15). Yet as Johnsy begins to recover, among her first efforts is to “sit up and watch you [Sue] cook” (17), that is, to acknowledge Sue’s friendship in return.