最后一片叶子的英语论文

Analysis of O. Henr y’s The Last Leaf
Abstract:
O. Henry was the pen name of American writer William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862–June 5, 1910), whose clever use of twist endings in his stories popularized the term "O. Henry Ending". His middle name at birth was Sidney, not Sydney; he later changed the spelling of his middle name when he first began writing as a journalist in the 1880s.
O. Henry’s stories are mainly about the insignificant persons from the bottom of the society. His works are written in vivid and lively language. He was good at creating humorous plots by the use of puns, homonyms, quotations etc.
The Last Leaf is one of O. Henry’s representative works, a classic of short stories. It has been very popular since published. At the end of this story, he brings to light the theme of the story and infuses a great power into the readers’ hearts. The theme of this story is definitely self-sacrifice. Mr. Behrman sacrificed his own health for johnsy. Sometimes you should never judge someone by what they appear to be, but by their actions. Behrman acts fierce and aggressive, but his actions show how much he cares about Johnsy.
Body:
1.Introduction
The Last Leaf is one of O. Henry’s representative works. It tells the story happened among the young girls Johnsy, Sue and the old painter Behrman. Johnsy is afflicted with pneumonia. Her only hope for living is on the ivy leaves on the brick wall of the opposite house. The leaves are fighting against the strong wind and the heavy rain, just like sick Johnsy. To save Johnsy from the horrible illness, Sue tries hard to take care of her and encourages her. However, with more leaves falling down, Johnsy was getting worse. Death will definitely ruin her when the last leaf falls off the ivy vine. In order to help Johnsy survive, the old painter Behrman who lives downstairs paints a leaf on the wall, and finally it becomes the last leaf. Thanks to that leaf, Johnsy defeats the illness and soon recovers. Nevertheless, old Behrman got pneumonia from a cold when he was painting the leaf. In the story The Last Leaf, O. Henry fully shows his intelligence and talent. He creates very vivid characters in his own way of writing. With his description, the scenes in the story seem to play in front of
the readers’ eyes. Using contradictions, he arouses the reader’s interests and curiosity with very attractive plots. The unexpected ending leads the readers to suddenly realize the profound significance of this work.
2. Literature review
O. Henry was an ordinary person from an ordinary American family. What make him so unique are his life experiences. The relationship between O. Henry’s life experiences and his writing style has attracted a lot of people to explore. With their persistent efforts, O. Henry’s li fe experiences are not mysteries anymore. His life was full of unpleasant things, whereas due to which he achieved outstanding intelligence and talents. His experience was the foundation of his future development in writing, and also the source of his crea tion. O. Henry’s works are usually fresh and unique. To write such successful works, he had his own way. Contrast is one of his weapons to create vivid characters; another weapon to express the feelings is his brief and clear wording.
The Last Leaf, a representative work of the famous short-story writer O. Henry, has been studied from different aspects. It tells the story among two young girls Johnsy, Sue and an old painter Behrman. It glorifies true love in the world by the narration of old Behrman’s and Sue’s love, care and help for Johnsy. By the portrayal of the living environment and living status of the three main characters, it reveals that American people were in ―The Gilded Age‖. And by contrast it shows the love and care between the poor. The ending of this work is unexpected but reasonable. It guides the readers to suddenly realize what happen and then get the theme of the story. The ―O. Henry ending‖ makes the substance of the work even more significant, it leaves a pleasant aftertaste for readers. ―The famous American short-story writer O. Henry creates an illustrious image of a poor and old painter who sacrifices himself to save a young girl’s life in The Last Leaf. The love and the humanity he praises is similar to the core of Confucianism —Ben evolence.‖ (Li, 2009: 67). Confucianism thinks that a person with lofty ideals has no fear of death. On the contrary, he has the courage to sacrifice for benevolence. What we can see from old Behrman is the essence of Confucianism, ―benevolence‖ and ―loving people‖. The Last Leaf of O. Henry lights up the hope of the confused modern people. It reminds us of love and harmony which are the foundations of a society.
3. O. Henry’s writing features
1)O. Henry’s works usually tell the story of insignificant people, while showing great humanitarianism. Over a long period of time, O. Henry lived in the bottom of society, he knew how tough life could be for people from underclass, and he knew how cruel the law could be to poor people. Therefore, he showed great sympathy for the poor. In his work, the poor are usually of good qualities. They have pure and kind hearts, they can get true and deep love, but they are weak and small, helpless, starving, homeless, always frustrated by fate and tortured by society. This kind of unfairness is a strong contrast to the prosperous upper class. It reflects the writer’s indignation because of the injustice.
2) Metaphor is an outstanding feature of O. Henry’s writing in this work. The last leaf is the main thread which goes through the whole story, and also the key to revealing the theme of it.
First, it means the greatest achievement for the old painter Behrman. Before painting this leaf, Behrman never paints any satisfactory work. From painting, he dose not even make enough money for life. Although this painting is just a leaf, it saves a young girl’s life from the hand of illness. It is the most successful painting and the greatest accomplishment of art in his life.It is the sign of life. The ivy leaves on the brick wall are being devastated by the aggressive wind and rain, just like Johnsy is suffering from fearful illness. That is why Johnsy places her hope all on those leaves. The last leaf is not a real one, but for Johnsy it is so powerful. It survives the wind and rain, staying on the wall with passion for life. It supports Johnsy’s faith and helps her defeats the illness.It is a symbol of love and care. It is just a painting, but it costs Behrman’s life. With his own life, he tries to wake up Johnsy’s fai th and strength. The last leaf carries Behrman’s unselfish love and care for Johnsy.
3) The ―O. Henry ending‖ is the most famous and typical writing feature of O. Henry. In his works, everything goes on very normally until the coming of the ending. Readers are unconsciously led to the maze he designs. And then, suddenly, the ending comes. Like the lightning, it lights up everything which is hidden before. Usually, the surprising ending is comforting. Even if it is a sad ending, it has the bright side. Before O. Henry, some other short-story writers also tried the unexpected ending, but O. Henry is the one who made it natural and ingenious.
When we are about to finish reading the story, we may still think that it has a happy ending. We may feel happy for Johnsy. However, right when we think that it ends up
perfectly, the real ending comes. That is, Behrman dies. Meanwhile, we realize that the last leaf is not a real one; it is painted by old Behrman who sacrifices his life for it. The happy ending we expect could only be our expectation. With everything coming to light, our expectation is broken, and our feelings burst out. Readers’ feelings are all led by O. Henry. They feel sorry for Behrman and feel touched by him. Further, they can better understand the characters and the great significance of the theme.。