Question- How does Johnsy deals with her illness?

Or

Evaluate Johnsy's character in The Last Leaf.

Ans-

In The Last Leaf, Johnsy plays the main character. Her real name was Joanna. She becomes friends with Sue at a restaurant. They both decide to shift to the Greenwich village. Johnsy is an artist. She worked as a painter. She collaborates with sue to open a studio. They both were young painting artists. Johnsy was from California whereas her friend Sue was from Maine. They both migrate to Greenwich village so as to start their painting studio. On their first meeting itself, Sue and Johnsy develop a strong bonding. They get familiar as they realise similar taste in food and art such as chicory salad and bishop sleeves. They get more congenial as they develop their friendship. They select Greenwich village in New York due to the reason that it had no taxes.

Once an artist discovered a valuable possibility in this place. There were no taxes or heavy expenses for artists. Due to this reason, many artists came to live in Greenwich village to earn a living. Soon it became a colony of artists as they came prowling and hunting for north windows and eighteen century gables and Dutch attics and most importantly low rents. The story is set at the time of an epidemic. At this time, Pneumonia was a fatal disease which spread as fast as a wild fire. Johnsy could not remain immune to this disease for long. In November, she was heavily affect by Pneumonia. Sue and Johnsy both lived at the top of a squathy, three storey brick building. They had a bohemian neighborhood. An old German man named Behrman also lived downstairs. He was also a painter. He always had a dream of making a master piece but he couldn't get success. He considered Sue and Johnsy as his daughters. Johnsy's condition was deteriorating day by day as she remained bed ridden.

Johnsy lost all hope and counted the falling leaves of ivy plant. She associated her deteriorating life to the falling leaves. Johnsy believed that her life would end with the last leaf on the ivy-creeper. She was a very sensitive young girl, not just physically but psychologically as well. The doctor also declares that she doesn't have the excitement to live and overcome her illness. There was only ten percent chance of her recovery. Her personality traits reveal that she lack the spirit to fight for her life. Her friend Sue tries to motivate her but it doesn't help. Johnsy was completely depended on her friend. Due to her illness, Johnsy spoke to her friend in a cold manner. It was natural for an ill person to behave in such a way. She was irritated when Sue asked her to stop counting the leaves and close her eyes for a while. Johnsy was holding on to the falling of leaves for source of her encouragement. She was not strong enough to draw motivation from within. As Sue describes Johnsy's condition to the old Behrman, he realises that only the last leaf can give hope to Johnsy. He risk his life on a stormy cold night to paint the wall with an ivy leaf. It was his masterpiece. Next morning, Johnsy was surprised to see the last leaf on the wall. She expected that the strong wind would blow the leaf. Actually there was really no leaf left. The only leaf was the one painted by the old Behrman. It gave hope and encouragement to Johnsy. Though the old Behrman himself fell ill due to the cold stormy night. He dies of Pneumonia. Behrman's last painting was so real and vivid that it saved Johnsy's life. He draws strength and high life state from the last leaf. She overcomes her illness through this spirit of holding on. The last leaf presented Johnsy the fighting spirit to overcome her illness. It helped her to become mentally strong. After realising her mistake of giving up on life, Johnsy says to sue - "I've been a bad girl, Sudie. Something has made that last leaf stay there to show me how wicked I was. It is a sin to want to die. You may bring me a little broth now, and some milk with a little port in it and - no, bring me a hand - mirror first, and then pack some pillows about me, and I will sit up and watch you cook". Johnsy starts to treasure her life. Earlier she was not concerned about her looks nor she ate properly but when she gets the zeal for life, her inner fire get ignited. She even expresses her long awaited desire to paint the Bay of Naples. Johnsy looks forward to her life which gave her inner will to survive. She becomes a stronger person who could face life bravely. The Last Leaf depicts the value of art as it saves a precious young life. The old Behrman sacrifices his own life in this process of giving hope to Johnsy but his masterpiece in mortalizes him. Johnsy's character was interesting. She hopelessly succumb to her illness but realises her mistake. She draws hope from the last leaf to stay strong and fight her illness.

...Prev | Next...