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The Last Leaf
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The Last Leaf

story by O. Henry
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Article History

The Last Leaf, short story by O. Henry, published in 1907 in his collection The Trimmed Lamp and Other Stories. “The Last Leaf” concerns Johnsy, a poor young woman who is seriously ill with pneumonia. She believes that when the ivy vine on the wall outside her window loses all its leaves, she will also die. Her neighbour Behrman, an artist, tricks her by painting a leaf on the wall. Johnsy recovers, but (in a twist typical of O. Henry) Behrman, who caught pneumonia while painting the leaf, dies.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.