The Last Leaf, Class 9 English, Moments Supplementary Book
Detailed explanation of “The Last leaf”, including definitions of difficult words. In addition, the explanation is followed by a lesson summary. Also, NCERT Question and Answers are also provided to help students understand this Chapter and do well in their exams.
Introduction
The story ‘The Last Leaf highlights the importance of hope and sacrifice in one’s life. In the story, two friends Sue and Johnsy live together. Once Johnsy gets ill. Inspite of her friend she trying hard to cure her, Johnsy loses all hope and willingness to live. She develops a strange belief that she would die as soon as the last leaf on the ivy creeper outside her window falls. It is then their neighbour, Behrman, an artist by profession who brings back hope in Johnsy’s life. He paints a realistic leaf on the ivy creeper and in doing so sacrifices his own lite.
Summary
Sue and Johnsy were two young artists who lived together. They lived together in a small flat. It was located on the third storey of an old house. Johnsy fell ill in November due to pneumonia. In her illness Johnsy would lie on the bed without moving and looked out of the window. Johnsy’s behaviour worried Sue, so she called the doctor.
The doctor came everyday but there was no improvement in Johnsy’s health. One day, the doctor informed Sue that Johnsy had lost her willingness to live. Therefore, without hope and willingness, no medicine would cure her. Since then, Sue tried to make Johnsy take an interest in things. She would talk about clothes and fashion, but nothing interested Johnsy. Sue even brought her drawing board into Johnsy’s room to complete her work.
One day, Sue noticed that Johnsy was looking out of the window and counting backwards. Sue saw that Johnsy was looking at an old ivy creeper that was climbing the brick wall opposite to their window. The creeper was shedding its leaves due to the strong winds. Sue was shocked when she came to know that Johnsy believed that she would die when the last leaf of the creeper would falll. Sue disregarded Johnsy’s belief. She told Johnsy to think positively and also requested her to not look at the ivy creeper.
Sue had to paint an old miner, so she called Behrman to be her model. Behrman was a sixty year old painter who lived on the ground floor of the same house. Behrman was not a successful artist. He always had a dream of painting a masterpiece but was not successful in doing so. Sue told Behrman about the Johnsy’s condition and belief.Later, Sue and Behrman went to Johnsy’s room and saw that, only one last leat remained on the creeper.
Next morning, Johnsy saw that the last leat was still hanging on the ivy creeper. She was surprised to see that even after the strong winds and storm, the leaf had not fallen. In fact, it looked green and healthy. Looking at the leaf, Johnsy realised her mistake. She called Sue and apologised to her for losing hope.
Even the doctor now told Sue that Johnsy would get cured soon. He also informed Sue that Behrman was suffering from pneumonia and would die soon. Next morning, Sue informed Johnsy that Behrman had died of pneumonia and he had been ill only for two days. The Janitor (a person who is a caretaker or doorkeeper of a building) found Behrman on his bed and his clothes and shoes were wet. When Sue and Johnsy went to see Behrman, they found a ladder and a lantern near his bed.
Sue had realised what happened to Behrman and told Johnsy that the last leaf was intact a painted leaf. It was painted by Behrman in the stormy night when the real leaf had fell. He had painted his masterpiece and had sacrificed his own life to save Johnsy.
Extra Questions
(1) What kind of a friend was Sue to Johnsy?
(2) Why was the doctor so much disappointed with Johnsy? What was the only way left out for her to avoid death?
(3) Why did Johnsy feel that falling of the old ivy leaves had something to do with her getting well?
(4) How did Johnsy associated herself with the falling of leaves?
(5) How did Sue react when she learnt about Johnsy’s belief regarding the falling leaves of the ivy creepers?
(6) “The last leaf which old Behrman painted on the front wall facing Johnsy’s window was really a masterpiece” said sue? Do you agree with her?
(7) Why did the last leaf attain the status of a masterpiece?
(8) What was the first and last masterpiece ever painted by the old painter Behrman?
(9) Who were Sue and Johnsy and how were they living?
(10) What did Sue do to try to keep Johnsy cheerful?
(11) What methods did Sue adopt to take Johnsy’s mind off her illness?
(12) Who was Behrman?
(13) What sacrifice did Behrman make for Johnsy?
(14) How did Behrman die?
(15) How does the last leaf become Behram’s Masterpiece ?
(16) How did the fall of ivy leaves have a direct connection on Johnsy illness?
(17) How was the life of Johnsy saved from pneumonia , depression and loneliness?
(18) Describe the negative feeling that keep one ailing and also the values which remove such feeling and infuse a person with a desire to live?
(19) The last leaf is a story of hope and will power that works more than the medicine to light lamp of the life of Johnsy? Elaborate it?
(20) Describe the things Sue did to make journey interested?
(21) Name the creeper that Johnsy continuously looked at. Why was it shedding leaves?
(22) What made Johnsy change her mind?
(23) What was Johnsy’s illness and how did she get well?
(24) What did the doctor tell Sue?
(25) Draw a character sketch of Behrman in your own words?
Word Meaning |
|
| tiptoed | walked slowly |
| feeble | very weak |
| fierce | very violent |
| clinging | to hold onto something very tightly |
| wicked | morally bad |
| gloomy | depressed or sad |
| flutter | to move with quick movement |
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