Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Character sketch of Mr. Behrman in story "The Last Leaf"?

In "The Last Leaf," by O. Henry, Behrman is a seemingly
defeated character. He makes very little money as an artist. He is always about to do
something, but never quite gets it done:


readability="6">

He had been always about to paint a masterpiece,
but had never yet begun
it.



Behrman poses from time
to time for Sue and Johnsy. He is simply a pathetic artist who has never been able to
become successful at painting. He drinks until his eyes are
red:



He drank
gin to excess, and still talked of his coming
masterpiece.



Behrman does
care about Sue and Johnsy. He feels he is to protect them. he has come to think of
himself as Sue's and Johnsy's protector:


readability="8">

For the rest he was a fierce little old man, who
scoffed terribly at softness in any one, and who regarded himself as especial
mastiff-in-waiting to protect the two young artists in the studio
above.



Behrman smells
strongly of juniper berries. He lives in a dimly lighted den below Sue and Johnsy. A
blank canvas stands in the corner waiting for Behrman to create a masterpiece. It has
been blank for twenty-five years.


Sue tells Behrman that
Johnsy is deathly ill from pneumonia. She adds that Johnsy has given up and declares she
will die when the last leaf falls form the vine outside the window she is looking
through. Behrman claims that Johnsy's sentiments are pure
nonsense:



Old
Behrman, with his red eyes plainly streaming, shouted his contempt and derision for such
idiotic imaginings.



In the
cold, icy rain, Behrman spends the night painting a masterpiece. He paints one last leaf
on the vine. Now, Johnsy will not give up and die.


Sadly,
Behrman catches pneumonia from painting in the icy rain. He dies,  but not before he had
finally painted his masterpiece.

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