4. Paragraphs 1-5

 

The lesson “The Last Leaf” is written by Oscar Wilde. The story takes place in New York City at the time of a pneumonia pandemic.

 

The lesson opens with the narrator introducing two female characters to his readers: Sue and Johnsy. They were close friends. Both of them lived together in a small flat. The flat was on the third floor of an old house. The two girls were young artists. The term “artist” refers to a person who creates paintings as a profession or hobby.
 

After introducing the two characters, the narrator tells about the health condition of Johnsy. He said that Johnsy was affected by pneumonia in November. Due to her illness, she would lie in her bed and look out of the window. On seeing her friend’s situation, Sue became very sad. So she called a doctor. The doctor came to see Johnsy every day, but her health condition did not improve.

 

Johnsy remained still in her bed
 
One day, the doctor visited Sue’s and Johnsy’s house to check Johnsy’s health condition. After examining, the doctor thought that there was something wrong with her. So he called Sue aside and asked her whether Johnsy had any worries or sufferings. The doctor made the statement because even after treating her well and giving the required medicines, there was no improvement in her health. So he wanted to know the thing worrying Johnsy.
 
After hearing the doctor’s statement, Sue said that nothing was worrying her. After replying, she asked the doctor why he had asked such a question. Later, the doctor responded that it seemed that Johnsy had made a firm decision that she would not recover from pneumonia. If she had such a notion in her mind, medicines would not work on her. Johnsy had a negative thought, and if she continued thinking about her death, no one could help her.