The Last Leaf 作者简介：
O.Henry（1862～1910），是美国20世纪初颇受读者欢迎的短篇小说家。他原名William Sydney Porter，出生于美国北卡罗来纳州。30多岁开始写短篇小说。一生共创作了约300篇短篇小说，显示出他非同凡响的艺术才华。
O.Henry擅长编造故事情节。他的故事结构紧凑，语言精练，结局往往出人意表，对现代短篇小说影响较大。在他的小说中，写得最好的是关于纽约的那些，他把纽约曼哈顿区一带的街道、小饭馆、破旧的公寓的气氛描写得既生动又逼真，故有“曼哈顿的桂冠诗人”之称。
内容简介：
《The Last Leaf》（最后一片叶子）是O.Henry较有代表性的作品，突出反映了他的写作风格和特点。
年轻贫穷的画家Johnsy不幸染上肺炎，女友Sue竭尽全力照料她，但她的病情仍不见好转。万念俱灰的Johnsy放弃了生存的欲望，准备在窗外对面墙上常春藤的最后一片叶子凋落坠地时，撒手人寰。另一位一生未画出重大作品的老画家Behrman为了救她，连夜冒雨爬上墙头画了一片藤叶，他自己因而染上肺炎，两天后去世。老画家所画的最后一片叶子，成了他的毕生杰作。
原文最后段落赏析：
"I have something to tell you," she said, "Mr. Behrman died of pneumonia today in the hospital. He was ill only two days. The janitor found him on the morning of the first day in his room downstairs helpness with pain. His shoes and clothes were soaking wet and ice cold. They couldn't imagine where he had been on such a dreadful night. And then they found a lantern, still lighted, and a ladder that had been dragged from its place, and some scattered brushes, and a palette with green and yellow colors mixed on it, and——look out the window, dear, at the last ivy leaf on the wall. Didn't you wonder why it never fluttered or moved when the wind blew? Ah, darling, it's Behrman's masterpiece——he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell."
评论：
The last leaf is symbol of the leaf of life. It is the most treasured gift from an old artist!
The story described a young couple of good friends. It's Johnsy and Sue. After a period of happy time, Johnsy encounted the Mr. Pneumonia in a cold night in November. One day afternoon, she was desperatly looking out of the window and was counting the leaves on the ivy tree. She firmly convinced that she would leave the world after the last leaf fell. She hadn't any passion for the furture life! Hadn't none other better ways, Sue had to ask the help of the Mr. Behrman. And old poor artist who lived on the ground floor beneath them!
He was a failure in art. he has been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never begun it. Af firstly, he was very scornful about this frustrated girl who was giving up her life after hearing of the last leaf story from Sue. Actually, in this old man's feeling inside, he earnestly wanted to save this poor and young girl. He panited the last vivid and lovely leaf throughout a dreadful night. Finally, this materpiece has been completed, and Johnsy kindled the life fire again. However, Mr. Behame died of the Pneumonia.
The story ended here, but, the sincere friendship would never stop forever! It is penetrating in every sentence of this essay, and it is also hovering in the reader's heart! Let us respect this best art-man! Meanwhile, I also associate him with my parents. They breed us and cultivate us! They have given us their best presents! We shall do all of our efferots to return the contributions to them!
“等到最后一片叶子掉下去，我也该去了！” “因为我想看最后一片叶子掉下去，我等得不耐烦了，也想得不耐烦了，我想摆脱一切飘下去，飘下去，像一片可怜的疲倦叶子那样！” ——引自《最后一片叶子》
这一篇文章里面写着一个画家琼西，她酷爱生活，却患了‘肺炎’这个不速之客。‘肺炎’这个沉重的打击，使她觉得自己像一片纤弱的叶子，随时会被寒风吹走。
她只是悲观地等待着窗外长春藤上最后一片叶子的落下。
细细地回味一下，我发觉她这样做只是在浪费自己的时间而已。
虽然时间是个冷漠的东西，它不会为了某一个人而停留片刻。
但它还是很公平，给每一个人都拥有一定的时间，有些人无法合理地支配自己的时间，只是浑浑噩噩地得过且过，才使得时间悄悄地溜走，最后落得虚掷年华的一声长叹。
浪费时间的人为什么往往只有等到那时才懂得‘珍惜时间的重要性’呢！
美国科学家富兰克林说过：你热爱生命吗？那么请珍惜时间，因为时间是组成生命的重要材料。
古语有云：草木逢春犹再发，人无两度再少年。
还有人曾经说过：“谁能以深刻的内容充实每个瞬间，谁就是在无限地延长自己的生命。”
这几句话使我受益匪浅，真的很有道理。
我觉得，既然上天创造了人，让人变得有思想，就该把光阴牢牢抓住，不要虚度。利用这么多的时间做一些有意义的事情，不是更加好吗？活出自己的精彩，活出自己的价值。
朋友们，让我们都来珍惜时间吧，做时间的主人，不要做时间的奴仆。
不要等到白了少年头，空悲切。
若你现在正面临生死考验，请你跟时间赛跑，不要学画家琼西那样浪费了自己宝贵的时间吧！
《最后一片叶子》它描写患肺炎的穷学生琼西看着窗外对面墙上的常春藤叶子不断被风吹落，她说，最后一片叶子代表她，它的飘落，代表自己的死亡。贝尔曼，一个伟大的画家，在听完苏讲述完室友琼西的故事后，在最后一片叶子飘落，下着暴雨的夜里，用心灵的画笔画出了一片“永不凋落”的长春藤叶，编造了一个善良且真实的谎言，而自己却从此患上肺炎，去世了。
文章中最令我感动的就是老画家贝尔曼先生，他在生命的最后时刻，没有躺在那里等待死亡，而是用了整个灵魂，成就了那幅不朽的杰作——最后一片叶子。为了让那个年轻的女孩不对生命感到绝望，他把那片叶子画的那么好，尽管叶子边缘已经枯黄，可茎部仍然是深绿色，那么有生命力的深绿，那么苍翠的常青藤。
相信那最后一片叶子会永远挂在那里，任凭风吹雨打，绝对不会摇一摇，动一动，它会那么坚强的挂在高高的枝头上，告诉琼西，告诉所有人，生命总是有希望的，所有的人都要对生命充满信心！