The Power of Art

The soul of O. Henry's New York resides in the small miracles and everyday heroes that bespeak the city's charms and magical possibilities. In “The Last Leaf”, the author spotlights the modern (1906) Greenwich Village neighborhood as one area whose bohemian origins distinguish it from the rest of the fast-paced, materialistic city, a place in which “artist once discovered a valuable possibility” (198) in the complex network of crooked streets that allowed refuge from the bill collectors.

More than simply an urban district, the “art people” that streamed into the Village in search of beautiful architecture and cheap rent founded a “colony” (198) of their artistic peers, defining the identity of their own domain. In his sympathetic portrayal of the three artist characters central to the story, O. Henry betrays his admiration for their craft and for the ardent faith they have in their dreams while...