Analysis Of Michael Angelo's 'Behrman'

Behrman was a crabby man,in his sixties, who had ‘a Michael Angelo’s Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along with the body of an imp’. He lived on the ground floor of the same building as Johnsy and Sue’s. Johnsy,from California, and Sue,from Maine, were two young artists who shared a studio together at the top of a squatty,a three-storey brick house. The two met at the table d’hôte of an English Street ‘Delmonico’s’ and found that their tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves were alike and so they decided to set up a joint studio in May. Behrman was an artist by profession as well. He had been in the field of art for about forty years, yet he had no achievements to boast of. Thus, he was reckoned ‘a failure in art’ because he had been an unsuccessful artist for a long time. In order to cover up his failures, he often spoke about painting a masterpiece: ”Some day i vill paint a masterpiece,and
He only appears just on the fringe, but assumes an exalted stature through his great act of sacrifice. In my opinion, Behrman’s character is ironic.He is described as a fierce old man with a hideous face.But from the inside, he is a loving and understanding man.Though he was regarded as a ‘failure in art’,he was competent enough to paint a lifelike leaf and delude Johnsy,as well as Sue,and also fill her with courage. Behrman’s imperfections make his character a believable and relatable one.I chose to analyze Behrman,also, as his character possessed a rare quality of selflessness. The kind of self-sacrifice which he made is extremely uncommon in the world we live in. He understood the sentiments of Johnsy and realized that the last leaf was the only possible way to revive the will to live within her. His understanding and protective nature make his character an admirable