Comparing 'The Washwoman And The Last Leaf'

Over the course of three stories, the reader can see how the characters of “Gwilan’s Harp” by Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Washwoman” by Isaac Singer, and “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, overcome their sorrow and loss of joy. Although there is the resounding tragedy that leaves a bittersweet feeling at the end of all three stories, the characters still manage to find joy through their circumstances. From Gwilian discovering her true potential, to the Washwoman's work ethic, to the bittersweet tale of The Last Leaf, these three stories are filled with people overcoming their loss of joy.

“Gwilan’s Harp” by Ursula K. LeGuin is a roller coaster, full of emotions, from her beloved musical instrument being destroyed, to the death of her husband; Gwilian
Finally, we have “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry. The characters in this story do overcome the loss of joy, but it also results in a death, leaving a bittersweet feeling at the end. When Sue's good friend Johnsy takes deathly ill, all hope and joy is lost. Johnsy said that “when the last one falls, I must go too”; she is talking about the ivy leaves outside of her window. All start to slowly fall off, but their kind neighbor, Behrman, paints a leaf so as to fool Johnsy, and it works, Johnsy decides to live; and she rejoices with Sue. The cost of Johnsy living came at a dreadful price though, while Sue lived, Behrman, who painted the masterpiece, died from a cold he caught painting that leaf.

Throughout “Gwilan’s Harp” by Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Washwoman” by Isaac Singer, and “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, we can see different characters from different times and places, overcoming the loss of joy. From Gwilan's discovery, to the Washwoman's work ethic, to the bittersweet taste of hope from “The Last Leaf”, all of these stories have one thing in common, overcoming sorrow, and the loss of