Loss In Gwilan's Harp And The Last Leaf

In the stories “Gwilan’s Harp” by Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Washwoman” by Isaac Singer, and “The Last Leaf” by O.Henry, the characters in the tale experience a feeling of great loss at some point of the story. These tragic losses are usually the passing away of a character’s loved one. In “Gwilan’s Harp” the husband of Gwilan, Torm, passes away from a fever during the winter, but at the end of the story, Gwilan musters the courage to cherish what she has left. The life of the humble washwoman in “The Washwoman” brought great joy to the people around her, and her resilience until death inspires others to stay strong and persevere regardless of circumstances. Finally, “The Last Leaf” tells of strong friendships and gives a heart stopping ending with the death of Behrman, a man seemingly worthless throughout his life, but proves his worth at the very last moments of his life. Overall, these authors elaborate on what lessons one can learn from life through loss.

Gwilan, an extremely gifted harpist from “Gwilan’s Harp” by LeGuin, lived her life initially as a wandering musician. Subsequently,

Feeling ill and depressed, Johnsy thinks that death would solve her pain and problems. Counting the leaves that she sees falling from a vine outside her window, Johnsy resolves that when the last leaf falls, she will fall along with it. Sue, a close friend Johnsy’s, relates Johnsy’s situation to Behrman, an old neighbor who never showed his worth in his profession as a painter. Behrman exclaims that Johnsy’s fancy is pure foolishness, and he foretells of a masterpiece that he will soon paint. In the end the leaf seemingly stays on the vine, and Johnsy repents and regains her will to live. It turns out that old Behrman painted a leaf on the vine such that it appeared that it did not fall off. Sadly, Behrman’s masterpiece saved Johnsy’s live at the cost of his