The last leaf, which provides this short story’s title, is an important symbol representing several dimensions of hope. The last leaf is Johnsy’s last tenuous tie to life, as the other “ties that held her to friendship and to earth were breaking, one by one” (16). The last leaf clinging to a dying tree, on a surface level, is a fragile thing; it should not be able to endure “the beating rain and the wild wind” (16). By choosing such a fragile object to represent hope, Henry shows great empathy toward those starting to yield to the temptation of “sailing down, down, like one of those leaves” (15). However, through Behrman, Henry ironically transforms that fragile last leaf into something far more enduring. In other words, Henry uses this symbol to show that hope, despite its seeming inadequacy against the woes of life, can endure—if supplemented with friendship and perhaps art.

Painting is a powerful motif throughout the short story that complements in particular the theme of Art as a Transformative Force. All three main characters are painters, and the role of painting in their lives is substantial. Painting is much more to them than just a career—if their painting even manages to earn them money at all.