An old and somewhat cantankerous artist who lives downstairs from Sue and Johnsy. He has been painting for four decades without any commercial success, but still hopes to paint what he calls his “masterpiece.” He is an alcoholic and earns money by posing as a model for artists in the neighborhood.
Mr. Behrman was apparently intended to be the antithesis of "a knight on a white horse." In this story, "a knight on a white horse" would probably be a romantic young unknown artist who sacrifices his life to save Johnsy, the girl he loves. O. Henry wanted to write a story about a girl who was dying of pneumonia and had the conviction that she would die when the last ivy leaf on the wall of a nearby house fell. The author's plot was based on the idea that someone might paint a fake ivy leaf on the wall in the middle of the night, and the girl would recover because of the example set by what appeared to be one brave remaining ivy leaf. O. Henry wanted his ending to come as a surprise, which was his trademark as a writer. O. Henry had to introduce a painter into the story who would end up being the one to paint the fake leaf and sacrifice his life in doing so, but he didn't want the reader to suspect this ending when he introduced the painter. Therefore, O. Henry did not want a man who might conceivably be in love with the sick girl, because right away the reader would say, "Ah, ha! He's going to save her somehow!" So O. Henry needed a man who was a painter and who cared for Johnsy but who could not be imagined as her lover. This explains why Sue has the following interchange with the doctor:
“She—she wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day,” said Sue.
In the story "The Last Leaf," Behrman is described to be a fierce little old man who scoffs at the softness in anyone.
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An old and somewhat cantankerous artist who lives downstairs from Sue and Johnsy. He has been painting for four decades without any commercial success, but still hopes to paint what he calls his “masterpiece.” He is an alcoholic and earns money by posing as a model for artists in the neighborhood.
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Answer:
Mr. Behrman was apparently intended to be the antithesis of "a knight on a white horse." In this story, "a knight on a white horse" would probably be a romantic young unknown artist who sacrifices his life to save Johnsy, the girl he loves. O. Henry wanted to write a story about a girl who was dying of pneumonia and had the conviction that she would die when the last ivy leaf on the wall of a nearby house fell. The author's plot was based on the idea that someone might paint a fake ivy leaf on the wall in the middle of the night, and the girl would recover because of the example set by what appeared to be one brave remaining ivy leaf. O. Henry wanted his ending to come as a surprise, which was his trademark as a writer. O. Henry had to introduce a painter into the story who would end up being the one to paint the fake leaf and sacrifice his life in doing so, but he didn't want the reader to suspect this ending when he introduced the painter. Therefore, O. Henry did not want a man who might conceivably be in love with the sick girl, because right away the reader would say, "Ah, ha! He's going to save her somehow!" So O. Henry needed a man who was a painter and who cared for Johnsy but who could not be imagined as her lover. This explains why Sue has the following interchange with the doctor:
“She—she wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day,” said Sue.
In the story "The Last Leaf," Behrman is described to be a fierce little old man who scoffs at the softness in anyone.