Chapters 44-47

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary

• "new broom" (p. 439)--I've heard this in the context of the saying "new brooms sweep clean," which means that when new people take charge of something they often get rid of the old people/old ways of doing things.  So I don't know if Amy and Laurie are reacting against that or what, but this seems like Laurie acknowledging their inexperience (which is a new thing for both of these characters!)

• "conjugal" (p. 450)--relating to marriage

• "canonized" (p. 460)--in this context, canonization is the process through which the Catholic Church officially recognizes saints.  Jo means that Beth's death has turned her into a saint for the March family.

• "weal and woe" (p. 461)--"weal" here means well-being or prosperity, and "woe" means sadness, so the phrase essentially means "good and bad."

My Noticings: 

•   Demi's characterization is a bit strange: Mr. March is held up as a paragon of manhood throughout the book, but when Demi follows in his footsteps by showing an inclination toward philosophy, it makes everyone nervous and he has to prove that he is "a true boy."

• I always forget how close to the end this poem is, but I don't think we'd appreciate it as much earlier in the book.  It's a nice look back, and a nice summary of what has become of these characters.

• Some critics have complained about Jo winding up married after all, but I think she does it in such a Jo-like ("Joian", as Laurie says) fashion--insisting on doing her share, saying that even for Professor Bhaer she wouldn't give up her work, even kissing him in the street--that it feels all right to me.

Final Thoughts:

I think it's noteworthy that a book remembered almost universally as "so sad" (because of Beth) in fact has this impossibly happy ending.  Everyone winds up with what they truly wanted all along.  There's the ominous concern over Amy's daughter, but even that is mitigated by Marmee's hopefulness.  (It sounds like she's not ill but perhaps prone to illness--which, in those days, was really nervewracking because common childhood ailments were often deadly.)  I will mention that this book has two sequels, although together they kind of feel like parts one and two of this book.  Both focus on the students at Plumfield; Little Men is the story of their childhoods and Jo's Boys follows them into young adulthood.

Question for readers:

If you could change one thing about this story, what would it be, and why?

Chapters 42-43

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary

• "abnegation" (p. 417)--the act of renouncing something; so "self-abnegation" is renouncing one's own desires in order to better serve others.  (Sometimes "abnegation" is used to mean "self-abnegation", as in the Divergent series.)

My Noticings: 

•   It's strange that, as often as the Marches talk about their religious beliefs and faith, they don't seem to belong to a church.  You'd think a church community would help them out, but we never hear of them going to church, or knowing anyone from church.  We just get Jo and Mr. March, and their "church of one member."

Final Thoughts:

I actually realloy love the little scene between Laurie and Jo that settles them into their new relationship as adults and as "brother and sister."  I know many readers over the years have been outraged that they didn't wind up married, but I like them so much as friends that I don't mind a bit.  Also: hurrah for the return of Professor Bhaer, and stand by for more tears!

Question for readers:



With only four chapters left to go, what do you hope to see before the end of the book?

Chapters 40-41

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary

•  "weeds" (p. 406)--in this context, weeds are the clothing a person wears when they are mourning a recent death.  In this case, Laurie is mourning his "blighted affections", or his love for Jo, but has reflected that he doesn't need to "wear his weeds ostentatiously"--in other words, he's decided to stop moping around over Jo's rejection.

• "interred" (p. 406)--buried (as a coffin)
   
• "embalm" (p. 406)--to preserve a corpse for burial (in this case, Laurie intends to preserve his feelings about Jo by writing music about them)

• "requiem" (p. 406)--a musical composition to be played at a funeral or memorial service (usually has religious connotations)

My Noticings: 

•     Ok, so as a modern reader, I have some problems with Beth.  She's this perfect little angel, and we never really see her point of view because she's barely even human--she's just a pillar of goodness and light.  She's an example of a problematic trope in "sicklit" or disability lit in which the invalid character is entirely good and pure and inspirational, when in fact sick people are roughly the same as everyone else: a few really nice ones, a few jerks, and most in between.  But none of that keeps me from crying at the end of this chapter every single time I read it.

• Wow--I never noticed that immediately following Beth's actual death, we get this whole extended death metaphor from Laurie--his love for Jo has been killed, so he has to bury it and go into mourning over it and write a requiem for it and so on.  The comparison really makes him look foolish and melodramatic!

• By the end of this chapter, though, I've completely forgiven Laurie's melodrama: he and Amy are so sweet together and I have to admit, I'm crying again.  Double whammy today!

Final Thoughts:

A lot happens in these two chapters--as with the end of part one, suddenly the pace is really starting to pick up as we draw near the end of the book. 

Question for readers:

Are you on board with the pairing of Laurie and Amy?  What makes you like them together or wish they had stayed apart?

Chapters 38-39

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary

•  "marplot" (p. 382)--someone who interferes with (or "mars") a plan (or "plot")
  
• "autocrat" (p. 383)--a ruler who has complete control (or, in this case, anyone who demands complete control, as Demi is usually able to do with Meg)
  
• "kids" (p. 388)--this refers to Laurie's kid gloves (gloves made from the skin of a young goat, or "kid")

My Noticings: 

•     Marmee's advice to Meg, to involve John in taking care of the babies, is actually pretty progressive even today!  (Think I'm exaggerating?  Just ten years ago, Eddie Murphy starred in Daddy Day Care, a broad comedy that took as its premise the idea that men having to look after their children would lead to absurd results!)
  
• Sallie Moffatt seems to exist solely to notice what a nice life Meg is having, which is really turning her into a heartbreaking character!

Final Thoughts:

Once again, we hear about Meg and Amy, but no Beth.  (Well, her chapter is coming up, so look out.  It's rough.)  In the meantime, though, Amy and Laurie are a study in contrasts.  While I've never found chapter 39 to be one of the more exciting chapters in the novel, I can see how important it is to both of these characters (particularly Laurie.)

Question for readers:

What do you think the "solitary scarlet flower that grew just beyond [Laurie's] reach" and the lower-down, thornless "tiny cream-colored ones" that Amy puts in Laurie's buttonhole symbolize?

Chapters 36-37

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary

•  This isn't so much an answer as a question: what is Beth dying from?  It's such a slow, peaceful death--it seems to be mostly painless, although I guess with Beth she's such a trooper you'd never know if she was in pain.  

My Noticings: 

•     Wow, the transition from Beth and Jo's chapter to Amy's is really jarring!  You really don't expect to wind up in a European park on Christmas Day after reading that heartbreaking scene.

Final Thoughts:

I can't help but feel as though Beth is getting narrative short shrift here.  Meg got her chapter with the jam, and both Jo and Amy have gotten several point-of-view chapters about their travels.  But poor Beth, wasting away at home, never gets the same attention.

Question for readers:

How do you think the story would be different if the chapters were actually narrated by the March sisters?  What were the effects of the two chapters told in letters (from Jo and from Amy) and how would the book be changed if that technique were used more often?  Which do you prefer?

Chapters 34-35

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

• "banditti" (p. 339)--plural of "bandit" (another word for robber); "bandit" is from the Italian "bandito" (which meant "banned", like an outlaw), which I guess is why it can be pluralized "banditti" (Fun fact: the singular form of "grafitti" is "grafitto!")  I've also, more commonly, seen "bandits" as the plural of "bandit."

• "jew's harp" (p. 350)--a small musical instrument played by placing one end in the mouth and then plucking the other end.  I can't find out why it's called that, though there are lots of theories, but you can hear one here.

 My Noticings: 

•   Mr. Dashwood's assertion that "morals don't sell these days" is, as the narrator points out, certainly untrue: the book we're reading at this very moment is proof of that, as this second half wouldn't have been written if the first half didn't sell, and Little Women is nothing but morals!

• This passage about how writing sensationalistic stories was eroding Jo's womanhood or femininity or something really strikes an odd note today; Alcott is so progressive for her time that it's odd to see her apparently endorse an opinion that seems so conservative today.    

Final Thoughts: 

Aside from Laurie's assertion that he had to propose outright because women can't be trusted otherwise (ew) this is actually a really lovely section.  We get to know Professor Bhaer a bit more and see how much he cares for Jo, which makes it a little easier for the reader to understand how Jo can turn down Laurie (even if she doesn't yet know why she's doing it!)  That last line is heartbreaking--and true.  This could almost be the end of a second section of the book, and if it was Laurie's book, it would be.

Question for readers:

If you were Laurie, would you have proposed?  If you were Jo, would you have accepted?  Why?

Chapters 32-33

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

• "assiduity" (p. 316)--close attention
• If you want to see what Jo's pillow looked like, you can click here to see replicas of Louisa May Alcott's own mood pillow!

• "harum-scarum" (p. 318)--wild, reckless
  
• "coquettish" (p. 327)--flirtatious, playful

• Full text of "The Steadfast Tin Soldier"(p. 333)

My Noticings: 

• Laurie's picture is hanging on Jo's bedroom wall?!?  I mean, it's probably just because he was willing to sit still and model for Amy, but yikes. It's one thing now, when people can put up tons of photos, but it sounds like there is a portrait of Laurie on Jo's wall.  (I feel like when I was in HS, it would have been weird even for me to put up a photo that was just, like, one of my guy friends by himself.  I had tons of group shots up around my room, but I don't think I had any pictures of just one of my friends hanging on my walls.  Thoughts?)
  
• This bit of conversation between Laurie and Jo feels a lot like many, many blog posts and critical essays I've read in the last few years:
  

  "I'm glad you can't flirt. It's really refreshing to see a sensible, straightforward girl, who can be jolly and kind without making a fool of herself. Between ourselves, Jo, some of the girls I know really do go on at such a rate I'm ashamed of them. They don't mean any harm, I'm sure, but if they knew how we fellows talked about them afterward, they'd mend their ways, I fancy."
  "They do the same, and as their tongues are the sharpest, you fellows get the worst of it, for you are as silly as they, every bit. If you behaved properly, they would, but knowing you like their nonsense, they keep it up, and then you blame them."

  Essentially--women are so often criticized for their behavior, whether for being too flirty/dressed too sexy/wearing too much makeup, or for the opposite.  (If I had a dollar for every time one of my students told me I could be pretty if I'd just wear makeup, I could afford a whole lot of makeup--but I'd just spend it on books anyway.)  Jo is calling out that hypocrisy here, noting that the men encourage flirty behavior from women but then blame them and make fun of them for it.
   

Final Thoughts: 

This is getting quite tricky--none of the four March girls are living under the same roof at the moment, so keeping up with all of them requires some creativity on Alcott's part.  I like Jo's letters, though--and I can't help but love Professor Bhaer.  

Question for readers:

Do you think Jo is right about Beth and Laurie?  Why or why not?

Chapters 30-31

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

• This might seem obvious, but really think about it: Amy and company had to take an ocean voyage to get to Europe.  They were on a ship!  For days and days!  Which means, in order to get home again, they face a voyage of the same length.  And that was just to cross the Atlantic Ocean.  I have no idea how anyone ever traveled anywhere.  I'd be constantly terrified that something would happen back home and I wouldn't be able to get there.  (Not to mention, I wouldn't know about it: they had only just, at the time of Amy's sailing, sent the first telegraph across the Atlantic Ocean--which meant that news still mostly traveled at the speed of boats.)

My Noticings: 

• Geez, Mrs. Chester should feel bad.  It's one thing for teenagers to treat each other badly (not that it's a trait unique to teenagers, to be sure) but for an adult to actually get involved in the fight is kind of gross.  I mean, the book says as much, but really.  

• On a related note: I like Amy's style here.  Nothing upsets immature jerks more than finding that their obnoxious behavior is met with politeness and maturity.  (I wonder, actually, if this is where I learned that?)

• There's so much hinting at the future at the end of chapter 30--I won't even say foreshadowing, really, with lines like "little dreaming that he would be called upon to keep his word." (p. 302)   There's also Jo and Amy's conversation about whether Amy will wind up teaching art or marrying well--Jo's predictions "sometimes come to pass" and Amy's wishes "are always granted", so it seems that there's little suspense left on that point.

• It always strikes me as kind of funny to hear characters from so long ago talk about seeing historical relics!  I know that's silly, but I guess it's easy to lump "history" together as if it all happened at once.

Final Thoughts:
This is quite a turn for Amy, although I suppose these letters cover quite a while.  It's interesting to see the more grown-up, rational version of the little girl who just wanted nice dresses and jewelery trying to make her way in the world.

Question for readers:

If you were Amy, would you want to marry Fred?  Explain your answer.

Chapters 28-29

Background Information/Vocabulary:  

 

•  Canning and making jam is a long, hot, sticky process even today, when stoves are pretty easy to operate and kitchens have things like ceiling fans. So don't let the dainty sound of "making currant jam" fool you: picture the hottest, sweatiest task you've ever had to do, like a long hike or helping someone move in the middle of summer.  Then picture the most persnickety science lab you've ever had to do, something with lots of ingredients and heat and equipment.  Now put them together.  That's what Meg is trying to do.  And after a whole day of it...it doesn't work.

• While the note here defines "sanguinary" as "ruddy"--technically correct, I supposed, as "ruddy" means "having a reddish complexion"--I think Alcott may be using it more literally.  The word "sanguine" derives from an old Latin term for "blood", and "sanguinary" literally means "involving bloodshed."  The little boy thus described has been picking currants--juicy red berries--all day, and is now lying asleep on the ground.  So when John arrives home to find that nothing looks as it normally does, and there's a little boy on the ground covered in red liquid, he is naturally quite concerned! (p. 269)

• "countermanded" (p. 277)--revoked; taken back

• Formal calls were a rigid social structure in which people were "at home" to visitors during certain times of day and the people in their social circle would drop by for half an hour of polite chatting before moving on to someone else's.  I guess now, the prospect of visiting six different people in one afternoon is strange, but it was how things were done.  When a person called on you, you were obligated to return their call, so Amy and Jo are off to settle their social obligations.

My Noticings:

• It's this chapter about Meg and John's marriage that really makes me root for them.  Poor Meg and her jelly--boy, did I empathize with her the first time I tried to cook for Mr. S back when we were dating.  (To be fair, he had an ill-stocked bachelor's kitchen; but probably undertaking to make pancakes in a kitchen with no spatula wasn't my best idea.  They all burned and stuck and we wound up having to go out.  Thank goodness there was no company involved!) The second story, about Meg being tempted while shopping with Sallie, is sadder but I think I love it more, because I think it's ultimately what bonds Meg and John as a team.

• It's interesting that Amy and Jo pay a social call to the Kings--presumably, the same Kings for whom Meg used to work.  The Marches' social status is a bit of a puzzle--they're poor, but still considered a good family, so apparently they still move socially in wealthy circles.

Final Thoughts:


Alcott pretty much lets on that she's setting Jo up for a fall here, but even so--this is painful to read, knowing what's ahead, and when you reach the consequence of this call, you'll want to go back and shake Jo.
Question for readers:
  Amy argues that young women ought to be universally nice and polite because that's one of the only ways in which they are empowered to "repay kindnesses"; Jo argues that being selective in one's attentions is the way to live one's conscience (as she does, by shunning Mr. Tudor).  Amy believes that because the Marches are poor, they would do better not to challenge societal norms; Jo believes that morality is absolute, regardless of money or power.  Do you agree with either argument?  Explain your thoughts.

Chapters 26-27

Background Information/Vocabulary:

The painters Amy emulated:

One of Murillo's "dark-eyed Madonnas"

 

Amy's attempts at Rembrandts turned out as "oily-brown shadows of faces with a lurid streak in the wrong place."

A "buxom lady" by Rubens; he was so well-known for painting heavy women that a relatively polite way of saying that a woman is heavy is to call her "Rubenesque."  (Not recommended as a compliment, though!)

A storm by Turner

• The fable alluded to when Jo attempts to revise her novel to please everyone can be read here.

My Noticings:  

• So, are we to assume that the other thirteen girls in Amy's class are snooty jerks who didn't show because she's poor?  That's what I've always thought.

Final Thoughts:

It looks like we're back to a revolving door of March sisters, one after the other.  Jo's early literary attempts are interesting to read about because she is more or less Louisa May Alcott herself, so they ultimately lead to the very book we're reading!

 
Question for readers:
What advice would you have given Jo about her first novel?

Chapters 24-25

Background Information/Vocabulary:

• Part Two was originally published as its own volume, titled Good Wives.  Know what would be a good trick?  For J.K. Rowling to go into her publisher's office and say, "Hey, I'm going to write a follow-up to Harry Potter that focuses on Ginny and Hermione.  It's still for children.  I'm thinking of calling it Good Wives."  What a terrible, terrible name for a children's book about strong female characters!  It's no wonder the whole thing is just called Little Women these days.

• Once again, I have to remind myself that it's not that weird that Laurie's college buddies of 19 or 20 would be attracted to Amy, who is all of fifteen.  She's not far from marriageable age (and really, when I was fifteen, I totally felt like it would have been reasonable for one of the college-aged counselors at the summer camp where I worked to go out with me.  I mean, it wouldn't have been.  But a hundred and thirty years earlier and we'd have been in business, for sure.)

• It's funny that I should encounter this bit about Laurie's gadget mania just now: I'm reading At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson, and he mentions that around this time, servants were scarce in America, which fueled the invention of "helpful" items that were usually anything but (like the knife-cleaner that Laurie gives to Meg, which promptly ruins all her knives!)

• The temperance movement started to gather steam in the 1830s, when Americans were consuming startlingly large amounts of alcohol on a regular basis.  When Meg attends that party in part one and Laurie catches her drinking champagne, he reminds her that her family are "temperance people"; in other words, they are against the consumption of alcohol for moral reasons.  (However, it was common to use small amounts for medicinal reasons, which is why Mr. March puts some away for Beth.)  This is why no alcohol is served at the wedding, and why Meg uses her powers of bridal persuasion to make Laurie promise to give up drinking.  

My Noticings:  

•  I think it's interesting to note that at this point, Louisa May Alcott knew full well what her fans wanted for her characters.  As far as I can tell, every girl in late-19th-century New England shipped the heck out of Jo and Laurie.  We see evidence of Laurie's continuing affections pretty close to the beginning of the second book, so clearly Alcott hasn't forgotten.

Final Thoughts:




I will always love this wedding; while I'm not totally sold on Meg and John's relationship at the time of their engagement, by this time they've clearly gotten to know each other very well and this is just about the sweetest imaginable wedding scene.  Also, I would totally read Sallie Gardiner/Moffat's story.
 
Question for readers:

After three years, are these characters where you'd expect them to be?  What strikes you as particularly fitting or especially strange?

Chapters 21-23

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

• "petulantly" (p. 205)--to be petulant is to be childishly sulky or angry; Meg's declaration that she might never want to have anything to do with love just because Laurie played a prank on her is a childish ("petulant") response to the situation

• "abase" (p. 206)--to degrade or lower
   
•  "philander" (p. 221)--this is an unusual use of the word, because it usually has a sexual connotation--that is, people who enter freely into casual sexual relationships, especially cheating on significant others or spouses--and Jo certainly doesn't mean that of Meg.  But generally it has to do with people who get into relationships easily.

My Noticings:  

• One reason why Meg is so vain about her hands is that hands were often seen as a status symbol.  Hands with soft, fair skin meant that their owner did not have to do rough work like cooking, washing dishes or laundry (remember that this is before the modern washing machine, so laundry was a long, strenuous process involving tubs of hot water), or other tasks that might leave hands burned, chapped, or reddened.  The fact that she's willing to mar her pretty hands cooking for Beth is really something, almost on par with Jo cutting off her hair.

• Ok, I've read this book at least ten times: why would I read the scene where Mr. March comes back in a coffee shop?  I know I'm gonna cry when that happens.  Obviously.  Sigh. 

• This last chapter, with all the Meg and John business, is giving me such a hard time.  On the one hand, I really love them, and I love what we'll go on to see of their marriage.  I think Meg's defense of John to Aunt March is lovely and I think the two of them are super-cute.  On the other hand, I have some issues.  I suppose I can get over the fact that Meg is a teenager--it was a different time, etc.  and I don't believe John is meant to be terribly old, although he's certainly got a few years on her.  But he's described as almost smug while he's proposing--like he knows he's going to get what he wants--and then Meg sitting on his lap "wearing an expression of the most abject submission" is really too much to bear.  I guess if Alcott herself identified with Jo, this isn't surprising, but I had never really stopped to notice those troubling details.

Final Thoughts: 




Alcott ends the first part of the book where she began it: at Christmas.  This part--actually, the entirety of the book as it was originally published--has a happy ending, with everything all tied up.  The family is together, and is poised to gain a new member.  Even so, I'm glad we have part two now, because some of my favorite scenes are still to come!

Question for readers:

How do you feel about Meg and John?  Are you excited for them, or do you side with Jo and regard the whole thing with doom and gloom?  What do you know about the characters that informs your opinion?

Chapters 18-20

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

• The rosary, a string of beads arranged in a set pattern, is a counting tool for a set pattern of repeated prayers (each bead of the rosary is associated with a particular prayer, so as a person prays, s/he moves his/her fingers along the beads to keep track of what prayers have already been said.)  These prayers are offered to Mary, who Christians honor as the mother of Jesus.  The rosary is usually associated with Catholicism, as most Protestant religions don't believe in praying to Mary or the other saints. (p. 190)

• "sealing wax" (p. 194)--wax that could be melted onto a folded piece of paper or the back flap of an envelope to hold it shut; often, a person's "seal" or another design was pressed into the wax while it was soft using a special metal disc.

•    "standish" (p. 194)--a dish for pens and pencils

My Noticings:  

• I have no idea from where Amy got the $100 she leaves to her father in her will.  Perhaps the Marches managed to put away a little money for each of their girls?  Perhaps Aunt March gave it when the girls were born?  I mean, it's not like they need college funds--maybe this is to help them set up housekeeping someday?

Final Thoughts: 

These chapters really move fast: first Beth almost dies, then Marmee arrives, then Amy nearly converts to Catholicism, then all the business about Meg and Mr. Brooke!  The pacing is pretty remarkable, but I guess that's because we're nearing the end of what was originally its own book.  There are only three more chapters till the end of Part 1, so I guess Alcott is trying to wrap things up for the moment.

Question for readers:

What do you make of the scene between Jo and Laurie on pages 183-185, when she comes in from sending for Mrs. March and he tells her he'd already done it?  If you had to write the subtext--what each character is thinking--during this scene, what would it sound like?

Chapters 15-17

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

• Jo actually did pretty well for herself, despite having the wrong color hair.  $25 went pretty far back then; a dollar bought a pair of gloves, a pair of sturdy slippers, a bunch of handkerchiefs, or a large bottle of perfume (or, I suppose, a hundred limes) so $25 is real money.

• I've read in dozens of other stories about keepsakes made of hair, so I guess it's not that weird that Marmee tucks Jo's bit of hair away next to one from her husband.  But it feels weird now, huh?  (I guess if photos were rare and expensive, people had to have some way of remembering those they held dear.)

• "Interrogation point" (or, as Amy spells it, "interrigation", p. 172)--question mark
   
• Scarlet fever is one of those things that used to be pretty dangerous, but with antibiotics it's not a big deal anymore.

My Noticings:  

• I forget if I've said this before, but I have no idea what type of accent or dialect Alcott is shooting for when Hannah speaks.  I guess it's just to generally indicate that she's of the serving class while the Marches, poor as they are, belong to a different sort of people.  (What are they doing with a servant, anyway?)

Final Thoughts: 

When I think about this book, this section is what I think of as the real meat of it--Mr. March's illness, Marmee's absence, and now Beth's illness and Amy's exile to Aunt March's.  It's not even that it's tremendously long, but compared to the episodic, one-chapter-one-story nature of the first section of the book, it feels a lot more substantial.

Question for readers:

What do you believe are the ethics of the Marches' relationship with the Hummels?  Was Beth truly obligated to go over there every day, despite the fact that one of them had a contagious disease?  Should she have just stayed home?  Was it brave or ill-considered for her to go? 

Chapters 13-14

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

• "indolent" (p. 140)--lazy

•  "primer" (p. 147)--in this context, a simple reading textbook, or the class that is studying at the most basic level.  (When it's used this way, it's pronounced with a short "i" sound, as in the word "dim.")

• "omnibus" (p. 148)--in this context, a form of public transportation (see below)

(Source)

•  Amy's "commy la fo" has always puzzled me--I took German in school, not French--so I searched around, and I think she meant "comme il faux", which translates approximately to "proper."  (p. 156)

My Noticings:  

• Jo's plan to meet up in ten years and see what everyone has accomplished begins with the rather ominous, "If we are all alive ten years hence."  This strikes me as strange today--even at what Meg considers to be the ripe old age of 27, I probably wouldn't feel the need to say that if I was making plans with peers.  Not that any of us are invincible, but the likelihood of a group of healthy American teenagers or twenty-somethings all being alive in ten years is pretty high.  I wonder if this statement is reflective of the realities of the time (dying from illnesses and infection was much more common then--illnesses that are easily treated with antibiotics now were often fatal before the discovery of penicillin) or if it's...dun dun dun...foreshadowing?

• The tables have turned on Laurie since he scolded Meg for being too fashionable and going against her own better judgement at that party!  Now Jo is the one warning him against hanging around with Moffats and doing what all the cool kids are doing.
  
• This piece when Laurie tells Jo his secret is an interesting example of the effect of 3rd person writing.  It's easy to picture someone whispering a secret in a movie, but in novels we're so used to having all the information the characters have that when someone tells a secret on the page in front of us and we don't hear it, it feels quite frustrating!  (However, the astute reader can probably guess, from previous clues and the fact that it's in someone's pocket, what has become of the glove.)

Final Thoughts: 



All of a sudden, it seems like the March girls are growing up!  Meg is starting to think more and more about having her own home and family, and Jo is getting published.  Laurie, on the other hand, is daydreaming about running off, and hanging around saloons.  It feels like in just a few short chapters, this has transitioned from being a book about children to being a book about true young adults--what might be considered "New Adult" if it came out today. 

Question for readers:



What hints have been dropped in the last few chapters that tell you where Meg's glove is? 

Chapter 12

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

• "posy" and "nosegay" (p. 122)--both words mean a small bunch of flowers

•  "water bug" (p. 126)--from the context, I assume this refers to one of those skittery little bugs that goes across the top of the water, not to a cockroach (I had never heard "water bug" for cockroach until I moved to New York City.)

My Noticings:

•  I can't say that I love the characterization of Frank Vaughn, the twin who uses a crutch, as "gentle and feeble" but I suppose disability politics were not what they are now.  (Also, in the same sentence on p. 126, he is described as the "lame" twin; while this usage has pretty much disappeared, this is why I made the attempt to stop calling things I didn't like "lame" when it was pointed out to me that it used to refer to people with physical disabilities.  Just something to be aware of.)

• This story they all tell as a group may be a fascinating exercise in characterization but I've always thought that this is the kind of game that's only fun if you're playing it; hearing about it later or reading a transcript is a bit of a slog.

Final Thoughts: 


This chapter really builds on the ones that precede it--we see the P.O. in action; Jo gets a note from Marmee about her quest to conquer her temper, Laurie makes fun of Jo's disastrous dinner party but we also see that Jo has learned a thing or two since then, and we see how Ned Moffat feels about Meg after her appearance at his family's party.  It also sets up Mr. Brooke, who becomes a much more important character going forward. 

Question for readers:

When the game Truth is proposed--a game which requires the players to be completely open and honest about any question asked of them--"Miss Kate and Mr. Brooke, Meg, and Ned declined."  Why do you think these four characters opted out?  What have you seen in this chapter that could provide clues?

Chapters 10-11

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

Here's what each girl grew in her garden.  Sources for each photo are linked to the name of each item: 

• Meg's garden: Roses, heliotrope, myrtle, orange tree

• Jo's garden: sunflowers (for the seeds!)

• Beth's garden: sweet peas, mignonette, larkspur, pinks, pansies, southernwood, chickweed, catnip

• Amy's garden: honeysuckles, morning glories, lilies, ferns, earwigs
• "winding sheet" (p. 117)--a shroud; fabric in which a corpse is buried
  

My Noticings:

•  This book never tires of giving us symbolic depictions of the four sisters!  In this chapter, we get their gardens, their Dickensian alter-egos, and their contributions to the paper.  I hadn't noticed before how repetitive this can get (sort of like having the infamous first chapter of a Baby-Sitters Club novel recur every twenty pages or so) but I will never cease to find it charming. 
• Pip (named, I guess, for Dickens's Pip?) strikes me as an uncharacteristically dark bit of this story!  I understand the idea behind this chapter showing how out-of-sorts people can get when they haven't anything to occupy their time, but Beth starving one of her pets to death seems a bit much.  (I suppose this is mitigated by the fact that we've never heard of Pip before--better this newly discovered bird than one of the beloved kittens!)

Final Thoughts: 

In this section, we get a longer glimpse of the Marches' home life; the Pickwick Society that keeps the girls occupied during their free time and the chores that they normally do to keep the household running (but skip for a week, to tragic results.)   As usual, we see a bit of each girl, most notably another of Jo's early attempts at writing (quite over-the-top and melodramatic) and Meg's shortcomings as a housekeeper (spoiling her clothes and the breakfast). 

 Question for readers:

If you had to use some of the symbols applied to the March sisters to describe yourself, what would you use?  So far we've seen:

• The small item each girl wants to buy herself at Christmas
• The chore each girl takes on to get ready for Marmee's homecoming (and then how each girl helps get ready for dinner when Marmee arrives)
• The gift each girl gives Marmee
• The role(s) each girl plays in the theatrical performance
• Each girl's favorite part of playing Pilgrim's Progress
• The color of the books Marmee gives to each girl
• The gift each girl sends to Laurie when he's sick
• The plants growing in each girl's garden
• The Dickens character each girl pretends to be

Chapter 9

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

• "dowdy" (p. 90)--unfashionable, out of style

• "Mrs. M has made her plans, I dare say, and will play her cards well, early as it is." (p. 90) The women are discussing the friendship between the Laurences and the Marches, and speculating that Mrs. March has encouraged it so that Meg will wind up marrying Laurie and becoming wealthy.  None of this ever occurred to poor Meg, who only thinks of Laurie as a good friend (and it probably wouldn't occur to anyone who knew Mrs. March well, either, as it's totally untrue and out of character.)
• "worsted work" (p. 91)--light knitting or sewing (probably, since the fashionable young ladies are doing it, work that is mostly decorative or artistic rather than practical; a hobby)

• "It's evident Daisy isn't out yet" (p. 91)--when a young lady came "out", it meant that she was to be treated as an adult--particularly in the context of courting and marriage
• "pastoral" (p. 91)--related to country/rural life; the connotation is heavily idealized.  In this case, it means that Meg is far removed from sophisticated life and is too naive to realize that Laurie is a wealthy potential suitor.
• Meg "rebels" against even a little bit of rouge (what we more often call "blush" today) because attitudes toward wearing makeup were different then.  Although it's almost expected today that women will wear makeup, especially at fancy events, then it was something that a lot of people disapproved of.  Clearly, among this fashionable set, it doesn't seem to be a big deal, but that's not how Meg rolls.  (p. 92)

My Noticings:

•  Alcott's style is more straightforward than, say, that of Jane Austen, or even Charles Dickens; the humor in Little Women has more to do with what's happening and less to do with how the story is told.  (And in fact, as much as I love this book, it's not as funny as Austen or Dickens.  I don't think it tries to be.)  But in this chapter, we do get some cutting observations of the well-to-do.  We learn that Mrs. Moffat makes the assumptions she does about Laurie because she "judged others by herself" (p. 90) and Sallie, "who was not an observing young lady," embarrasses Meg by asking why Meg doesn't simply send home for another dress, when Meg clearly doesn't have closets full of dresses as Sallie does.  (p. 92) 
• There's a tough double-standard here: Marmee tells her girls that "to be loved and chosen by a good man is the best and sweetest thing which can happen to a woman," but she cautions them against being "unmaidenly girls, running about to find husbands." (p. 99-100)

Final Thoughts: 

This is our first real look at "society"--the life that the Marches left behind when they lost their money.  The book quite clearly endorses Mrs. March's ideas: that children should live simply, that marriage should have only to do with love, not money, and that there are more important things than money and fashion.  I do wonder, though, if trying to shield her girls from the way the fashionable people live and think is actually doing them a disservice: Marmee even strongly implies that she wouldn't have let Meg go if she knew what she would encounter (p. 98).   Similar to Marmee's description of her struggle with her temper vs. her husband's apparent perfection in the last chapter, this makes me wonder about the virtues of a life lived with no temptation (like Mr. March, who never feels angry, or the way Mrs. March would prefer to raise her daughters, keeping them away from people she disagrees with) vs. one in which temptation must be overcome (Marmee's triumphs over her temper; Meg's repentance upon returning from her trip.)


 Question for readers:



What parallels exist between the standards for female behavior we see in this chapter (it's fashionable but frowned-upon to wear makeup; the girls pressure Meg into wearing tight and revealing clothes; marriage is seen as the pinnacle of female achievement but trying too hard to get a husband is somehow "unmaidenly", etc.) and modern expectations of women?  If this chapter took place now, what concerns would Meg be thinking about?

Chapters 7 and 8

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

•  So.  Pickled limes.  Amy makes them sound so amazing that I have always been desperate to find out what in the heck they are and try them.  After some extensive googling, they seem to be just what they sound like: limes preserved with salt, maybe some vinegar, maybe some garlic and chiles, but as best I can tell Amy's version was more probably just salt.  Some sources say this was started because sailors would get scurvy at sea if they didn't have citrus, so the plentiful salt water helped to keep the limes edible on long voyages.  I don't know.  Here's one version of a recipe that I am determined to try, although I am a bit skeptical about how much I, personally, will enjoy sucking on a salty lime.
  
• As the note in the back of this edition explains, the crack about the little Irish children getting Amy's limes is sort of weird and uncharacteristic for such a progressive family (whether we're talking about the fictional Marches or the real Alcotts.)  I guess that's one we just have to chalk up to "unfortunate product of the times." (p. 72)

• Hmm.  This is an interesting school, where a twelve-year-old girl can get angry at her teacher, gather up all her things and head home, and the teacher doesn't even notice!  (In fact, it seems as though there was a very limited compulsory education law on the books by this time in Massachusetts--the first on in the country--but it gave lots of exceptions and only required twelve weeks' attendance a year anyway.  You can see parts of that law here.)  (p. 73)

• I'm not certain about the note on p. 76 that describes rag money as "a contemptuous term for paper money."  First of all, it seems unlike the Marches to be contemptuous toward any money.  Second of all, when Amy talks about not getting the rag money for a month in the previous chapter, it makes it sound like a specific, recurring source of income (although probably a very small one, if the children received it.)  I always though it was money from selling old fabric scraps (to whom I don't know, but it was a less wasteful time, so I imagine someone may have wanted them).  I wish there was a source included, as a quick Google reveals less-than-trustworthy sources making both arguments, but nothing definitive.)

• "blowzy" (p. 82)--untidy, coarse, red-faced

My Noticings: 

•  Don't think I didn't want to make every kid who walked into my classroom wearing Sillybandz in 2009-2010 throw them right out the window.  So I have sympathy for Mr. Davis up to that point, but I don't go in for corporal punishment. 

• I'm not sure what to think of Marmee's description of her marriage.  On the one hand, it's nice that her husband is such a paragon of virtue: "He never loses patience--never doubts or complains--but always hopes, and works and waits so cheerfully that one is ashamed to do otherwise before him."  But then, the next part makes him sound a little condescending to me: "He helped and comforted me, and showed me that I must try to practice all the virtues I would have my little girls possess, for I was their example." (p. 83)  The introduction of this edition talks about whether or not this book can be considered feminist, for some reasons I won't mention here due to spoilers, but this isn't really a section it discusses.  I don't know how I feel about this perfect Mr. March, or about the way his wife sees him as a role model. 

Final Thoughts:



 Both of these chapters made lasting impressions on me when I was a kid: the former because of the mysterious delicacy of pickled limes, and the latter because I couldn't imagine actually destroying anything important that permanently.  I was definitely conscious of Amy's horrible act whenever I was mad at my mom or sister and never did anything I couldn't undo, no matter how mad I was.  (And I always got really nervous whenever my little sister got sent to our room when she was in trouble, because I was afraid she might do something like that!)  But this time around, it's Jo's conversation with Marmee that's the most interesting to me.

Question for readers:
What's your take on Marmee's temper?  Who is the better person: Mr. March, who apparently doesn't get angry, or Marmee, who has to really work to control her anger?  What are your thoughts on the relationship Marmee describes between her and her husband?

Chapters 5 and 6

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

•  Here's Meg's novel of choice: Ivanhoe. (P. 52)

• Blancmange, as far as I can tell, is like milk-flavored Jello.   The closest thing I can think of that I've actually eaten is panna cotta, although I think that's made with cream and this recipe for blancmange calls for milk. (p. 54)

•  "redoubtable" (p. 59)--formidable, tough, deserving of respect

• "conservatory" (p. 60)--while this can sometimes mean a specialized school for the arts, in this context, it means a room with a glass ceiling and walls, like a greenhouse room that's part of the Laurence home.

My Noticings:

•  I have often wondered why the Marches' small, shabby house is right next to the Laurences' mansion.  I guess it happens, but it strikes me as unusual: typically, houses in a neighborhood are at least kind of similar to each other. 

• Oh, Laurie.  I know it was a different time and all, but really?  "Oh, well, I have this nice bedroom all to myself, but it's messy because the maids are lazy and won't listen to me, woe is me."  I feel like that is not the way to impress a girl.  I kind of wish Jo hadn't cleaned the place but instead informed Laurie that, in fact, he has working arms and legs and could always do it himself.
  
•  I suppose both Laurence men win points for refusing to take credit for the Christmas feast they sent over to the Marches.  (Remember when Jo mentioned it to Laurie at the dance?  He said his grandfather did it.  Now, when Jo meets old Mr. Laurence, he calls it "the boy's affair.")
  
• In his letter to Beth, Mr. Laurence mentions having lost a granddaughter.  My best guess is that she would have been Laurie's cousin.  When Mr. Laurence talks to Beth a few pages before, he says, "I had a little girl once, with eyes like those," which I took to mean that he had a daughter.  So I guess this granddaughter might have been her daughter?  And they're both dead?  Add that to Laurie's dead parents, and presumably dead grandmother, and it comes out to a pretty rough life for Mr. Laurence. 
  
• For those of you playing along at home, the scene at the very end of chapter 6 between Beth and Mr. Laurence marks the first of many scenes that makes me tear up a little. 
  

Final Thoughts:





It finally feels like we're in full swing now, with Laurie and Mr. Laurence more or less becoming part of the family.  At this point, pretty much, you've got a good sense of how the first half of this novel will go: relatively self-contained stories about the March and Laurence families, shifting focus among the four March sisters.  We've yet to hear too much from Meg or Amy, but the next chapter coming up--an Amy chapter--is maybe my favorite in Part 1. 

Question for readers:

What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of telling this story in 3rd person, using an episodic (one small story after another) structure?  What effect do those choices have on you as a reader?

Chapters 3 and 4

Background Information/Vocabulary:

• "garret" (p. 31)--like an attic, usually not a particularly nice one.  There is an association with the "starving artist"--he or she lives in a garret (because it's all s/he can afford) making art and not caring about practical concerns like food or furniture.  In this case, it's Jo's retreat in this very crowded house.  I imagine her sisters are not wild about the idea of hanging out with a rat, no matter how friendly it is.
  
• "russets" (p. 31)--a type of apple.  (This word can also be used as an adjective, in which case it means reddish-brown, like this kind of apple.)
  
  
• "poplin" (p. 31)--a type of cotton fabric.  The March girls have relatively inexpensive poplin dresses, rather than dresses made of silk or another fancy material.
  
• "toilet" (p. 32)--in this context, the process of getting dressed and groomed.  So, the March girls have simple "toilets", because they don't have a lot of choices in how they will dress or fix themselves up for this party.
  
• "ice" (p. 39) I assume this refers to some kind of frozen dessert, not just, you know, frozen water.  Some supper: ice cream and coffee!
• The Vicar of Wakefield can be read online; it's a bit more fun than Pilgrim's Progress, although it can be a little tricky because of its age.  But it's a book Jo enjoyed thoroughly. (p. 48)

My Noticings:

•  Jo is a mess!  She burned her dress and stained her gloves, and it really doesn't bother her much at all.  Since the Marches can't afford to replace her ruined things, she just shrugs and makes do.  Meg, on the other hand, would rather skip the party entirely or risk her own nice things (even her gloves!) than have Jo turn up without the "necessary" items.

• Poor Jo: parties are no fun if you can't talk to the people you want to talk to (skating!  with boys!  Out of the question!) or eat food (how unladylike!) or even really move around (how on earth did she manage to set her own dress on fire that time, anyway?)  But I suppose there had to be a reason for her to duck behind that curtain and meet Laurie. 
  
•  Oh man, I'd never noticed this before: Laurie is totally already into Jo.  Reading umpteen YA novels (and writing my own) has keyed me into language like this:
  

  But Laurie didn't laugh. He only looked down a minute, and the expression of his face puzzled Jo when he said very gently, "Never mind that. I'll tell you how we can manage. There's a long hall out there, and we can dance grandly, and no one will see us. Please come." (p. 37)

  He doesn't laugh at her, he can't look at her, he gets a weird expression on his face, and then he speaks "very gently"--this guy is toast.  It's all over.  He's crazy about her.  (Also, wow.  Who knew this interaction had been written in pretty much exactly the same way in every book since 1868.)
  

Final Thoughts:




We're really starting to see the ways in which the Marches' financial situation affects them.  The idea that family and simple pleasures can outweigh anything money can buy is repeated over and over throughout the book; certainly this is something that still bears repeating.  And I think one of the strengths of the novel is the way it shows each sister having different struggles--they're not all pining away for silk gowns, but they all want something they can't afford, they each have to go through their own unpleasant tasks each day, and they each handle it in different ways. 

Question for readers:

If you had to choose one of the jobs that the March sisters do: governess to spoiled children (Meg), companion to a crotchety old lady (Jo), assistant housekeeper (Beth), or student of a cranky teacher (Amy), which would you pick?  Why?

Chapters 1 and 2

NOTE: Page numbers refer to the Barnes & Noble Classics paperback edition.

Background Information/Vocabulary:

•  If you're curious about Pilgrim's Progress, the book the March girls used to act out, you can find it here.  (Despite my love for Little Women, I've never been able to make myself read all of Pilgrim's Progress, but it's there if you want it.)  There are many references to Pilgrim's Progress throughout Little Women, including a number of the chapter titles.  It's basically an allegory for how to live a Christian life.
• "thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was."  (p. 11) Their father is off working as a chaplain in the Union (Northern) army during the Civil War.

• A general note about Amy--when she uses words that are put in italics, it often means she is misusing a word, or making one up entirely.  Her attempts to use vocabulary she doesn't understand are part of her wish to live a fancier life than the one she has.  So, for example, "statirical" (for "satirical", although that word doesn't quite fit here either) and "vocabilary" (for "vocabulary") are Amy-isms. (p. 12)
   
• Wearing your hair "up" (p.13)--in a net like Jo's, or pinned/braided/etc--was a sign of young womanhood.  Younger girls wore their hair down.  You'll see other age markers, but essentially, the things that marked you as a woman also marked you as suitable for marriage (or at least for thinking about it.)  The Marches seem not to believe in marrying off their teenage daughters at such a young age, but getting married at 17 or 18 wasn't unusual, and some girls married even younger. 

• "Simper" (p. 17)--to do something in an artificially fancy or delicate way
   
• Hannah, the March family's servant, speaks in dialect.  So here, "creeter" means "creature" (but really means a person), "vittles" means "victuals" (food), and "firin'" means the materials to build a fire.  (p. 22)

• "foil" (p. 25)--a thin sword, used for fencing (not real fighting)
  
• "slashed doublet" (p. 25)--a type of jacket.  See photo below.
  
• "dress circle" (p. 25)--a seating area in a theater (in this case, where the audience sat for the Marches' show.)

• Remember that, in the days before freezers or supermarkets or electric ice cream makers, ice cream was a much bigger deal!  Ditto giant bouquets of flowers in Massachusetts at Christmas--flowers would have been very expensive, or else come from your own personal greenhouse, which not many people could have afforded.  In other words, this table is laid out in a VERY expensive manner. (p. 29)

• When the March girls talk about getting to know Theodore Laurence, they are referencing rules of polite society that indicate that people must be formally introduced before striking up a friendship.  Despite the Marches' relative poverty, they had money in the past and are clearly a genteel (high-class) family, so these rules would be important to them.  The exception, as usual, is Jo, who hates the social conventions that keep her in dresses with her hair up, acting as prim and proper as she can bear.  (p. 30)

My Noticings:

•  These first four lines of dialogue really set up the March sisters nicely.  Jo is "grumbling" and lying on the rug: nothing fancy about her.  Meg is lamenting the state of her dress.  Amy is jealous of her peers who have more "pretty things."  Beth is happy with what she has: a family.  Things will go on pretty much in this vein for the next few hundred pages.

• The chapter goes on and on like this: the things the girls want for Christmas, their hardships, the things they resolve to buy for their mother, the chores they do when their mother gets home--all of these show, in turn, what each girl is like.  By the end of the chapter we have quite a good idea of who's who.

• Ok, so, with a little attention to detail and logistics, given that there are only four actors, you can parse out who plays which roles in this extremely convoluted play that Jo wrote.  Here's what I think I've figured out: Roderigo=Jo.  Hagar=Meg.  Spirit=Amy. Imp=Beth. Zara=Amy.  Don Pedro=Meg.  Retainer/servant=Beth.  Fernando=Amy.  Hugo=Jo.

Final Thoughts:

This is a pretty solid introduction to the March girls and their mother; the men of the piece have been mentioned but not yet introduced (and in fact, it will be AGES till Mr. March actually makes an appearance.)  Jo's play is pretty goofy but not a bad effort for a play written by a fifteen-year-old and performed in a living room.

Question for readers:

Which March sister is your favorite so far?  Which one do you identify with the most closely in the first two chapters?  Why? 

Welcome and Schedule

Hello, and welcome to the Little Women readalong.  Each weekday in July, I will be posting my comments about another chapter in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.  Please join in at your own pace, and leave your thoughts in the comments section!

Our schedule is as follows:

July 1st: Chapters 1-2
July 2nd: Chapters 3-4
July 3rd: Chapters 5-6
July 4th: Chapters 7-8
July 5th: Chapter 9

July 8th: Chapters 10-11
July 9th: Chapter 12
July 10th: Chapters 13-14
July 11th: Chapters 15-17
July 12th: Chapters 18-20

July 15th: Chapters 21-23
(End of Part 1)
 
July 16th: Chapters 24-25
July 17th: Chapters 26-27
July 18th: Chapters 28-29
July 19th: Chapters 30-31

July 22nd: Chapters 32-33
July 23rd: Chapters 34-35
July 24th: Chapters 36-37
July 25th: Chapters 38-39
July 26th: Chapters 40-41

July 29th: Chapters 42-43
July 30th: Chapters 44-45
July 31st: Chapters 46-47