Little Women

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**Little Women** is an 1868 children’s novel by Louisa May Alcott. Initially published in two volumes between 1868-69, it tells the story of four sisters as they come of age and face moral lessons and challenges from childhood to adulthood.

Am instant success after publication, it is considered the first American children’s novel to be a classic. It is loosely based on the author’s early life with her sisters. *Little Men* and *Jo’s Boys*, were two sequels followed up after *Little Women*.

## Plot Summary

### Part 1

Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March are four young sisters living in New England during the Civil War. With their father away serving in the war as a chaplain, the girls are left at home with their mother, Marmee and servant Hannah. The Marchs are poor as they got very little of what they have, but they keep each other manage to keep each other happy with love and morality as they spend their first Christmas without their father.

Jo meets a boy named Laurie Laurence, who is around her age and lives next door with his wealthy grandfather Mr. Laurence and tutor, John Brooke. She befriends Laurie and before long, the Laurence’s become friends with the Marchs.

Both Meg and Jo have jobs to support their family. Meg is a governess, while Jo looks after her cranky old great-aunt Aunt March in her wealthy estate of Plumfield. Throughout the following year, the girls experience various adventures and trials, from Amy being pulled from school after she was beaten in front of her classmates to Jo being so angry at Amy that she nearly lets her drown in a river.

Towards the end of the year, Marmee receives a message that Mr. March is ill in Washington, D.C., and she leaves home to tend to him, leaving the girls with Hannah. While Marmee is away, Beth contracts scarlet fever while visiting a poor family and falls severely ill. Amy is sent to live with Aunt March during her sister’s illness and learns to be more elegant. Beth recovers as Marmee eventually returns from Washington D.C.; by Christmas, Mr. March finally comes home to his family.

Meanwhile, John Brooke has fallen in love with Meg and proposes marriage to her, although they would have to wait for a few years until she is at a suitable age for marriage.

### Part 2

Three years passed, and the Civil War had ended. Meg and John get married and start their new life with twin children. Amy becomes Aunt March’s new companion, Laurie is at college, and Jo pursues a writing career.

Amy travels to Europe, and thinking Laurie is infatuated with her, Jo goes to New York to escape his affections. She works as a governess at a boarding house and meets a German professor named Frederich Bhaer. She becomes close to him, and he gives her advice about her stories. After Jo returns home, she turns down a marriage proposal from Laurie, while Beth’s health worsens and she dies. Jo becomes depressed following her sister’s death, and her parents encourage her to start writing again, which she does, and she is more successful at selling stories to the publisher.

Laurie travels to Europe after his depression from Jo’s rejection, where he sees Amy, and they become close. After finding out about Beth’s death, Amy finds solace in her relationship with Laurie. They fall in love and secretly marry afterwards. After Laurie and Amy return home, Jo receives a surprise visit from Bhaer and accepts his marriage proposal. They got married a year later.

After Aunt March dies, Jo inherits Plumfield and turns it into a school for boys. Jo and Bhaer have two sons, while Laurie and Amy have a daughter. The family gathers together, and the sisters are grateful for their blessings and each other.

## Characters

Josephine “Jo” March- The second of the March sisters and the main protagonist. Loosely based on Louisa May Alcott, Jo is a strong, tomboyish young woman who loves reading and writing and desires to become a writer. Earlier in the story, she had a fiery temper that she later suffers great remorse from and is initially not interested in romance and marriage. Nevertheless, she is very loyal to her family and will do whatever she can to keep them together.

Margaret “Meg” March- The eldest of the March sisters. Beautiful and gentle, she acts like a mother figure to her younger sisters, supporting them through their difficulties. She works full-time as a governess and dreams of living a life of luxury. She later marries John Brooke, and after receiving advice from her husband and mother, she becomes a happy full-time housewife.

Elizabeth “Beth” March- The third of the March sisters. She is a shy, sickly young girl who loves her cats, dolls and playing her piano. She never attends school and spends most of her listening to herself in the household, and her selfless nature keeps her family’s bond together. After her tragic death from scarlet letters, her three surviving sisters learn important moral lessons from her kindness.

Amy March- The youngest of the March sisters. She initially starts as a spoiled, selfish girl who can manipulate others. But later in life, she becomes a more elegant, generous woman who has a love for art and dreams of being valued in society and marrying the rich. She is also seen as a foil to her sister Jo, who acts like the ideal lady, while Jo is a woman who doesn’t appreciate being a proper lady.

Mrs. “Marmee” March- The mother of the March sisters. She is a wise, kind, and loving woman who acts as a role model to her daughters, such as counselling them through their problems, offering honest advice about growing up, and valuing the importance of their impoverished family. In the book's first half, she runs the household while her husband, Mr. March, is absent in the war.

Theodore “Laurie” Laurence- A wealthy teenage boy who is March’s next-door neighbour. He becomes a close friend to the family and is considered a son to Mrs. March and a brother to the girls. He develops a close bond with Jo, but like how she struggles to be a proper woman and housewife, he has a hard time living up to his grandfather's expectations. After Jo rejects his marriage proposal, Laurie ends up with Amy instead.

Mr. March- Marmee’s husband and the father of the girls. He is a minister away from home, serving in the army as a chaplain during the book’s first part. But after he falls ill and is tended to by his house, he fully recovers and permanently returns home to his family. Like his wife, Mr. March also provides moral support to his daughters to compensate for his irresponsibility of leaving them alone to fend for themselves.

Aunt March- Mr. March’s aunt and a wealthy widow. She is a cranky, old woman who lives inside her estate Plumfield, where Jo used to visit her and wait on her. While she can be judgemental at times and disapproves her nieces living in poverty, she loves and adores them, and wants the best for them, such as teaching Amy to be selfless and funding her European trip. After she dies at the end of the book, Jo inherits Plumfield and turns it into a school.

Professor Friedrich “Fritz” Bhaer- A German professor. He is a respected but poor professor from Berlin, who moves to America to tutor his nephews. He meets Jo while she works as a governess in New York City and they share a close bond. He would share her some advice about her stories, and even encourages her to become a serious author rather than write stories for weekly tabloids. Jo later marries him and they have two sons.

Mr. James Laurence- Laurie’s grandfather, who he lived with in his large house after losing his parents. He is also the Marches’ next door neighbour, and while he appears gruff, he is also kind. He gifts his piano to Beth that once belonged to his beloved, late granddaughter and convinces his grandson, Laurie, to travel in Europe to ease his depression from his rejected proposal.

John Brooke- Laurie’s tutor. He is a diligent, poor young man who teaches Laurie to support himself. He accompanies Marmee to Washington DC to tend to her sick husband, and later falls in love with Meg. After he becomes a bookkeeper, he marries Meg and they have twin children.

Hannah Mullet- The Marches’ servant. She is a loyal, devoted woman who Marmee and the girls treat as a member of the family.

Uncle and Aunt Carroll- Marmee’s in-laws. They accompany Amy on a trip in Europe.

Flo Carroll- The Marches’ cousin and daughter of Uncle and Aunt Carroll. She also joins her parents and Amy on a trip in Europe.

Annie Moffat- Meg’s wealthy friend. She invites her to her home and has her dressed up in lavish clothing.

Sallie Gardiner- Another wealthy friend of Meg, whose lifestyle makes Meg envious. She marries Annie’s brother, Ned.

Ned Moffat- Annie’s brother, who marries Sallie Gardnier.

Kate Vaughn- A wealthy, British girl who is friends with Laurie, along with her younger siblings. While she was initially prejudiced towards the impoverished Marches, she later admires them.

Frank Vaughn- The middle Vaughn child, who is sickly.

Fred Vaughn- Frank’s twin brother, who courts Amy while in Europe.

Grace Vaughn- The youngest Vaughn child, who befriends Amy during a picnic with her siblings and Laurie.

Mrs. Kirke- A woman who owns a boarding house in New York City. She hires Jo as a governess to teach her two young daughters, Kitty and Minnie.

Mr. Davis- Amy’s schoolteacher, who humiliates her by slapping her hand for bringing in pickled limes to school.

The Kings- A family who Meg works as a governess for their children.

The Hummels- A poor German immigrant family. The Marches gift them their breakfast for Christmas, but the Hummels’ baby later dies from scarlet fever, which Beth contracts.

Dr. Bangs- The Marches’ family doctor, who treats Beth when she falls ill with scarlet fever.

Esther- Aunt March’s French maid.

Margaret “Daisy” Brooke- The daughter of Meg and John Brooke and twin sister of Demi.

John “Demi” Brooke Jr- The son of Meg and John Brooke and twin brother of Daisy.

Rob Bhaer- The son of Jo and Friedrich Bhaer.

Ted Bhaer- The son of Jo and Friedrich Bhaer.

Elizabeth “Bess” Laurence- The daughter of Amy and Laurie.