Little Women

‘Dear little bird! See, Jo how tame it is. I like peeps better than the gulls: they are not so wild and handsome, but they seem happy, confiding little things. I used to call them my birds last summer, and Mother said they reminded her of me – busy, quaker-coloured creatures, always near the shore, and always chirping that contented little song of theirs. You are the gull, Jo, strong and wild, fond of the storm and the wind, flying far out to sea, and happy all alone. Meg is the turtledove, and Amy is like the lark she writes about, trying to get up among the clouds, but always dropping down into it’s nest again’………

………and with those whimsical comparisons, the shy Beth nailed the four March sisters to the tee. Little Women, set at the turn of the Civil War explored the lives...the loves...the quirks... the disappointments...the shadows and the triumphs of the March family and continues to enchant even today.

Every female mind with a literal leaning will associate with Jo. We see our failings mirrored in her, hope for a glimpse of our backbone in her strident ravings and happily proclaim to all who will listen that yep…"I am a JO". I am no different. Right from page 1 till the wee end, I remained a member of the 'Jo Fan-Club'. She was blunt, honest as the day is long AND a no frills, raggedy-cat to boot. At a time when social graces were the order of the day, Jo clomped through her genteel surroundings with all the grace of the proverbial bull-in-a-china shop. She loved her family fiercely and no sacrifice was too great or small where they were concerned. She pursued her writing-career with all the highs-and-lows that plague every fledgling author.

When I was younger, I had read only the first section. So when I heard that Jo had turned down the loyal and cheeky Laurie, I was a tad disappointed. Now, as the years have passed and I have read both sections in their entirety, I am content with the decision. Laurie's lovable, carefree boy of Part 1 dissolved into a sulky, wilful young man in Part 2. And Prof.Bhaer, for all his poverty and seniority and shabbiness of appearance was a true hero. As Jo aptly puts it: Mother would admire him for his warm heart, Father his wise head. I admire both, and feel rich in my new “friend Friedrich Bhaer”. Once more, our mighty heroine makes the right choice and gives us further cause to bolster her on her pedestal.

Little Women for me, will always be about Jo. Kudos to Louisa May Alcott for recreating herself, adding a few charming bits and creating a character who stays fresh even today.