Hi friends! Welcome to the first installment of my Rereading Childhood Favorites series – you can check out my initial blog post for more info! I’m a firm believer that books we read as children shape us into the adults that we become, and that’s part of why I am so excited about this series.
With my birthday coming up this week (the 12th) I thought that it would be fitting to start this series by discussing the book that I think influenced me the most in my adolescence: Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.
It’s a well known fact here at TeaTimeLit that I absolutely love Little Women. It doesn’t matter which version or format – the original novel, the 1994 film, the 2004 musical, the 2017 PBS mini series, or the 2019 film – these characters and their story has touched my heart and soul in a way that not many pieces of media have before. To be 100% truthful, this post is mostly an excuse for me to gush about my favorite books, so thank you for indulging me!
The writing of Little Women is so lovely and easy – and I mean that in the best way. I love Alcott’s writing style, she draws you in with storytelling that is charming and captivating, making it practically impossible to put the book down. I’ve found that every time I read Little Women, my reading time gets longer and longer because I don’t want to leave the world that this story takes place in. It’s also nice to take a break from the craziness of life with a story about simpler times.
The heart of Little Women really lies with the March family and the bond that these girls share with each other. My most recent read further solidified this for me. I was so incredibly moved by Jo’s love for Beth and how hard she worked to try to save her beloved sister. I’m tearing up now just thinking about it. How beautiful is it to have people in your life who you can truly be yourself with, show them the good, bad, and ugly, and still have them love you and everything that you are? The bond that the March family shares is so strong and beautiful, I truly have no words for it and just how moving I find it.
“…because talent isn’t genius, and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing”
Like many other young women who grew up reading Little Women, I found myself connecting the most with Jo. Strong willed, creative and fiercely independent, Jo emulated qualities that I most admired. I absolutely related to Jo as I was the tomboy of the family. I also grew up reading non-stop, so Jo’s love of literature definitely spoke to me, and I loved how much she loved writing. Jo inspired me to dream big and not settle for less than I think I deserve, which are two things I am immensely grateful for. She is such a strong character and I’m thankful to have had her to look up to.
Over the years that has not changed. I still deeply love Jo March and see many of my own personality traits reflected in her, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve found myself relating to all four March girls.
Now, I always loved Amy. As the youngest child myself, I understood Amy. I understood her wanting to grow up faster than she should. I could relate to Amy’s wanting to be involved with what her sisters were doing, and her feeling as though she needs to prove herself. I’ve always hated how much (in my opinion, completely unnecessary) hate Amy has gotten in the 134 years it’s been since the original publication. Many complain that Amy is “whiny” and “selfish” and that she “stole Laurie” – that last one is absolutely not true and I can’t even go into how ridiculous it is besides saying that you cannot steal a person, anyway, moving on. Yes, Amy can be whiny and she has selfish moments. We all do, and I don’t understand why this is held against her, especially when at the beginning of the novel she’s a 12 year-old girl and the woman that she grows into is definitely different than the girl she starts as. Can you imagine being judged because of who you were when you were a pre-teen? You can’t, because you are not that person anymore and it would be ridiculous to be judged based on your 12 year-old self! I love how Amy is always true to who she is and is unapologetic for that. She admits to her wrong doings, and she’s not perfect, but she doesn’t change herself for anyone which is so important and I love her all the more for it.
During my last reread, an Amy scene that really stuck out to me was from when she was living with Aunt March when Beth had first gotten scarlet fever. When Marmee comes to visit her, Amy says that she’s going to try hard to not be selfish because Beth isn’t selfish. Amy sees how worried and scared and sad everyone is about Beth and the possibility of her dying, which makes Amy think that because she is selfish, no one would miss her if she died. I cannot imagine any 12 year-old thinking that and from that point on actually working desperately to stop being selfish. I also can’t imagine reading that and continuing to believe that Amy is actually a selfish character. But, that’s just me. I 100% am an Amy March apologist, y’all can deal if you believe otherwise. I feel that she’s been misrepresented in many adaptations, and every day I am thankful for the 2019 film and just how correctly they portrayed my beloved Amy.
The growth that Amy experiences throughout the course of the novel is so incredible and that growth and her self awareness is what has made her become my favorite character in Little Women as I’ve grown up. I think part of why many people tend to dislike Amy is because they see her in direct competition with Jo and feel as though they can only like one – and they tend to side with Jo. Jo and Amy, like most siblings, fight a lot. I feel that the phrase “two sides of the same coin” really applies to Jo and Amy. They both are creative, strong willed, determined, focused and driven. Both girls have artistic ambitions and put immense pressures on themselves. The two are far more similar than they believe to be when they’re children, but I think they see that as adults and I love seeing how their relationship evolves throughout the book. Bottom line, you can love both Jo and Amy, and I think you’ll enjoy the story much more if you do.
While Amy and Jo are my favorites of the March sisters, Beth and Meg also mean the world to me. Beth is one of those characters that I just have so much love for, and like Jo, I truly would do anything to protect her. In Waitress (both the film and musical), Jenna is referred to as “the queen of kindness and goodness” and I feel that this statement also applies to Beth. I think it’s so beautiful how good and pure of heart Beth is. While her sisters complain about the things that they don’t have (which I understand), Beth is fully content in being with her parents and sisters. She loves her music, but does not have dreams of becoming a musician; she simply loves to share music with those most important to her. I also think that Beth is the strongest of all four girls. Beth is dealt the short end of the stick when she gets sick with scarlet fever after going to visit the Hummels, and although she goes through bouts of illness from that point on, she doesn’t let it dampen her spirit. Beth knows when she’s about to die, and while, of course, everyone is scared to lose her, Beth isn’t scared. She knows that she’ll miss her family, she says she “shall be homesick for them even in heaven” but death is not what she fears, which I think, makes her the strongest of all the sisters.
I also really love the bond that Beth creates with Mr. Laurence. The two find comfort and safety in each other which I think is just so precious and it always breaks my heart to see how sad Mr. Laurence is when Beth dies. Additionally, I love that Jo and Mr. Laurence find comfort in each other once Beth dies as they both loved her so dearly.
I can’t lie, Meg was always the sister that I related to the least. That’s not to say that I don’t love Meg, because I do, but I never connected with her in the way that I did Jo, Amy or even Beth. That being said, as I’ve gotten older, I think I understand her more. As a teenager there definitely were moments where I’d look at things that my friends or acquaintances had or experiences they’d had and found myself saying, “well how come I can’t have those things?” I think it’s natural to feel a little jealousy over things that others have that you don’t. That’s really just a part of life, and I understand that side of Meg. It’s not that she’s not happy with her life, but sometimes it’s difficult when you work so hard and want many things, but it doesn’t change. I do think that part of why I have trouble really connecting with Meg is because she’s the oldest in her family and my experiences differ from hers. While yes, I helped out with my younger cousins a lot as a kid, I never had to take charge and help raise my siblings like Meg did, so it wasn’t something I could relate to. I do know that what she had to do was not easy, and she did so with grace and without hesitation which I have the utmost respect for. I also love seeing how Meg grows and learns to be content with life and really realizes that it doesn’t matter if you’re wealthy in material things, it matters if you’re wealthy in love and joy, which she has in spades.
“Be comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the clouds”
We all know that the last few years have been difficult, the last year or so has been especially hard on me, and when things get difficult I tend to turn to books, music and films to bring me a sense of peace and comfort. During this time, the one story that I really have been turning to time and time again is Little Women. I always refer to it as my comfort story, and it truly is. The story of Little Women makes me feel like I’m wrapped in a warm blanket with a steaming cup of my favorite tea in my hand. For me, Little Women has always represented comfort, safety, and peacefulness. It also reminds me that even in the darkest times, there is joy to be found.
I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about why Little Women means so much to me and what I love about it so much. Have you read Little Women? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
