The youngest sister-age twelve when the story begins-Amy is interested in art. Beth's dying has a strong impact on her sisters, especially Jo, who resolves to live her life with more consideration and care for others. But eventually even that becomes too much for her, and she puts down her sewing needle, saying that it grew "so heavy". She is never idle she even knits and sews things for the children that pass under her window on the way to and from school. They make a special room for her, filled with all the things she loves best: her kittens, piano, father's books, Amy's sketches, and her beloved dolls. Finally, the family accepts that Beth will not live much longer. Though she recovers, her health is permanently weakened.Īs she grows, Beth begins to realize that her time with her loved ones is coming to an end. She's especially close to Jo, and when Beth develops scarlet fever it's Jo who does most of the nursing, rarely leaving her side. As her sisters grow up they begin to leave home, but Beth has no desire to leave her house or family. “They decide to share life’s burdens just as they shared the load of bundles on their shopping expedition.”īeth, thirteen when the story starts, is described as shy, gentle and musical. While pursuing a literary career in New York City, she met and began to love Friedrich Bhaer, a German professor, as an equal partner. She initially rejects the idea of marriage and romance, feeling that it would break up her family and separate her from the sisters she adores.
She composes plays for her sisters to perform and writes short stories. Jo loves literature, both reading and writing. Jo has a hot temper which often leads her into trouble in spite of her good intentions, but with the help of her own sense of humor, her sister Beth, and her mother she works on controlling it. They were not only tolerated, but even admired - up to a point, the point at which girls were expected to become women.” Tomboys first became a major literary type in the 1860s. The tomboy embodied in Jo March “spoke to changing standards of girlhood. She is as clumsy, blunt, opinionated, and jolly. The second-oldest of four sisters, Josephine March is a tomboy Robert March has referred to her as his "son Jo" in the past, and her best friend Laurie sometimes calls her "my dear fellow." When her father went to volunteer in the Civil War, Jo wanted to fight alongside him. They had twins, Daisy and Demi (short for Demi-John). Though the March family is poor, their background is what was called 'genteel', and Meg attended some society balls and parties. Meg is employed as a governess for the Kings, a wealthy local family. This includes trying to keep her sisters from arguing, and they sometimes accuse her of lecturing them too much. As the oldest, Meg runs the household when her mother is absent.
She is referred to as a beauty, and is well-mannered. Sixteen at the opening of the book, Meg is the oldest sister.