Louisa May Alcott: Little Women

I saw the movie Little Women a few days ago. It's one of the best films I've seen, I loved it one hundred percent, I fell madly in love with the character of Jo March, if you haven't seen it. I don't know what you do, you should see it now, I'm just kidding, but I really recommend it.

I never saw the previous movies or read the book, and these days I've started reading it, but I totally recommend it.

Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist, short story writer and poet best known as the author of the novel Little Women, and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist and remained unmarried throughout her life. All her life she was active in such reform movements as temperance and women's suffrage. She died from a stroke, two days after her father died, in Boston on March 6, 1888 .  Little women is set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts, and is loosely based on Alcott's childhood experiences with her three sisters, Abigail May Alcott Nieriker, Elizabeth Sewall Alcott, and Anna Alcott Pratt. 

Louisa May Alcott

The plot covers four sisters, specifically the March sisters. Meg, Beth, Amy and Jo, the sisters who live with their mother Marmee in New England, every day while doing their domestic chores, lament the fact that their father had to leave to serve in the American Civil War, leaving them with virtually no financial support.

This causes the sisters to have to support their mother by working in different jobs and helping out around the house, since, as if that weren't enough, the March lost their entire fortune helping a friend in need.

It is Christmas and the young March decide that, as they do not have much money, they will collect it all to buy their mother a gift with which to thank her for everything she does for them. Their mother, in response, gives them each a booklet full of advice and ideas so that each one can work on their defects and improve their virtues. Each of the March has her own sins to fight against: Jo is too aggressive and spontaneous, Meg is very envious, Amy is vain, and Beth is simply the saint of the group.

Suddenly one day they discover that a rich, handsome and good-natured young man named Laurie has moved in next door. Laurie lives with her grandfather, who rewards the March with gifts when he discovers that they have given up their breakfast so that a family of poor immigrants can eat that day. In addition, Meg and Jo are invited to a New Year's party at the home of Meg's friend, Sally Gardiner. At the party, at which Jo is greatly out of tune with her manners and clothes, Jo talks all night with Laurie and they become friends.

Jo, with her natural spontaneity, will visit Laurie when she is sick and meet Mr. Laurence, the boy's grandfather. The old man is quickly taken by the young woman's sympathy and decides to meet all the sisters. Beth will become his favorite because of her sweetness and candor.

As time goes by, Amy is caught in class trading limes and the teacher humiliates her in front of the rest of the girls, which deeply hurts the girl's ego. Mrs. March, who finds this unacceptable, takes Amy out of school. With so much time at home, Amy and Jo's character clashes to the point where they fight and Amy sets fire to the notebook with the manuscripts of stories that Jo had been writing all her life.

At the same time, Meg goes to her friend Annie Moffat's house for a few days, where they dress her up as if she were rich and make fun of her behind her back, believing that the March are only involved with Laurie because of her money. Meg will be deeply hurt by that and will come home with a lesson learned.

Meanwhile, Laurie's relationship with the girls, especially Jo, is progressing in the form of a fun and happy friendship. Jo and Amy decide to reconcile and the first one gets a novel published, although she will have to make cuts demanded by the publisher.

One day they receive an urgent telegram that their father is still injured in the hospital. Mrs. March quickly leaves the house in search of her husband, and the girls are lazy about their duties. Only Beth goes to see the Hummels, the poor immigrant family who have fallen ill with scarlet fever. Beth will get it and come home really sick. The March will send Amy to Aunt March's house (a rich and nasty old lady) to prevent her from getting it too and they will take care of poor Beth body and soul.

It will be in those days when Mr. Brooke, Laurie's guardian, falls madly in love with Meg. Finally Beth recovers when they thought that everything was lost and Meg decides to marry Mr. Brooke, with whom she will start a new life.