So my book choice for March was all about the March family... and I can happily say that Little Women was the best fiction book I've ever read! Louisa May Alcott = brilliant. (I'll be reading Little Men next!)
The book begins at Christmas time (loved that), and it takes you through several years in the lives of the March sisters -- Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy (Analytical, Driver, Amiable, and Expressive!). Their personalities and character are wonderfully written, and each girl displays the strengths and weaknesses that are common to that personality type. This little scene (and so many others) cracked me up on that note: "'November is the most disagreeable month in the whole year,' said Margaret... 'That's the reason I was born in it,' observed Jo... 'If something very pleasant should happen now, we should think it a delightful month,' said Beth, who took a hopeful view of everything, even November."
Their parents are full of Biblical wisdom and common sense, always giving great practical advice when it is needed. There are several wonderful stories, but even the heartbreaking sections on death and rejection are very well written and true to life. The March family is poor and have their share of struggles, but as Ms. Alcott put it, "poverty enriches those who live above it." The story is full of heart, love, adventure, and great family moments... and through it all, the overarching theme of the book is: Character matters, and for better or worse, we reap what we sow.
In certain sections, the author speaks directly to the reader. One was speaking to women, encouraging us to always believe and expect the best of men... to praise and encourage good character! To paraphrase, she says that we will reap what we sow, and if we only expect them to be shallow, then that's what we will get. I love love loved that! However, another little segment to the reader that focused on women who become "spinsters" and "old maids" nearly put me over the edge in sadness (because it felt painfully true), but thankfully, Joyce was there later that day to cheer me up with some deeper truth. Anyway, back to the sisters...
Meg is kind and good, but she consistently struggles with comparison and jealousy toward the richer girls... eventually hurting her husband deeply by suggesting that his work is not good enough. When she wants to blame her husband and speak negatively on the character of men, her mother stops her and reminds her that women are also selfish, and she should see where she is wrong before blaming her husband. I love that. She struggles with putting so much energy and attention into her children (twins - how fun) that she neglects her husband... and her mother gives her great advice on that point (something I will try and take to heart), which she chooses to listen to and take to heart. In the end, it is the richer girls who are jealous of Meg, as her little home is full of genuine love and warmth, and she has a family that truly adores and respects her.
Jo is awesome and strong-willed and ready to take on the world, but her pride and fiercely independent spirit come back to bite her more than once - hurting Amy through unforgivenss and Beth through selfishness, hurting Laurie through rejection followed by far too much opinion, and hurting herself (missing out on a great gift) by speaking before she thinks. Of all the Driver statements by Jo, this comment particularly hit me: "I wish it was as easy for me to do little things to please people as it is for you. I think of them, but it takes too much time to do them, so I wait for a chance to confer a great favor, and let the small ones slip, but they tell best in the end, I fancy." It's important to her to be seen as liberal and independent, and she speaks boldly against the idea of getting married and ends up lonely for a while. She learns a lot from her mother, who has the same driver personality, and works on her character throughout the book. She finds some success in writing, and eventually, she decides that being independent is not her heart's highest desire... and marries a wonderful professor, then they start a school where he teaches and she mothers several young boys. That was awesome to me! (She inherited the estate of her cranky rich aunt, who she had taken care of for years - again, reaping what you sow.)
Beth is quiet and loving, but very shy and timid - choosing to confide mainly in Jo (driver/amiable). She has a caring, helpful spirit - taking food to those who need it even when she is suffering - but she often goes unnoticed or unappreciated. She consistently struggles with feeling insignificant and unsure whether her life matters and whether she means much to those around her. And in the end - (spoiler alert) - she becomes very ill, passively (in my opinion) giving in to the sickness and embracing the fact that she will die, and dies at age 19. Sadness. {Sidenote: At one point, while discussing heaven, Beth comments that if people are good enough, they will go there... this made me really sad. In every other plot point, the family seems very God-centered and focused on all the right things - but in my opinion, just as faith without works is dead to God, so is works without faith.}
Amy is a terrible selfish little brat in the beginning, appropriate as the baby in the family... but grows to be my favorite of the four sisters. She is overly worried about her appearance and being part of the cool crowd, as most Expressives tend to be. She is an artist and always tries to be dignified and elegant in her manners. She works on her character, learning to be a woman who refuses to be petty or manipulative, and to make the best of whatever is given to her... then eventually, she receives a more wonderful gift than she could have imagined (getting to travel and experience life in several different countries with her aunt). As she travels, she decides to give up her pursuit of being a great artist, because "talent isn't genius, and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing." Loved that... identify with that. And in the end, she marries Laurie - I hated that in the movie, but it made perfect sense in the book.
Personally, I identify with Amy and Beth, but I was surprised to find I also identify with Professor Bhaer. He is another Amiable character, making him a great match for Jo. He is described as benevolent and wise, "slow to offer his own opinions, not because they were unsettled, but too sincere and earnest to be lightly spoken." Love that. There is a scene where several arrogant well-educated men are making eloquent, scientific arguments against the existence of God... and Jo is almost convinced... until he steps up and begins to speak up for the truth! "Somehow as he talked, the world got right again to Jo. The old beliefs, that had lasted so long, seemed better than the new. God was not a blind force, and immortality was not a pretty fable, but a blessed fact... when Mr. Bhaer paused, outtalked but not one whit convinced, Jo wanted to clap her hands and thank him."
I want to be that person... as a counselor, but also as a friend, daughter, wife, and mother. One who is dependable and quiet, but always speaks up for the truth of God, and even if it never convinces those who are arrogant and set against Him, to know that it might set things right in the hearts of those who are simply confused and waffling a bit in their faith!
Anyway, fantastic book. =) I highly recommend that all women read it. I loved the stories, the life lessons, and the elegant way the book was written...
"Now and then, in this workaday world, things do happen in the delightful storybook fashion, and what a comfort it is."
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