Trix Wilkins's Blog: Much ado about Little Women, page 11

12 things I’ve learned from Jo & Laurie about friendship

By Trix Wilkins

Photo design courtesy of Canva

Great friendships can start in the most obscure and smallest of ways – Despite being neighbors, because of his grandfather’s reservation Jo and Laurie only met because Laurie had returned Beth’s cat over the fence and they got to chatting about cricket.

A good friend will find a way for you to enjoy what looks to be a potentially boring and awkward social situation – When Jo is forbidden by Meg to do anything that might show others the burn on her dress, Laurie suggests dancing in the hallway to allow her to dance freely without worry.

A generous gift is all the more special for it being a secret – After giving away their Christmas breakfast to a poor starving family, the March sisters are surprised with a lavish replacement feast (Laurie never admits to it being his idea, but his grandfather reveals the fact).

It’s good to share the fun of your ‘secret club’ with those who are lonely – Jo invites Laurie to be part of the March sisters’ dramatic society in which they act out plays and compose stories for their own publication, and overcomes her sisters’ initial reluctance to admit him.

Teaching friends new things can be a great deal of fun – Laurie teaches Jo the German step he learned from abroad; Jo teaches Laurie how to win graciously at croquet (especially when one’s opponent has evidently cheated).

It’s important to stand by our friends, especially when they have made embarrassing mistakes – When Jo hosts a dinner party that she has cooked herself with disastrous results, Laurie “manfully” eats through it and tries to make the evening fun for all, breathing not a reproachful word.

Keeping a friend’s secret for a time can increase everyone’s delight in it – Laurie keeps Jo’s to-be-published stories a secret at her request so she can surprise the rest of her family, and the fact that he had telegraphed Mrs March for Beth’s sake to come home.

Friends mend their quarrels, then help each other deal with the consequences – After a fight, Jo and Laurie attempt to go to each other’s houses to reconcile and end up meeting halfway (literally!); Jo helps Laurie repair relations with his grandfather following his prank on Meg and John.

We should try to fill the gap when our friends have a moment of weakness, to save them a lifetime of regret – Laurie moves quickly to rescue Amy when she falls through the ice, as Jo freezes for some moments unsure of what to do and as she struggles with resentment over Amy’s burning her book.

Friends love visits when they are sick – Sometimes friends just want us there, just simple conversation and a listening ear, and appreciate being cared for when they are unwell. Jo visits Laurie with Beth’s cats, blancmange, and a supply of Aunt March stories.

Sometimes risky bold speeches to those who intimidate us, for the sake of our friends, are in order – Jo bravely yet respectfully talks to Mr Laurence about his parenting of Laurie; Laurie admonishes Meg for her “fuss and feathers” in part out of his promise to Jo to look out for her.

Friends appreciate openly expressed affection and esteem – Jo praises Laurie for his musical skill and his telegraphing Mrs March; Laurie answers Fred Vaughn’s impertinent question, “Which lady do you like best?” with, “Jo, of course.”

The making of a friendship

12 things I learned from Little Women’s Jo & Laurie about friendship

By Trix Wilkins

Great friendships can start in the most obscure and smallest of ways – Despite being neighbors, because of his grandfather’s reservation Jo and Laurie only met because Laurie had returned Beth’s cat over the fence and they got to chatting about cricket.

A good friend will find a way for you to enjoy what looks to be a potentially boring and awkward social situation – When Jo is forbidden by Meg to do anything that might show others the burn on her dress, Laurie suggests dancing in the hallway to allow her to dance freely without worry.

A generous gift is all the more special for it being a secret – After giving away their Christmas breakfast to a poor starving family, the March sisters are surprised with a lavish replacement feast (Laurie never admits to it being his idea, but his grandfather reveals the fact).

It’s good to share the fun of your ‘secret club’ with those who are lonely – Jo invites Laurie to be part of the March sisters’ dramatic society in which they act out plays and compose stories for their own publication, and overcomes her sisters’ initial reluctance to admit him.

Teaching friends new things can be a great deal of fun – Laurie teaches Jo the German step he learned from abroad; Jo teaches Laurie how to win graciously at croquet (especially when one’s opponent has evidently cheated).

It’s important to stand by our friends, especially when they have made embarrassing mistakes – When Jo hosts a dinner party that she has cooked herself with disastrous results, Laurie “manfully” eats through it and tries to make the evening fun for all, breathing not a reproachful word.

Keeping a friend’s secret for a time can increase everyone’s delight in it – Laurie keeps Jo’s to-be-published stories a secret at her request so she can surprise the rest of her family, and the fact that he had telegraphed Mrs March for Beth’s sake to come home.

Friends mend their quarrels, then help each other deal with the consequences – After a fight, Jo and Laurie attempt to go to each other’s houses to reconcile and end up meeting halfway (literally!); Jo helps Laurie repair relations with his grandfather following his prank on Meg and John.

We should try to fill the gap when our friends have a moment of weakness, to save them a lifetime of regret – Laurie moves quickly to rescue Amy when she falls through the ice, as Jo freezes for some moments unsure of what to do and as she struggles with resentment over Amy’s burning her book.

Friends love visits when they are sick – Sometimes friends just want us there, just simple conversation and a listening ear, and appreciate being cared for when they are unwell. Jo visits Laurie with Beth’s cats, blancmange, and a supply of Aunt March stories.

Sometimes risky bold speeches to those who intimidate us, for the sake of our friends, are in order – Jo bravely yet respectfully talks to Mr Laurence about his parenting of Laurie; Laurie admonishes Meg for her “fuss and feathers” in part out of his promise to Jo to look out for her.

Friends appreciate openly expressed affection and esteem – Jo praises Laurie for his musical skill and his telegraphing Mrs March; Laurie answers Fred Vaughn’s impertinent question, “Which lady do you like best?” with, “Jo, of course.”

Why did Jo say no?

Little Women, Jo & Laurie, and the ill-fated proposal

By Trix Wilkins

She was adventurous, loyal, and talented – and so was he. So when he asked her to marry him, why did she say no?

Her mother advised her that they were not suited for marriage – When Jo started to make plans to “go away for a time” to nip Laurie’s evidently growing romantic feelings for her in the bud, her mother told her that they did not suit each other; that their temperaments were fitted for friendship, but not marriage. Mrs March also told her that she was relieved to hear Jo say that she wasn’t in love with Laurie. How could Jo have turned away from the advice of her mother – whose opinion she had always held in high regard, and in whose guidance she had always been so confident? She then quoted her mother’s reasoning to Laurie, when she explained her answer.

She thought her dearest sister Beth was romantically interested in him and pining for him – As if her mother’s admonition weren’t enough, Jo started to believe that Beth’s low spirits and distant demeanor were a consequence of her being secretly in love with fellow musician Laurie whilst seeing him fall increasingly in love with her elder sister. How could Jo have accepted the proposal of the man she thought her beloved Beth was in love with? She then started to plan discouraging Laurie’s affections whilst steering them towards Beth – she asked Beth to “look after” him while she went to work in New York.

She didn’t believe her love for him was “the right sort of love” – She was unwilling to entertain the idea of any sort of romantic alliance but said she loved him dearly and that she didn’t intend to ever marry anyone, implying she loved him as a friend. Yet she also said she felt he was “a great deal too good” for her and at the end of the novel she praised him to be the sort of man all should aspire to be – so the “she didn’t feel that way about him” line is arguable. Nevertheless, how could she have come to believe whatever feelings she might have had for him as “right,” given her mother’s reasoning and her own personal lack of experience?

She didn’t believe his love for her was the right sort of love, either – She seemed to believe that his feelings for her would pass and inevitably turn from affection and adoration to contempt and resentment; that he would in the end long for an elegant, beautiful wife who would be a “fine mistress” for his stately home. How could she accept the proposal of her closest friend, who she loved dearly, when under the impression that doing so would inevitably be his undoing? She thus tried to persuade Laurie that this was the case, that he would forget her in time, and “be happy.”

He asked at the wrong time – On one hand, his timing was perfect – he had just graduated from college and on the brink of a world tour. If she accepted, he could take her with him – and she had always wanted to travel. On the other hand – he had just graduated from college. His career plan consisted of a vague notion that he wanted to compose music and a firm conviction that he didn’t want to run his grandfather’s ships. How could Jo have accepted his proposal when he didn’t know what to do with his life – and how he would provide for her and their children?

Why did Louisa May Alcott write such circumstances into being in the first place? (This question has plagued me as I’ve struggled with the fact that Laurie did not return for Jo a la Darcy.) As I’m not Miss Alcott I can only make inferences from her novels and biographies, and here are my best guesses:

She was exasperated with readers writing to her about whether Jo and Laurie would end up together, and wanted to thwart their incessant demands – Ah, that famous line, “I won’t marry Jo to Laurie to please anyone!” How trying it must have been to write a heroine like Jo March into being, who had ambitions to do “something splendid,” to travel the world and become a famous author – to have readers not ask anything about any of this, only concerned with whether she would marry the wealthy boy-next-door! And so she wrote an ending in which Jo very firmly spurned Laurie.

She wanted to really hammer in the lesson that the most worthy of women won’t be bought by looks, status or wealth, but won by character and firmness of conviction – Professor Bhaer was exactly the sort of man who would have been spurned by fashionable society: an elderly, poor, foreign bachelor with neither beauty nor wealth. The one attractive feature about him was his character – he was kind, generous, and hard-working. As young women read her novel and aspired to be like Jo, what better way to turn society’s wisdom on its head than to have Jo spurn a young rich and handsome suitor in favor of another to whom she was attracted purely for his character?

She wanted to give her father’s career some timely help – Bronson Alcott had been peddling his theories and philosophies regarding education for years with very little financial success (a thing Louisa felt acutely growing up). With the sudden and unexpected success of Little Women, Alcott found herself famous, her writing pored over with admiration and anticipation. So when a sequel to Little Women was demanded – how better to help give her father’s ideas on non-traditional schooling a PR boost than to have Jo marry a Professor with whom she establishes a school? It might also have been a nod to elder men she esteemed such as Emerson and Thoreau.

She didn’t want to be accused of wanting a rich and handsome man of her own to sweep her off her feet to marry her – As Jo was her fictional counterpart, could there have been anything more mortifying to a fiercely independent Miss Alcott than to have people suggest ideas along the lines of, “Ah ha, so she does want the rich young handsome man just like every other woman!” or, “She’s invented the fantasy she couldn’t have.” This prospect might have been particularly galling given that she had criticized Jane Austen for the endings of her romantic novels.

She wanted to write a somewhat realistic ending for her readers – Sometimes the hero isn’t the rich handsome guy or even the loyal best friend. Sometimes the rich handsome guy really does fall for the beautiful blond girl in nice clothes who can speak prettily to him. Sometimes the girl who is the diamond in the rough, the one who is worthy of being adored and courted, isn’t recognized by the upper echelons in society. And sometimes women just do end up watching the man they esteem the most marry someone else.

If like me you might accept all of the above and still feel, “But he really should have returned for her!” you might like to check out the variation I wrote of Little Women in which Laurie does a great deal more chasing, The Courtship of Jo March. This is my nod to my patient and persevering husband ;). There is also currently a GoodReads giveaway of the novel closing January 15.

The Little Women NY resolutions

By Trix Wilkins

What might have been the New Year’s resolutions of the Little Women characters at the end of Part 1… (just after Meg and John’s engagement)

Jo March: The aspiring author

Write a novel, read at least one book a week, make enough money to buy Beth a holiday, help Beth with the Hummels and other people in need, travel somewhere new, keep my temper, have a dinner party in which the lobster is cooked well and there is sugar in the cream not salt, ice skate and run faster than Teddy, not be caught even once by Aunt March Amy or Meg racing with Teddy.

Theodore Laurence: The college freshman

Make lots of friends at college, not be lazy but study well and make grandfather proud and prove I’m a genius, grow my hair long, write a song (without grandfather finding out), not play billiards, start planning that grand trip abroad, talk grandfather out of the whole India merchant plan, make Jo fall desperately in love with me (see all previous points).

Amy March: The aspiring artist

Help Meg with everything to do with her wedding to make it as beautiful as possible – design wedding invitations (make sure spelling is correct), find bargain bits for wedding outfits, fix up my dresses and bonnets to be more fashionable, make the most of every encounter I have with rich people while with Aunt March, be more lovely to Aunt March so she might take me abroad one day.

Beth March: The faithful friend

Get stronger and healthier somehow, learn more songs to play on the piano (especially for father now that he’s home, and Mr Laurence), read more of the little book Marmee gave me, be less afraid of talking to people especially to strangers, be kinder to the Hummels so they don’t feel so guilty about my acquiring scarlet fever, make my dolls some new outfits.

Aunt March: The matchmaker

Persuade Meg not to marry John Brooke and find suitable replacement. Persuade Mrs March to have a coming out ball for Jo (and Jo to attend). Find rich suitable husband for Jo. Prepare Jo to be fit for the trip abroad (see previous point about rich husband). Find and befriend wealthy potential future suitor for Amy (especially if previous points regarding older sisters fail).

Mrs March: The matriarch

Resist all of Aunt March’s resolutions regarding my daughters, encourage and love my daughters well through upcoming seasonal changes, address the thorny issue of why I am angry every day of my life, learn how to be a wife again and especially to a husband who has been through a war.

Meg March: The bride-to-be

Learn everything I can from Marmee and Hannah about keeping house, learn at least one new dish to cook per month from Hannah (maybe share my knowledge with Sallie Gardiner), save to buy my wedding dress fabric, start sewing my wedding dress, learn about John’s business so I can talk to him about it (maybe ask Mr Laurence or Laurie so I won’t sound so silly to John).

John Brooke: The groom-to-be

Establish business and make a lot of money to save for marriage and a fine home for Meg. Repeat. Repeat until all relations are satisfied and think me worthy of her.

Happy new year everyone!

The Little Women resolutions

What might have been the New Year’s resolutions of the Little Women characters at the end of Part 1… (just after Meg and John’s engagement)

Jo March: The aspiring author

Write a novel, read at least one book a week, make enough money to buy Beth a holiday, help Beth with the Hummels and other people in need, travel somewhere new, keep my temper, have a dinner party in which the lobster is cooked well and there is sugar in the cream not salt, ice skate and run faster than Teddy, not be caught even once by Aunt March Amy or Meg racing with Teddy.

Theodore Laurence: The college freshman

Make lots of friends at college, not be lazy but study well and make grandfather proud and prove I’m a genius, grow my hair long, write a song (without grandfather finding out), not play billiards, start planning that grand trip abroad, talk grandfather out of the whole India merchant plan, make Jo fall desperately in love with me (see all previous points).

Amy March: The aspiring artist

Help Meg with everything to do with her wedding to make it as beautiful as possible – design wedding invitations (make sure spelling is correct), find bargain bits for wedding outfits, fix up my dresses and bonnets to be more fashionable, make the most of every encounter I have with rich people while with Aunt March, be more lovely to Aunt March so she might take me abroad one day.

Beth March: The faithful friend

Get stronger and healthier somehow, learn more songs to play on the piano (especially for father now that he’s home, and Mr Laurence), read more of the little book Marmee gave me, be less afraid of talking to people especially to strangers, be kinder to the Hummels so they don’t feel so guilty about my acquiring scarlet fever, make my dolls some new outfits.

Aunt March: The matchmaker

Persuade Meg not to marry John Brooke and find suitable replacement. Persuade Mrs March to have a coming out ball for Jo (and Jo to attend). Find rich suitable husband for Jo. Prepare Jo to be fit for the trip abroad (see previous point about rich husband). Find and befriend wealthy potential future suitor for Amy (especially if previous points regarding older sisters fail).

Mrs March: The matriarch

Resist all of Aunt March’s resolutions regarding my daughters, encourage and love my daughters well through upcoming seasonal changes, address the thorny issue of why I am angry every day of my life, learn how to be a wife again and especially to a husband who has been through a war.

Meg March: The bride-to-be

Learn everything I can from Marmee and Hannah about keeping house, learn at least one new dish to cook per month from Hannah (maybe share my knowledge with Sallie Gardiner), save to buy my wedding dress fabric, start sewing my wedding dress, learn about John’s business so I can talk to him about it (maybe ask Mr Laurence or Laurie so I won’t sound so silly to John).

John Brooke: The groom-to-be

Establish business and make a lot of money to save for marriage and a fine home for Meg. Repeat. Repeat until all relations are satisfied and think me worthy of her.

Happy new year everyone!

Trix Wilkins

How Darcy would have advised Laurie

This is the conversation I imagine would have transpired between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Theodore Laurence had they met in London after Jo March’s rejection. This is all of speculation, fan fiction, and homage – thank you Jane Austen, for creating such a strong character in Darcy, and Louisa May Alcott, for all the simmering potential in Laurie.

Laurie: Mr Darcy, might I trouble you for some advice?

Darcy: I would be honored to help, if I am able.

Laurie: I have recently proposed to a woman who has rejected me. I understand you have some experience in this matter?

Darcy: Ahhh, yes. One of the most troubling experiences of my life. It might help you to examine the mode of your declaration, before proceeding with any further action – part of the failure of your suit might lie there. Did you happen to disparage her family by repeatedly dwelling on the fact that you had been reluctant to pursue a union with her due to your abhorrence of the idea of associating with such relations?

Laurie: No, I quite like her family – and I believe the feeling is mutual. I didn’t mention her family at all, when I asked her to marry me.

Darcy: That is a good start. Did you disparage someone else she cares about, who you might not care for at all and might even detest – another man, perhaps?

Laurie: Well, I didn’t disparage him – but I did call him old, and I did say something along the lines of, “Don’t tell me that you love him?” She was quite unhappy with that.

Darcy (nods): I see. I made a similar mistake – one, thankfully, that I found could be undone. A detailed letter of explanation would suffice. Was she perhaps under some sort of mistaken impression as to your character? Again, an explanation in a letter can be quite effective in undoing any harmful prejudice.

Laurie: Actually, we’ve known each other for years. She is my closest friend and I believe knows my character well. She did say however, “You are a great deal too good for me.” I completely disagree with that – if anything, I’m not half good enough for her.

Darcy: And did you subsequently write her a letter, to inform her that she is laboring under a false impression? That she is, in fact, a lady most worthy of your faithful love and devotion?

Laurie: Ahhh, no… I did write her some letters while I’ve been abroad, asking her again to marry me.

Darcy: I assume your letters did not meet with a positive response.

Laurie: No, she was quite adamant in her refusal. She also didn’t want to talk of marriage at the time – her favorite sister Beth was very ill, and thought to be dying.

Darcy: A family crisis – a tragedy, to be sure, but the perfect opportunity for you to demonstrate the strength of your character and the depth of your passion for her. I believe that was what won my Elizabeth – her sister Lydia seemed irretrievable from ruin, and I took steps to ensure that did not happen, whilst keeping it a secret from her. I did not actually assist because I sought her favor, but because I sought her peace of mind. Nevertheless, that situation did lead her to thinking better of me, in the end. I assume, then, that you came home from abroad, to both bear her grief with her and direct all your energy and resources to assist in ensuring the well-being of this beloved sister?

Laurie: No… No, I didn’t do that.

Darcy: Did you write some letters in order to secure the best doctors in the country for her sister Beth, then? As I said, letters can have great impact.

Laurie: No…

Darcy: May I ask, what did you do?

Laurie: I stayed in Europe and comforted her sister Amy.

Darcy (looking incredulous):  You comforted her sister?! My dear man, I don’t know that there’s anything I can do for you.

Laurie: Please, Mr Darcy, there must be something I can do! There must be a way!

Darcy: You have a very small window of opportunity now to win her, after the way you have squandered all opportunities thus far to demonstrate that you are after all a man of character, and worthy of her affections. Write some letters, secure some doctors for Beth – and get yourself on the first ship home! You cannot simply tell a woman in words that you love her, you must show her through your deeds!

Laurie: Yes sir, thank you sir.

Darcy (muttering, after Laurie has left): She was right to refuse him. Ah, well. We’ll see if he proves himself worthy.

For all who loved Little Women…

Set in the early 1870s, this re-imagining of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is for all who have ever wondered how things might have worked out differently for the beloved March sisters – the life Beth might have led, the books Jo might have written, the friends they might have made, and the courtship that might have been…

Authoress Jo March has lost her elder sister Meg to matrimony. When the aristocratic Vaughns – elegant Kate, boisterous Fred, thoughtful Frank, and feisty Grace – re-enter their lives, it seems her younger sisters Beth and Amy, and even her closest friend Laurie, might soon follow suit.

Yet despite the efforts of her great-aunt March, Jo is determined not to give up her liberty for any mortal man. Besides, she’s occupied with saving to travel abroad, securing music lessons for Beth, and befriending aspirant journalist Tommy Chamberlain.

The Marches’ neighbor Theodore “Laurie” Laurence was born with looks, talent, and wealth – and Jo is convinced he has a promising future in which she has no part. He is as stubborn as Jo, and has loved her for as long as anyone can remember. But what will win a woman who won’t marry for love or money?

 

About the author

Trix has always longed for an Austen-esque ending to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. When not indulging in rewriting fictional history, she cares for her two children, works part time for OMF International, and tends to avoid housekeeping by going ice skating – or on dates with her husband (when they can find babysitting!). She holds degrees in journalism and international relations from Sydney University and Macquarie University, and worked for Australian Associated Press before the kids made her a better offer. This is her first novel.

 

An interview with Trix Wilkins

Why did you write this book?

I loved Little Women Part 1, and had no idea Part 2 (Good Wives) existed, until years later. Jo was my favorite character – her penchant for writing, striving for independence, and pushing against societal expectations, resonated with me. I liked Laurie because he despised “fuss and feathers,” and for his liking Jo best of all because of her character. I was disappointed with how things turned out for these two characters in Part 2.

I had hoped Jo would write and travel abroad. It was difficult to read of Laurie’s frittering away his talent and money. They had so much potential – Jo as an author, Laurie as a musician. And I started to wonder – under what circumstances might Laurie not been so frivolous at college, and Jo received a deeper education to further her writing? I had also hoped that if either did ever marry, it would have been to the other – a possibility I came to suspect hung on that moment when Marmee advised Jo that she and Laurie were not suited for marriage. And I started to imagine – what could Marmee have possibly said, that would have allowed Jo to love Laurie, had she chosen? How could Laurie have possibly proposed, in a different manner?

And Beth…how was it that the Laurences did not seem to do more to save her? This made sense in the context of Louisa’s history, as she had lost her sister Elizabeth – but simply agitated me to amend at least fictional history, even if I could do nothing about saving Elizabeth in real life.

But I didn’t plan to write a book! I was sitting on the couch with my husband while on holiday, doodling possible conversations…And as I wrote, I found the characters saying and doing things I hadn’t planned – and to find out what happened next, I had to keep writing. I felt almost like the story wanted to be written.

How this came to be a book started with just one comment – and I am so grateful for that timely line of encouragement! I have thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the lives of some of my favorite literary characters, and imagining what might have been.

 

What were your favorite parts to write?

The proposal scene was the first thing I wrote in full (as opposed to dribs and drabs), and still one of my favorites! I remember I got up in the middle of the night with the scene in my head, then wrote for hours. I also really enjoyed writing the chapter Neighborly in New York – in Little Women Part 1, Jo visits Laurie when he’s sick; in this chapter, Laurie gets to do the same for Jo. But I think my absolute favorite part is The Masquerade, which is very much inspired by Shakespeare’s As you like it.

 

If you could only share one snippet from the novel, what would it be?

Probably Jo’s speech to Kate Vaughn: “You speak as though they cannot be trusted with freedom to build a future for themselves, given the opportunity. Certainly humanity as a whole shares a collective guilt for incompetency in crafting a decent future for ourselves – more often than not, we seem eager to destroy others for our own selfish gain. If you truly care for their prospects once freed, then raise a voice and a hand towards that cause! But do not condemn those who work towards the step that must be accomplished first. Liberty first must be achieved, before anything else can have any meaning.”

I really wanted to have Abigail May Alcott’s (Louisa’s mother) concern for social justice be an undercurrent throughout the novel, and her gentle influence be evident in the life choices the March sisters make. The plot centers on the romance, but Jo as an advocate for abolition is more explicit in this variation.

For a copy of the book, and some freebies…

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