Step inside Little Women

The film without the cuts. And the book itself.

Four sisters face a Christmas without presents and a father away at war, and vow to bear their burdens like little pilgrims.

9:41

The Cast

Jo March

Main · March family

A tall, restless girl with ink on her fingers, a quick temper, and a hunger for a life larger than the parlor.

Locations

March home

house

A plain, poor house where every quarrel, chore, and song teaches the sisters who to become.

Passage

Can sisterly love really soften the sting of poverty on Christmas morning?

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The Author’s Pen

Poor Yet Together

“Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

“It’s so dreadful to be poor!” sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.

“I don’t think it’s fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all,” added little Amy, with an injured sniff.

“We’ve got Father and Mother, and each other,” said Beth contentedly from her corner.

Reading

Alcott introduces all four sisters by letting each one complain in her own key, and you know them before you know their names. Jo is sprawled on the floor and blunt about it, Meg mourns her shabby dress, Amy nurses a private sense of injustice with that "injured sniff." Then Beth, from her corner, quietly names what the others have overlooked: they still have their parents and one another. It is the family's poverty stated four times, but only Beth counts what they actually possess.

World Index

The Plot

Christmas and the PilgrimsThe Boy Next DoorJo's TemperThe Telegram and Beth’s IllnessMeg's WeddingJo Refuses LaurieAmy and Laurie AbroadBeth’s Death and Plumfield

The Cast

Jo MarchMeg MarchBeth MarchAmy MarchMarmee MarchLaurie LaurenceMr. MarchAunt MarchMr. LaurenceJohn BrookeProfessor BhaerHannahSallie MoffatMrs. HummelThe Hummel childrenDaisy BrookeDemi BrookeAunt CarrolEstherMrs. KirkeTinaFranz and Emil BhaerMay ChesterMr. Davis

Locations

Amy’s schoolAunt March’s houseCamp LaurenceEuropeHummel homeLaurence houseLaurence music roomMarch garretMarch homeMarch parlorMeg and John’s little houseMoffat houseNew York boarding housePlumfieldThe seashore

Objects of Note

Amy’s burned bookAmy’s drawing pencils and art materialsBeth’s pianoFather’s letterJo’s hairJo’s ink and penJo’s manuscriptJo’s sensational storiesLimesMarmee’s slippersMeg’s wedding dressOld tin kitchenPilgrim’s Progress guidebooksProfessor Bhaer’s ShakespeareThe umbrella

Core Concepts

Ambition must become usefulnessChildhood changes into memory and workDomestic life is a moral arenaHome as a transforming placeLove as mutual improvementPoverty tests fantasy, pride, and loveSelf-command without self-erasureSisterhood under pressure

The Author's Pen

Jo Hates Growing UpConquering ThemselvesMy Little PilgrimsThe Crimson Covered BookGiving Away BreakfastJo Plans To Go OverBeth’s Comforting CatsBeth and the PianoMr. Laurence's ThanksAmy and the LimesAmy Burns Jo's BookAmy Through The IceMother's Hidden AngerBorrowed PlumesThe Pickwick ClubThe Hedge Post OfficeTaking Up Little BurdensWelcome to Camp LaurenceFavorite Castles In The AirYour SisterThe Telegram ArrivesJo's Cropped HeadMeg Writes to MarmeeBeth Brings Home GriefBeth Calls for MotherAmy Makes Her WillJo Tells Her MotherJo Makes It UpMr. March Comes HomeMeg Defies Aunt MarchMeg’s Familiar WeddingAmy's Lucky StarJo's Resolve For MoneyMeg's Housekeeping TrialsMeg's Jelly Won't JellJo Called Away From DressmakingAmy Sails AwayAmy’s Voyage LetterMother Worries About BethJo’s New York ArrivalJo Studies Mr. BhaerBurning the Sensational StoriesJo Refuses LaurieBeth Comforts JoAmy Finds Laurie ChangedBeth Was Well At LastJo's Burden Made EasierLaurie’s Startling NewsAmy's Loving ReplyDaisy and DemiWalking Away Arm in ArmJo's Happiest HarvestJo's School for Boys

Plot point 01

Christmas and the Pilgrims

Four sisters face a Christmas without presents and a father away at war, and vow to bear their burdens like little pilgrims.

Objects of Note

Pilgrim’s Progress guidebooks

A childhood game of pilgrims becomes the daily test each sister measures herself against.

The Cast

Meg March

Main · March family

The eldest sister, graceful and tempted by finery, learns that a beautiful life must be made from modest means.

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Little Women

Louisa May Alcott

The cast, locations, objects of note, core concepts, and selected passages in the Author’s Pen - at your own pace.

One of 127 classics in the Literah library

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