Thursday, May 7, 2020

Week Four Questions

Week Four (5/7/20) 

We are at our halfway point! For week five, please read chapters 22 to 30. We will be moving into Part 2 of the novel. 


Chapter 14Laurie finds Jo acting oddly in town and learns that she has submitted stories to a newspaper for publication. Laurie tells Jo that John Brooke has Meg’s missing glove, and Jo gets upset about the idea of Meg getting married. Jo acts very oddly around her family until she knows that her stories will be published. Her family is excited when they learn the good news and hear “The Rival Painters,” as Jo reads it from the newspaper. Laurie promises to get the next stories paid for, making Jo’s dream of further providing for her family come true.  


Chapter 15The Marches get a telegraph that Mr. March is ill in Washington, D. C. Marmee prepares to leave to care for her husband, writing a letter to Aunt March requesting financial help. John Brooke offers to escort Marmee, as he has business to attend to on behalf of Mr. Laurence. Jo, seeking a way to give her mother more money for the journey, sells her hair. Her family is grateful for her sacrifice and Jo says she likes her short hair; however, late that night Meg finds her crying over her lost hair. 


Chapter 16The girls strongly feel their mother’s absence. Hannah makes coffee to cheer them up and Beth makes sure to wave to Meg and Jo as they leave the house, just like Marmee always did. They relate how things are going through a letter to their mother.  


Chapter 17A week after Marmee leaves, the girls begin to wane in their good intentions and drop their responsibilities. Beth asks her sisters for help with the Hummels, because the baby is sick and she does not know what to do. As each sister gives an excuse or just forgets about the need, Beth continues to help and gets scarlet fever, because that is what the baby had. As Meg and Jo have already had scarlet fever but Amy has not, they send Amy to Aunt March and begin caring for Beth with Hannah’s help. Amy only goes to Aunt March’s when Laurie promises to visit her every day. Meg, Laurie, and Jo discuss letting Marmee know Beth is ill, but they do not yet do it.  


Chapter 18: Beth is seriously ill and Marmee still does not know. At first, Hannah tells the girls they should not worry Marmee while she is away. The sisters receive word that their father’s condition is worsening as Beth’s health continues to decline. The doctor visits Beth twice daily and soon tells the family that Marmee must be sent for. Jo breaks down and cries in front of Laurie, fearing the worst. Laurie comforts her and reveals that he sent a telegram the day before. Marmee will be arriving that night. During the night, a change comes over Beth marking a turning point in her health. The doctor announces her fever has broken and Marmee returns home. 


Chapter 19: Amy stays with Aunt March during Beth’s illness. She is kept on a strict schedule of cleaning and studying. She is struggling with this new schedule and worries about her ill family members. Amy turns to Aunt March’s maid, Esther, for consolation. Esther plays with Amy and explains to her how she finds solace in prayer. Although Amy is Protestant and Esther is Catholic, Amy decides to use the prayer room Esther made for her but not the rosary. During this time, Amy also makes a will and has Esther and Laurie sign as witnesses. 


Chapter 20: Marmee watches over Beth and her return is a relief for the March sisters. Laurie delivers the news of Marmee’s return and Beth’s improvement to Amy. Aunt March has noticed Amy’s good behavior and rewards her with a turquoise ring. Marmee approves of Amy’s quiet place for prayer and reflection but is hesitant about letting Amy wear such an expensive ring until she is older. Amy insists she wants to wear the ring only to remind herself to not be selfish and Marmee consents. Back at home, Jo reveals to Marmee she knows the gentleman who has Meg’s lost glove is Mr. Brooke. Marmee tells Jo that Mr. Brooke has professed an interest in Meg. Jo is saddened by this revelation. 


Chapter 21: Marmee has asked Jo not to reveal Mr. Brookes feelings to anyone, including Meg. Jo agrees, however, Laurie already knows and decides to play a prank. Laurie sends a fake love letter from Mr. Brooke to Meg. Meg responds to the letter and soon finds out Mr. Brooke knows nothing of a love letter. She accuses Jo of playing the prank and Jo proclaims her innocence. Jo recognizes the handwriting on the letter as Lauries.  Marmee discusses the matter with Laurie in private and he apologizes. Meg forgives Laurie, but Jo struggles to do so. Later, Jo wants Laurie to know she is not angry with him and goes to the Laurence house where she finds an upset Laurie. Laurie’s grandfather noticed his mood and they argued. Jo wants to help and speaks with Mr. Laurence. Afterwards, Mr. Laurence writes a note of apology to Laurie.

15 comments:

  1. Question One: Chapters 14 and 15 both give further insight into different characters’ attitudes towards money. How is the power of money portrayed in these chapters?

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    1. I find it interesting how money is a theme of Ch. 14, especially with how it is tied to power. Jo feels such accomplishment just getting her stories published for free, but she loves that she is one step closer to making money on her own. I find it important that Laurie says he will make sure the next get paid for. It makes me think that if Jo was a young man, her first story would have been paid for automatically. Being a woman, she isn't seen as being automatically deserving of payment.

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    2. Alyssa, I agree with your assessment that Jo's work is undervalued as a woman. Throughout history women have had to work harder than men to prove their equal worth of the same job, and this was especially evident during the 1800's. Jo has such pride in her family and feels like she should be able to provide for the household the same as a man could. In chapter 14 she does this through writing, which anyone can try, but we find her earning money in a very feminine way in the next chapter by selling her pretty hair. She made a personal sacrifice that might not have been necessary, if she were a man. These chapters show how having enough money is very important in some situations like Marmee going to help Mr. March, yet it can be difficult to obtain for people of some groups.

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  2. Question Two: Alcott portrays Marmee’s absence as much more significant than Mr. March’s absence throughout the whole novel thus far. Why do you think this is so?

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    1. I think Marmee's absence is portrayed as more significant than Mr. March's, because while he has always played a big role in supporting the family financially, Marmee is the backbone of the family. She holds everyone together like a structural support, and the girls don't know how to get through everyday life without her at first. They can find ways to earn money, but they miss her as a support system, sounding board, that central figure everyone flocks for good time and bad.

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    2. During this time and even in the novel, a womans role was in the house. It was more normal to think of a man gone on business to provide for his family than for a woman to be gone. Alcott also uses Marmee as a role model for the girls. It is much harder to fill her role in the household because the girls are still learning how to manage one.

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  3. Question Three: In Chapter 18, as Laurie tries to comfort Jo, he kisses her a couple of times before Jo pulls away. How has Laurie and Jo’s relationship progressed throughout the book? What is the conflict in their relationship?

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    1. I think Laurie has liked Jo from day one in a different way than she likes him. Alcott mentions his special looks toward her, how he admires her. There's obviously chemistry between them. But Jo is in complete denial. This is the conflict. She loves him and is very possessive of him, but her possessiveness does not take his feelings into consideration (like when she's decided he'll marry Meg).

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    2. I agree, Alyssa. Jo seems to view Laurie as "the boy next door", the brother she never had. Until she can see him in a romantic light or he finds another girl to fawn over, I think there will always be a little tension between them.

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  4. Question Four: Amy shows appreciation for expensive things, and soon realizes her focus on earning a ring from Aunt March outweighed her concern for her family’s health. How does Amy’s realization relate to Meg’s experience in Chapter 9?

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  5. Question Five: In Chapter 20, Amy demonstrates growth in overcoming her bosom enemy: selfishness. How does Amy’s insistence of wanting to wear her expensive ring remind us that she is still a child?

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    1. Amy does well during her time at Aunt March's house and receiving the ring as a reward is a big deal! I agree with Marmee when she thinks the ring is too expensive for a young girl to wear. Amy wants to remind herself not to be selfish by selfishly requesting to wear the ring! Amy's reasoning made me smile while reading this part of the chapter.

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  6. Question Six: How would you compare Meg and John’s relationship with Jo and Laurie’s?

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  7. Question Seven: Why do you think Jo forgave Laurie for his prank on Meg faster than she forgave Amy for burning her manuscript?

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    1. I think Jo forgave Laurie faster for his prank on Meg than Amy for burning her manuscript, because Meg's feelings will heal, but Jo had no other copy of her manuscript. She poured her heart and soul into that writing, and the fire destroyed it forever. That physical damage was done as well as emotionally crushing Jo. The damage done by Laurie's prank was only emotional, primarily to Meg, and therefore, not permanent. I'm sure it may go deeper than that, but those are my initial thoughts on the subject.

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