When Dr. Campbell asked us to think about who we identify with most in the novel I immediately thought, “I’m all Jo.”  However, after I thought about it for a while I realized that I have a lot of Amy in me.  I relate to Amy’s practicality and her matter-of-fact way of going about life.  She seems to get what she wants out of life without hurting others (I’m not counting what she did as a young child).  She is confident, self-assured and proactive.  These are qualities I find attractive in people of both sexes.  Jo appeals to the tomboy in me as I  too like to hang out with my guy friends and have fun.  Jo reminds me of Peter Pan in her desire to stay a child and never grow up.  On the flip side, Amy reminds me of stereotypical woman of the eighties who thought she could have it all.  These are both very distinct and tangible personality types.  However, I don’t think it’s possible for another to say that they are all one or the other. 

Dr. Campbell asked us to think about whether or not these characters were four separate entities or just four parts of one person.  I feel (this word just won’t go away) that they are all just too dynamic to be encapsulated into one person.  Someone like this would be very hard to deal with.  Anyway, I think part of the appeal of “Little Women” lies in the fact that there is something in all the characters for most women to identify with.  Personally, I find Meg and Beth to be too sappy and shallow to be of any real interest to me.  I’m not suggesting that they don’t have value; just that their appeal is not universal.  Perhaps this is one way to “read” the book.