I’m basically going to talk about a few points that were brought up during class on Monday, and give my views on them.
First, it was said numerously that Beth should just die, she’s a tool, and even that she doesn’t bring anything to the table. The fact is, Beth IS the table itself. She is the perfect “little woman” of the book. She is the girl that the other girls want to be like. Selfless, generous, caring, loving, bearing gifts without any thought of getting something in return. She never truly cared about material things. There was her music, but she loved to play FOR people, as well as for herself. Beth is the Utopian March girl. Let me point out that, when they receive their first letter (that we see at least) from their father, every girl except Beth says something that they will not do anymore because they want to be what their father calls “little women.” Beth starts to say something, but then stops. Could that be because she doesn’t have any flaws? Maybe, but who really knows for sure other than Alcott? I’ll also say that I find it incredibly interesting that Beth, the ideal little woman, actually dies and takes that way of life with her. The other March sisters were nothing like her, and the world around Beth was more corrupt than she could handle. Beth could not exist in that world, so of course Alcott rubbed her out. Now I’ll ask a question. By snuffing out Beth, is Alcott making an argument that a completely domestic way of life, the life of a so-called “little woman,” is completely immoral and unjust?
I also want to note that I don’t believe Meg gave in to the domestic lifestyle, simply because that is what was expected of her. Yes, she did become a stay-at-home housewife, but she chose to do so. She did not marry the kind of man that everyone expected her to. She married a poorer man, because she loved him, and that is the best reason to marry someone. So by going against Mrs. March’s advice and marrying Mr. Brooke she is not giving in to anything. Her marriage to Mr. Brooke did not cause her to become a domestic housewife. They were generally poor, so she had to work around the home to keep things running smoothly.
I also just watch Cukor’s “Little Women” earlier today, and I must say it was a bit “Wizard of Oz-ish.” I don’t know why, but I keep thinking that the entire time. When I first saw Laurie and he is waving out of his window yelling “Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello!,” over and over again, I thought he looked a little odd, and sounded goofy. I almost stared laughing. It was just the way he was doing it. I also enjoyed how the phrase “Christopher Columbus” kept getting tossed around. It’s such an odd expression, and Amy told Jo to not say such things.