Indigo Austin

ENG 272
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THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE

“You’ll get there, Beth, sooner or later, no fear of that,” said Jo. “I’m the one that will have to fight and work, and climb and wait,
and maybe never get in after all.”

Little Women Chapter 13 Castles in the Air

Alcott 147

​Throughout the novel, we come to know and love Jo as the sister who is unwavering in her

opinions. She is firm on making sure she lives her life to the fullest. She rebels against the typical

domestic ideals of being a woman. She has aspirations far beyond the modest values taught by

her mother, like her passion for becoming a famous writer. She is constantly searching for more,

and is hardly ever satisfied with what she has. In the first chapter, we are immediately shown that

the girls wish they had more money and material possessions. All but Beth, who seems to have a

better grip on the notion that “the best things in life are free”.

In the italicized passage, Jo express how she will have to work so much harder than Beth to

finally reach a level of tranquility in her “castle in the air”. She sees herself as someone who

would fight her hardest for what she wants. She directly says that she will have to “fight” and

“work”. These are words that remind us of things that men do. For Jo to think of herself as a

fighter and a worker, it shows how she would rather not stay home as women in this time period

often chose to do. Later she uses words like “heroic”. Jo sounds like she is trying to live up to the

accomplishments that are usually attributed to strong and courageous men. For the time period in

which this text is based, Jo is thinking rather masculine as some would say. She speaks of no

desire to be a housewife, and she makes no comment on marrying or raising children, and no

comment on growing older with her family. She speaks quite the opposite of her sister Beth- who

simply wishes to stay home and help their family.

Indigo Austin
ENG 272
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Final Draft
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE

After the passing of Beth, Jo seems to have an epiphany of some sort. She spends a lot of time

grieving over Beth- as they were very close to each other. In essence, this brings more of Jo’s

feminine energy to the forefront. She is finally vulnerable enough to confront her emotions.

Beth’s passing shows Jo that as much as she wants to be in control of her destiny, at any moment

tragedy may strike, and force us to bond deeper with those we love and care for.

“Brooms and dish cloths never could be as distasteful as they once had been, for Beth had presided over both, and something of her
housewifely spirit seemed to linger around the little mop and the old bush, never thrown away.” As she used them, Jo found herself
humming the songs that Beth used to hum, imitating Beth’s orderly ways, and giving the little touches here and there that kept
everything fresh and cozy, which was the first step toward making home happy…”

Little Women Chapter 42 All Alone

Alcott 442

Tragedy can be a defining point of one’s life and it can change that person’s morals for the

better or for the worst. The unfortunate passing of Jo’s angelic sister, Beth, certainly puts a load

of grief, and perhaps even guilt on Jo’s conscious. It is safe to say that Jo becomes less

self-absorbed. She realizes that her sweet sister will never come back, and she wants to make

sure she carries out her promise to be the glue that keeps the family together.

In the italicized passage above, it seems as though Jo begins to cast a different side of her

persona. She realizes the hard work and love it takes to carry on household responsibilities.

Words like “humming” show that Jo even begins to somewhat enjoy doing the housework.

Usually humming or singing while doing housework is represented as something we do idly and

with passion. Furthermore, words like “little touches” reminds us of “feminine touch”, and both

can describe the great detail in which women clean and organize spaces. The last part of this

passage says ​which was the first step toward making home happy again​. The use of the word
Indigo Austin
ENG 272
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THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE

“first” foreshadows that this is only the beginning of Jo’s promise to take care of the March

family.

After closely reading these passages, a great deal is learned- about the characters and even

about the time period in which the characters lived. The passages show a distinct change of heart

shown by Jo. She begins the novel as a “fighter” and a “worker” and ends the novel content with

a life that she had never imagined, becoming a “wife” and a “nurturer”. Although her life is not

as elaborate as she once dreamt, she ultimately finds peace and balance within herself which

seems to be a fair trade off.

WORKS CITED

Alcott, Louisa May, et al. Little Women. Pearson Education, 2007.