I fully admit that when I first read Little Women I thought someone had written a book about me as a teenager. Not just that I share the same nickname as Jo, but growing up I was rash, opinionated, passionate, and was either buried in a book or with my head in the clouds thinking up a new story. I felt awkward and uncomfortable with my femininity and had mostly male friends and an infamous short temper (sorry mum!).
I still write a lot, I still have very good male friends, and passionately defend my opinions. I also still have a short temper, but I am working on it. Just like me, Josephine undergoes a beautiful journey in ‘Little Women’ from wild tomboy to a young woman.
Therefore, I wanted to share with you today why I think that Jo is a perfect example of a woman that is not naturally feminine or drawn to feminine things, but is a woman nonetheless and finds her place in society eventually. It is something that we as a society struggle with today; womanhood is not a neat box that everybody just fits into. Josephine shows us the strength a woman can have within her to fight both for her family and her own place in the world.
When we first meet Jo she is a young girl of fifteen, in an awkwardly long and thin body and full of spirit and imagination. She is still very much a child at heart, writing and acting out plays with her sisters, scribbling away in the attic, boldly seeking out adventures, and overall running fairly wild.
As a teenage girl we can see Jo struggle with her identity. I find this to be reassuring as a storyline. None of us went through our teenage years easily. It is a time when everyone grapples with their identity and is trying to find out what their calling in life is.Â
Jo is often accused by her sisters of not acting properly, especially her older sister Meg, but she does not care what others think of her in the same way Meg does. Where Meg wants to be beautiful and liked, Jo wants to be admired for her keen intellect and her writing. They sometimes argue with each other about what one should care about, but deep down, both sisters want the same thing: approval for who they are from their parents and the world around them.
This is why Jo reacts so strongly to other people’s criticism, especially that of Dr Bhaer. As a writer myself there is nothing more nerve wracking than actually having people read your work. They don’t know all of the effort that has gone into your piece, the research, writing and editing. The prospect of having someone read it and then tear it apart is terrifying, especially as a young woman like Jo.Â
However, what makes Jo so admirable and exciting as a character is her flaws! She wrestles with her temper and sharp tongue, her hot-headedness and selfishness every day. The integrity to fight those virtues is something many adults don’t even have, yet we find it in this little woman. Jo relentlessly pushes herself to be a better person and as she gets older, she appreciates being challenged by others to grow and be better as well.
With this womanly maturity growing in her, it is beautiful to see Josephine fall in love. In many ways Dr Bhaer seems like the perfect match. Jo finds her intellectual sparring partner, someone that challenges her to be a better writer but more importantly a better person, wrapped up in the same man that also loves her exactly for who she is.
Some people have interpreted this as a loss to feminism and an unjust ending for such a self-determined young woman, to just go get married and have children. How sad! They do not see Jo’s ending as the beautiful coming together and the loving union of two great minds that inspire each other. Jo wants to be loved! It is one of her great wishes.
I think Jo is a great example of how womanhood does not fit into a box. God has made each of us uniquely, but he has also chosen for us to be male or female. This great mystery should not be questioned and even the most boyish girl is still a girl. Some women don’t like wearing dresses or cooking, or other activities typically associated with women, but they still are one. When these women fully embrace their feminine gifts they can achieve amazing things, just like Jo does with her school!
Josephine’s journey is a beautiful witness that none of us are perfect but that we all desire to be loved, the only one that can give us this love and acceptance in its fullest form is God. When we embrace our calling as daughters of God and live out the vocations that he has called us to, we will live a life full of love and joy!
That is also the reason why Jo and Laurie would have never worked, Laurie has his own thing, but he is not the person who could inspire Jo to reach her full potential as a writer (and his whole character arc is intertwined with Amy inspiring him to grow as an individual, which is something Jo never can do).
Nice to see other Fritz fans. I don't know if you knew this, but Professor Bhaer was based on philosopher Henry David Thoreau, and in Louisa May Alcott's diaries, there are literal quotes from her about reuniting with Henry in the afterlife (he passed away when Louisa was 28). It was intentional on the writer's part. That part where you write, it is terrifying to show our work to others. In the chapter when Jo writes her first novel (way before she travels to New York) there is a moment when the narrator says, that Jo wished that she had an "impartial person" to look at her work. That is a foreshadow of her relationship with Fritz because he is the one who gives her honest feedback and also inspires her to become a better writer, to reach her higher potential.