Little Women

The twins are a sharp contrast to each other: Daisy is loved by everyone, while Demi is a rowdy and inquisitive “mechanical genius” (497).

Even though the twins—and especially Demi—keep their mother alert and their grandparents amused, it is with Jo, nicknamed “Aunt Dodo” (500), whom they share their secrets and escapades.

One day, Professor Bhaer drops by under the guise of meeting Mr. March again; in actuality, he’s there to see Jo. Bhaer finds Mr. March and Demi conducting a lesson. When the professor asks about Demi’s day, Demi answers that he kissed a girl and then proceeds to ask, “Do great boys like great girls, too, ’Fessor?” (502). Professor Bhaer appears to be taken aback but answers that perhaps “they did sometimes” (502).

Jo’s behavior begins to change, and no one “asked why she sang about her work, did up her hair three times a day, and got so blooming with her evening exercise” (505). In the meantime, Jo finds herself coincidentally running into Professor Bhaer whenever she decides to take a walk.

He visits the home regularly under the pretext of meeting Mr. March and then disappears for three days, causing Jo to think he has left town without saying goodbye. She decides to go into town and complete her routine walk and secretly pines for the professor, hoping that he has not left.

Forgetting her umbrella, she collides with the professor as he tries to help her with her packages. Inquiring about his whereabouts, Jo discovers that the professor’s business here is finished, and he has accepted a teaching job that will allow him to support his nephews. Although Jo is disappointed that the position is located far away, she controls herself by pointing their attention to her various errands. Professor Bhaer proposes having a farewell feast and buying the children presents before he leaves; he fails to notice Jo’s distress. They keep shopping until it’s time to go home, at which point Professor Bhaer catches Jo crying. She admits it’s “[b]ecause you are going away” (511). This admission pleases him, as he was waiting for Jo to show interest, and he offers his love to her, which she accepts. They agree to marry, and Jo tells him, “Don’t fear poverty. I’ve known it long enough to lose my dread and be happy working for those I love; and don’t call yourself old—forty is the prime of life. I couldn’t help loving you if you were seventy” (517).

Jo waits a year while Professor Bhaer finishes his assignment. In the meantime, Aunt March dies and gifts her estate, Plumfield, to Jo. When asked by Laurie what she shall do with it, Jo says,“ I want to open a school for little lads—a good, happy, homelike school, with me to take care of them and Fritz to teach them” (520). The elderly Mr. Laurence is eager to invest in their educational institution. Jo details her dream and her careful planning. Soon, her dreams are realized when she marries and becomes “Mother Bhaer” (523) to a cohort of boys, including two of her own: Teddy and Rob.

Plumfield becomes the meeting point for all celebrations, and five years after Jo’s marriage, the families come together to celebrate Marmee’s 60th birthday. When the women gather, they express their gratitude and love for each other and their families, with Marmee declaring, “Oh my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this” (529).