It would probably be easiest, when analyzing this past reading of Little Women, to focus on the death of Beth as it was the most memorable moment from the past few chapters. That being said, I'm not sure what I could say about Beth's death that would be drastically different from what we have either already discussed in class or from what others have posted on the blog this week.
While reading Chapter 36, what was most interesting to me was analyzing the struggle that both Jo and Amy seem to be going through regarding morality. Both Jo and Amy have chosen life paths that have lead them to prioritize money over their own morals and comfort. Jo originally went to New York to make something of herself, but instead, found that her dream to live by her pen was rather unattainable and instead looks after the March children. Jo’s dream was ultimately to make a profit from her own writing. Amy is touring Europe, a trip sponsored by her aunt, to further master her artistic skills. Her goals is to be able to live off of her work and artistic genius, and it isn’t until Laurie arrives that she is forced to accept the reality of her situation and switch her focus.
To me, these reoccurring instances of failure are disheartening and as an adult reading this book for the first time, it’s hard to imagine small children reading this book. Regardless of the reality of a situation, aren’t we as a culture supposed to instill our children with the idea that they can do anything? To me it seemed odd that these two women, both with talent-oriented career goals, would so easily give up their dreams for a married life.
No comments:
Post a Comment