Essay on Death and Love in Little Women - 873 Words

Four women, taught by weal and woe To love and labor in their prime. Four sisters, parted for an hour, None lost, one only gone... (365-366). Jo wrote these lines in a poem, after Beth died. This is the most significant struggle for Jo. Jo and Beth are the two middle sisters in the classic novel, Little Women (1869) written by Louisa May Alcott. This is a classic novel about an American family of four daughters, a father who is off at war and a mother who works for the food. Jo and Beth are best friends and Jo sets the example for Beth. Beth first gets sick when Mother goes off to take care of Father, who got seriously ill in the war. Beth comes down with scarlet fever that she caught from the baby down the road. Beth†¦show more content†¦Jo realizes that everything she has ever done is either to protect or benefit Beth. This even meant not falling in love with Teddy or anyone else for that matter, as it would be something coming in between their relationship. One evening Jo goes upstairs to tend to Beth, when she realizes that Beth is no longer sleeping. Beth is still, pale, has thin cheeks and is not breathing. As Jo quietly mourns by herself, she thinks about what her life will be like without Beth as her arms instinctively tightened their hold upon the dearest treasure she possessed. (285) As years progress, Jo feels lost without her Beth. She pulls away from the world and becomes bitter until Professor Bhaer comes to visit. She unleashes all her frustrations, worries, and hopes on him and realizes that she doesnt want to get hurt again. Losing Beth was her first heartache, and she doesnt want to have another. As Mr. Bhaer and Jo talk, Jo also discovers that she has deep feelings for him, but doesnt want to act on them, as it would not be proper for a lady in her time. The professor leaves for a couple of years for a job in the west, but promises to be back. In between this time, they keep in touch and both eventually admit their feelings for each other, and decide that they should get married when he comes back. Fredrick and Jo make all of the arrangements for the wedding andShow MoreRelatedChanging Womens Roles as a Result of the Black Plague Essay831 Words   |  4 Pageswhat she had gotten women-kind into. Whether or not you believe in the story of creation, the perception of women as corrupting and sinful had shaped womens social roles in Western Society for thousands of years. Augustine was one of the first to write about the wickedness of women, and the acceptance of this doctrine is evident in the Letters of Abelard and Heloise through their disdain toward marriage. 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