Louisa May Alcott: Little Women
Selected Excerpts (Chapter XVIII: Dark Days)
“How dark the days seemed now, how sad and lonely the house, and how heavy were the hearts of the sisters as they worked and waited, while the shadow of death hovered over the once happy home. Then it was that Margaret, sitting alone with tears dropping often on her work, felt how rich she had been in things more precious than any luxuries money could buy—in love, protection, peace, and health, the real blessings of life. Then it was that Jo, living in the darkened room, with that suffering little sister always before her eyes and that pathetic voice sounding in her ears, learned to see the beauty and the sweetness of Beth's nature, to feel how deep and tender a place she filled in all hearts, and to acknowledge the worth of Beth's unselfish ambition to live for others, and make home happy by that exercise of those simple virtues which all may possess, and which all should love and value more than talent, wealth, or beauty. And Amy, in her exile, longed eagerly to be at home, that she might work for Beth, feeling now that no service would be hard or irksome, and remembering, with regretful grief, how many neglected tasks those willing hands had done for her.”
“She longed for her cats, but would not have them brought, lest they should get sick, and in her quiet hours she was full of anxiety about Jo. She sent loving messages to Amy, bade them tell her mother that she would write soon, and often begged for pencil and paper to try to say a word, that Father might not think she had neglected him. But soon even these intervals of consciousness ended, and she lay hour after hour, tossing to and fro, with incoherent words on her lips, or sank into a heavy sleep which brought her no refreshment.”
Discussion Questions
In this scene of illness, how do you understand the tension between the need for meaning and beauty, and the author’s experience of death (she was a Civil War nurse)?
Beth recovers from her near-fatal bout with scarlet fever, but she is never fully healthy again, and she dies, many chapters later, a death in a book written for the young which has been cried over by generations, enacted on stage, on films, in opera. Why do you think this scene and book resonate with so many people?
What do we learn from classic children’s literature, and the way it encompasses the possibility that a child (or young woman) may possibly die?
Reflections from #MedHumChat
“The themes of tragedy, family, connection & devotion are universal and lasting. My oldest just found my old copy of Little Women this past week. I started reading it to her and there’s a comfort in the familiarity of timeless experiences of suffering and kindness.” —@marypanwriter
“Perhaps this is too apropos, but it certainly feels like some of my thoughts during this #Covid_19 pandemic. I'm scared of making others sick, I long and strive for connectedness from afar, I worry about those I know who are sick, and sleep is tough.” —@SarahBencharif
“The 'need for beauty' strikes me as the need to have life normalized again, a familiar feeling during this time of pandemic. Also, Beth shows a need to make connection with what matters - her cats, her family - again, connection feels paramount these days.” —@LReedsbooks
“Just want to say--I've been writing a book about infant/child mortality and obsessing over these things--I think Beth dies of rheumatic heart disease, after scarlet fever, she is never well again; she has less and less stamina and energy, and she almost fades away.” —@PerriKlass
About this #MedHumChat
Little Women was paired with Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery for a #MedHumChat discussion April 15, 2020 exploring Illness in the Classics.
We were honored that Dr. Perri Klass (@PerriKlass) could join as a special guest for this discussion. Perri Klass, MD is a pediatrician who writes fiction and non-fiction covering a range of topics including children and families, medicine, food and travel, and knitting.
Dr. Klass also selected the pieces and discussion questions for this #MedHumChat.
About the Author
Louisa May Alcott (1832 - 1888) was a renowned author as well as a Civil War nurse whose writing was inspired by many of her own personal experiences.