LITLE WOMAN

Four sisters and their mother, whom they call Marmee, live in a new neighborhood
in Massachusetts in refined poverty. Having lost all her money, her father serves as a
chaplain in the American Civil War, away from home. The mother and daughters
face their first Christmas without him. When Marmee asks her daughters to give
their Christmas breakfast to an impoverished family, the girls venture into town
laden with baskets to feed the starving children and her mother. When they return,
they discover that their elderly neighbor, Mr. Laurence, has sent them a decadent
surprise dinner to make up for breakfast. The two families meet after these acts of
kindness.
Meg and Jo must work to support the family: Meg is the guardian of a close family
of four children; Jo helps her elderly great-aunt March, a wealthy widow who lives
in a mansion, Plumfield. Beth, too shy to go to school, is content to stay home and
help with the housework; and Amy is still in school. Meg is beautiful and
traditional; Jo is a tomboy who writes, Beth is a peacemaker and a pianist; and Amy
is an artist who yearns for elegance and good society.
The sisters strive to help their family and improve their character, as Meg is vain, Jo
is hotheaded, Beth is terribly shy, and Amy is materialistic. Meg is invited to spend
two weeks with wealthy friends, where there are parties for the girls to dance with
the boys and improve their social skills. Laurie is invited to one of the dances and
Meg's friends incorrectly think that she is in love with him. Meg is more interested
in John Brooke, Laurie's young tutor.
News comes in that Mr. March is seriously ill with pneumonia and Marmee is called
to take care of him in Washington. Mr. Laurence offers to accompany her, but she
refuses, knowing that traveling would be uncomfortable for the old man. Instead,
Mr. Laurence sends John Brooke to do his business in Washington and help the
Brands. While in Washington, Brooke confesses his love for Meg to her parents.
They are happy, but consider that Meg is too young to marry, so Brooke agrees to
wait.
While Marmee is in Washington, Beth contracts scarlet fever after spending time
with a poor family where three children die. As a precaution, Amy is sent to live
with Aunt March and replaces Jo as her companion and helper. Jo, already suffering
from scarlet fever, tends to Beth. After being injured, he returns to look for work so
he can buy a house and be ready when he marries Meg. Laurie is going to college.
On Christmas Day, a year after the book was opened, the girls' father returns home.
Three years later, Meg and John marry and learn to live together. When they have
twins, Meg is a devoted mother, but John begins to feel abandoned and left out. Meg
seeks advice from Marmee, who helps her find balance in her married life by
spending more time on wife's duties and encouraging John to become more involved
in raising her children.
Laurie graduates from college, after trying hard to do well in her senior year with
Jo's prompts.
Beth's health is weak due to the complications of scarlet fever and her mood is low.
While trying to discover the reason for Beth's sadness, Jo realizes that Laurie has
fallen in love with her.
At first, she believes that he is with Beth, but soon she feels that he is with her. Jo
trusts Marmee, telling her that she loves Laurie like a brother to hers and that she
could not love him in a romantic way.
Jo decides that he wants a little adventure and put distance between her and Laurie,
hoping that he will forget her feelings.