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Alaira314 t1_j53j00o wrote

I never read the two sequels, but I read Little Women(both books, generally they're in the same volume these days) both as a child and as an adult. As a child, I believe I had an adapted version, but a few years ago I re-read the original text on project gutenberg. There was a lot that I'd overlooked as a kid, and some lessons that maybe aren't so great to emulate in the 21st century. But I loved the feminine empowerment, how it showed several different ways to be a woman and demonstrated that they were all good.

Jo's ending is a little questionable these days, I will admit. It really has to be read in the context of the time it was written, as well as considering how it was essentially the 19th century version of a fic author going "haha fuck you your OTP will never be a thing!" I didn't know this as a kid, but as an adult it makes me laugh. You go, Louisa May! Tell them how it is!

I'm actually a huge Amy fan. Anyone who hates on Amy stopped paying attention at the point where she burned Jo's manuscript, but she has so much development after that. She was the one who stayed with Aunt March, and her development abroad was incredible. Yes she's a bit of a prude, but remember the historic context at the time of original publication. She was a prude in the same way that women who supported prohibition were prudes, which is to say, she had a reason to be wary. She was also the perfect match for Laurie. Jo would have been a disaster. Hot take, I know.

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DifficultCharacter17 t1_j548fro wrote

I actually agree with you. I think Amy is a much better match for Laurie than Jo. Jo is too hot headed as is he. Also, both Jo and Laurie need more conventional partners to help them navigate society. The two of them together would have been cast off from polite society within 5 minutes of them getting married.

Also, I think the book is clear that Jo never saw Laurie as anything more than a brother, and she never really wavered on that point. Amy also always had a bit of a crush on Laurie. The book burning happens because she wants to go out with Jo and Laurie. She interacts with him only when she goes to stay at Aunt March’s the first time Beth gets sick. He organizes all the boys to buy her artwork when it gets relegated to a lesser table at that fair/bazaar, I can’t remember exactly what they called it. She is brave enough to call him on his Lazy Laurence behavior and tell him he is behaving like a big baby. And they are both able to grow together in their grief when Beth dies since they are away from the rest of the family. There is a thread of the two of them together through the whole book that makes them seem plausible once they got together.

I just think Jo is everyone’s favorite so they want her to have the rich handsome husband instead of the old, kind of unkempt professor. I think he works for Jo because Jo loves him for the teacher with the big heart that he is. They are true partners with their school going forward. Their paring reminds me somewhat of Jo’s own parents. It always seemed like Marmee was the more practical one of the two and Mr. Laurence was more the dreamer. I think I may be in the minority but I never wanted Jo to end up with Laurie.

Edited to add: I meant Mr March was a dreamer! Marmee wasn’t married to Mr. Laurence! Sorry!

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floppyjoe714 t1_j5hqg9i wrote

I agree, as a child, I was so disappointed when Jo doesn't marry Laurie, but as an adult, I can immediately see that Laurie and Jo would never work and Jo deserves better. That said, I think I would have been happier with her not getting married at all instead of marrying the mansplaining professor who's anti thrillers but I know that Alcott was forced >!to give each girl a marriage/death ending!<.

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