don't crash !

Marmee: There are seven chairs and ten kids. What do you do? Meg: Have everyone stand. Beth: Bring three more chairs! Amy: The most important ones can sit down. Jo: Kill three.

The chapter in the book Little Women/Good Wives, and the scene in the movies of Jo's proposal and married life are So Important. They show the heroine living a happy and unconventional lifestyle: It says that this life she leads with work, marriage, and very little money is a good, wholesome life. That is so important.

But - I think an overlooked chapter in the books (not depicted in the films that I have seen) is the one in which Meg tries to cook and preserve currant jam. She has a miserable day, turned even worse when her husband John brings home a friend for dinner. For once, Meg snaps at him and he snaps back when provoked.

Eventually, Meg takes some good advhice from Marmee, and she brings peace. The chapter ends with a line about married life foe these two not being perfect - it will always have its difficulties, but peace has been preserved and quarrels will be managed.

In another chapter, after Meg has had twins, she understandable becomes so wrapped up in them that she neglects both herself and her husband. Neither the book nor I are saying that one partner should be a servant to the other. But in marriage, we have promised something of ourselves to them*. Meg has isolated herself from the world and grown irritable while she rarely sees John who spends time at his friend's house instead of being nagged at home.

Again, Meg takes initiative and fixes it. This is a bit of a pattern that we see the world over today, in which women usually take the emotional burden in the home. I have no comment to make on that, it's not the point of this post.

The point is: The book has made a few excellent points through everyday, domestic scenes about marriage which are not (or only rarely) shown on film. The glamour, unpredictability and excitement of Jo's publishing, marriage to the Professor, work and, from a plot-based POV, the fact that she is the main character, mean that her storyline is in the spotlight. I love her storyline. But I also think that Meg's has something important to teach us: If you choose the more traditional path, your life is just as full of adventure and growth, difficulties, pain and pleasures.

*talking about non-toxic nd non-abusive relationships.

Jo looked up and Jo looked down, then said slowly, with sudden color in her cheeks. "It may be vain and wrong to say it, but I'm afraid Laurie is getting too fond of me." "Then you don't care for him in the way it is evident he begins to care for you?' And Mrs. March looked anxious as she put the question. "Mercy, no! I love the dear boy, as I always have, and am immensely proud of him, but as for anything more, it's out of the question." "I'm glad of that, Jo." "Why, please?" "Because, dear, I don't think you suited to one another. As friends you are very happy, and your frequent quarrels soon blow over, but I fear you would both rebel if you were mated for life. You are too much alike and too fond of freedom, not to mention hot tempers and strong wills, to get on happily together, in a relation which needs infinite patience and forbearance, as well as love."

Louisa May Alcott, Good Wives

when marmee says i am angry nearly every day of my life

That moment when you can’t find your cat at your in laws and you and your partner spend about an hour looking for her only to find her IN THE GODDAMN CEILING.

HOW DID SHE GET THERE

WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THERE???

The new podcast episode is out!

Kymberly and I continue our analysis on the chapter "Laurie makes mischief and Jo makes peace". In this chapter, Laurie sends love notes to Meg pretending to be his tutor John Brooke, and he thinks it is a harmless prank, which it is not. Kymberly and I are also discussing Laurie's development in the book series and his character arc and Marmee's influence on both him and the girls. Enjoy!

"I have at last fitted up a German word of my own. It is made of more than one piece, as all the best German words are.

First, Herz. That is the word for heart. Then, Mutti. Birt's children do not call her Mutter, the proper word for mother, but Mutti.

You might say it is their family's way of saying Marmee.

And so, Herz-Mutti.

That is who I should like to be to Laurie.

And so it follows that he may be a Herz-Junge to me. Heart-boy."

—Marmee by Sarah Miller

Book Review: "Marmee" by Sarah Miller

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 5 out of 5. This was a great addition to the classic and beloved story of “Little Women”. Told from the point of view of Marmee through her diary entries, see the familiar tale through another’s eyes. It took me a little while to get into the diary form of writing, since I have not read a book like that in a long time. I am the type of person who thrives on dialogue and there was…

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Little Women : A flim masterpiece

Greta Grewig is a mastermind! This movies is amazing. One thing I love about the movie is how it portrayed Amy. I personally haven't read the book, but I've heard Amy is just a whiny little sister. Like that's her character arc. And the movie gives a backstory, why she acts like that. Another thing, is just it's aesthetic. It is visually nice to watch and the storyline is amazing. How the sisters make it through the hard times, and how the destroy stereotypes. Like, when Amy burns Jos book Jo feels like she can never forgive her and how when Meg gets married Jo feels like childhood is over, and I feel like everyone feels that. This was just one of my ramblings about Little Women.

the March sisters as Greek goddesses? (Beth is Hestia and no one can change my mind)

You just combined of my favorite things together and I am stoked! Also, sorry it took a little while, I wanted to be as accurate as I could in my choices.

Marmee- I am adding her just because, and she would be Rhea, Goddess of the Female Fertility. She is also was the goddess of motherhood and femininity, and was the mother to the Olympians. Marmee has been considered one of literature's best mother figures and Rhea seems to be the best match for her.

Meg- My instinct is to go to Hera, Goddess of Marriage and Women. Meg embraced her femininity, had longed to be married and have children, and actually wanted it from an early age compared to her sisters who never married (Beth), didn't want to (Jo), or marry for wrong reasons (Amy).

Jo- I am sure many people would say ether Athena or Artemis (mostly, I am sure due to their statuses of being unmarried/virgin goddesses) but really, she is closer to Calliope, Muse of Epic Poetry. According to Hesiod, she was the leader of the muses, but also the most assertive, which that is certainly Jo, and her only offspring were two boys, Orpheus and Linus, much like Jo's only children were two boys, Rob and Teddy.

Beth- I agree with you 100%! For those that may not know, Hestia is Goddess of the Hearth, Family, and Home. She is said to be a pretty nice goddess, described as being pure and peaceful, and never married, which ties in my headcanon of Beth being aro-ace. There isn't too many myths about her, but it appeared that there wasn't a god or goddess in all of the Pantheon that had disliked her, which is very true with ho everyone viewed Beth.

Amy- This might be a shock to some people, but her goddess would be Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. As an adult, she displayed her newfound wisdom brilliantly especially to Laurie in Europe, which helped him avoid making a big mistake, and had greatly matured from her childhood into adulthood. Athena is also the goddess of Creativity and was known as a patroness of the arts, which fits the rather artistic Amy.

BONUS: THE MEN

Mr. March- After some digging, I thought that the best fit is Hymenaios, God of Marriage Ceremonies. Given that Mr. March is a pastor who had served as a pastor for his own daughters' weddings (Meg confirmed, and Jo headcanoned), it feels pretty apt that he'd be this god, though not much else is known about this god.

John- I was not expecting to pair John with Hermes, God of Travelers, but it works. Hermes' main job was a messenger for the gods and goddesses, but has also been said to be the first teacher to the mortals, teaching them letters, science, and how to use their intellect, which makes in a way, a tutor, just like one Mr. Brooke.

Friedrich- Admittedly, this one was the toughest one, but the one I choose was someone I least expected, Dionysus, God of Wine and Festivities. Friedrich has always been known to be a easy going and fun man, but just like the god, he was also incredibly kind and helpful to his fellow men. One of Dionysis' titles was known as the "protector of misfits" as he had been an outsider in the Pantheon, which is very similar to Friedrich being seen as an outsider due to being a German in America.

Laurie- This is another one that was super easy to think of, Apollo, God of Music. A little fun fact is that Apollo was also the god of prophecy, which I couldn't help but to think about that scene in the book where Laurie ponders over the idea of Jo resembling the thorny red rose and Amy the thorn-free white rose, certain that it must mean something, which in the end it did.

How do you guys think I did? Is there any other god or goddess you'd think could work?

Book Review: Marmee by Sarah Miller

Book Review: Marmee by Sarah Miller

I cannot explain how happy this book makes me! Little Women is, far and away, my favorite novel and has been for the majority of my life. I have consumed this story in a myriad of different forms and have had so many surprising parallels between my own life and that of Jo March’s fictional one. But this book…oh, this book! Here is our beloved Marmee’s soul laid out in her own journal entries. It…

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“Jo jerks awake to find Beth gone— she goes downstairs and sees Marmee there. Jo looks at Marmee, and her mother, for the first time in Jo’s life, breaks. Jo becomes the parent at that moment, comforting her mother, who is trapped in the unimaginable pain of losing a child.” —Little Women (2019), Greta Gerwig

“You must take my place, Jo, and be everything to Father and Mother when I’m gone.” —Little Women (1868), Louisa May Alcott

I could never love anyone as I love my sisters.

—Jo March, Little Women (Gillian Armstrong, 1994)

My guest Kymberly and I are dissecting the chapter "Laurie Makes Mischief and Jo makes peace". In this chapter, Laurie pretends to be his tutor John Brooke and forges love letters to Meg. He gets into a lot of trouble, but what is troublesome is Jo's maternal need to protect Laurie and her ignorance over Meg's pain. This and a lot more in this episode.