Meg, the eldest, tries her best every day to be in her finest clothing and acting as a proper lady. As a young girl, she would make many passive aggressive comments about wishing she had something nicer. For instance, as Meg was getting ready for a vacation at the Moffat's household, she states that one of her dresses "isn't low-necked, and it don't sweep enough, but it will have to do" hinting at the fact that she wished she had one better for the occasion (Alcott 84). Quickly though, Meg finds out that wearing the better dress isn't what she expected. During her time with the Moffat's, she gives in to the idea of the girls dressing her up for their party. Her final appearance made Meg uncomfortable and the experience turned into something she regretted once it was all over. She later admitted to her mother that she "let them make a fool" of her and became embarrassed from all the gossip about her (95). By the end of this chapter, Meg learned that it was better to be happy with what she had than to live unhappily as someone she is not.
Amy, the youngest, is more straightforward about her wants and wishes to have expensive things and to be liked by those more well off than she is. This mindset puts her in two embarrassing situations; the first one happens at school. Amy insists to be liked by other people you must own pickled limes to trade and share so she borrows money form her sister to buy twenty-four of them (65). As the commotion over her pickled limes distracts students from class, she is reprimanded by the teacher for breaking his rule of no limes in his class. Amy is then struck on her hand and sent to stand on a podium until recess, embarrassing her in front of everyone (69). The second happens when she tries to impress the girls in her art class. Amy demands to throw an extravagant party with the highest foods and desserts. She originally expected twelve girls to show up and only one came. Amy felt defeated and called herself a fool for trying to do this when it ended (264).
Overall, both girls learned that trying to become someone they are not for the approval of others doesn't mean the grass will be greener and things will finally fall into place. As the story continues, Meg and Amy learn from their mistakes of wanting more and begin to grow happier as women for what life ends up giving them.
I agree that at the beginning of the novel, Amy and Meg desperately seek the approval of others, especially those that are “socially superior” to them in terms of wealth. But I think they learn throughout the novel that wealth does not always translate into happiness or make someone more deserving of respect or admiration. As the novel describes of Amy, “Money, position, fashionable accomplishments, and elegant manners, were most desirable things in her eyes, and she liked to associate with those who possessed them; often mistaking false for true, and admiring what is not admirable” (Alcott 257). The novel has very few truly admirable people of wealth, perhaps only Mr. Laurence and Laurie. Alcott, as well as Mrs. March, stress the importance of happiness and good morals far above wealth. Both Amy and Meg ultimately learn this lesson, and chose happiness above wealth in terms of who they marry. Meg chooses to marry John, even though he is not wealthy, even when her aunt threatens to cut her out of her will and good graces. Amy also choses love, however she does end up being rather wealthy since she marries Laurie. But, she does not end up with Fred, whom she did not love, but originally said she would marry simply for the wealth. By marrying Laurie, she has shown that she has found that love and happiness should be the qualities she looks for in a partner.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your idea that Amy and Meg had to learn that wealth and the display of it does not bring happiness. The March sisters were raised in more wealth, but as they got older, their family had to downsize, and the sisters had to begin working to support their family. I think this memory of the easygoing life that they had and being surrounded by friends with luxurious lives made them jealous and fight to get that life. However, through those experiences in the attempt for a richer life, they saw the discontent and loneliness that can only be solved by real love. This change in Meg's ideals is most clearly displayed when she marries John Brooke. Though hardworking, Brooke lives a poor life as well, yet is willing to support and love Meg, even waiting to marry until he can earn a home for her. Meg chooses this love, even when her rich Aunt March claims she will not give Meg any money if she does so. This point is further emphasized when Sallie Moffat, who marries rich, visits their home often because “it is always so quiet and pleasant” as her own house is “full of splendid loneliness” (Alcott 399). Sallie’s purpose as a foil character displays how marrying for money can lead to an unfulfilling life, a lesson that Meg and Amy learned.
ReplyDeleteI also found the character development of Meg and Amy one of the most interesting parts of Little Women. Throughout the novel, we see them mature from girls obsessed with reaching into the upper echelons of society and rising above their socioeconomic station to women who are satisfied with the life they have chosen for themselves. I think these lessons of “the grass is not always greener” contribute greatly to the girls’ transformations, as evidenced by their choice of husbands. Meg, for example, selects a husband who is not wealthy, but instead has to work hard to make enough money to afford small items of pleasure or luxury. Meg’s purchase of the silk dress and subsequent regret mark a change in her countenance. Married life grounds Meg to the reality of poverty, so much so that she even “learned to love her husband better for his poverty” (365). Similarly, Amy’s marriage to Laurie marks a change in her disposition and goals for herself and her family. Though she does marry wealthy, her dream since she was young, her aspirations for her newfound wealth have changed dramatically since the beginning of the novel. At the end of the book, Amy feels closer than ever to Laurie as they discuss the ways in which they will use their money, with Amy stating, “People have been very kind to me, and whenever I see girls struggling along, as we used to do, I want to put out my hand and help them, as I was helped” (588). These marriage decisions solidified in them a change of heart and a turning to the more sentimental treasures of life.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post and strongly agree that both Amy and Meg grew throughout the novel. Their experiences throughout the course of the book transformed them into characters that spent less time lamenting over the money and fine clothing they didn’t have into young women who were better able to appreciate the love that surrounded them. I think this is especially clear from Meg’s perspective in some of her interactions with the very well off Sallie Moffat. At Meg’s wedding Sallie says, “That is the prettiest wedding I’ve been to for an age, Ned, and I don’t see why, for there wasn’t a bit of style about it”(253). This comment emphasizes that what made Meg’s wedding special was not money or style, but rather the love Meg and John had for each other and the outpouring of love from the March clan. This is emphasized again later when Sallie expresses her enjoyment of spending time in Meg’s small house because she found that hers was rather lonely. Amy’s transformation is shown additionally through her rejection of Fred’s proposal. While Fred was very rich and able to give Amy all of the comforts she longed for in her childhood, she knew that she did not have strong feelings for him. Of course, she did still end up marrying Laurie and being wealthy, but she did it out of love as opposed to doing so for his material possessions.
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