Summary — Chapter 16: Letters
Marmee departs, and the girls communicate with her by
letter. The girls write letters in their own ways: Meg writes of
everyday events in a refined way; Jo writes impassioned letters
with slang and silly poems; Beth sends simple notes of love; and
Amy strives for sophistication but ends up discussing trivialities.
Hannah writes misspelled letters about home life, while Laurie writes
short, humorous tidbits, and Mr. Laurence writes informative and
sincere notes.
Summary — Chapter 17: Little Faithful
For a while, the girls are extremely diligent in their
work, but they soon grow lazy again. Marmee had asked her daughters
to visit the Hummels every day, but Beth is the only one who has
done so. One day, Beth asks that another sister take a turn visiting
the Hummels, but her sisters, wrapped up in their own pursuits,
ignore her. Finally, when no one else will go, Beth goes again.
When she returns home, she tells Jo that the Hummel baby has just
died from scarlet fever. She says that she feels strange and fears
that she might have the disease too. Luckily, Jo and Meg have had
it already, so they are not in danger of contracting the illness
if Beth does in fact have it. Hannah decides that Dr. Bangs should
be sent for to look at Beth. He arrives and says that she shows
symptoms of the disease. The family decides to send Amy to Aunt
March’s, since Amy is susceptible to scarlet fever, but she will
not go until Laurie promises that he will come visit her every day.
At Aunt March’s, Amy is harassed by her aunt’s speaking parrot and
finds herself miserable.
Summary — Chapter 18: Dark Days
Beth is much more seriously ill than anyone supposed.
After a while, the family decides that Marmee must be sent for,
just in case something dreadful happens. Jo breaks down in front
of Laurie, saying that she does not want Beth to die. Laurie admits
that he telegraphed for Marmee the day before and that she will
be arriving that night. Around two in the morning, Jo and Meg notice
a change in Beth: the fever and pained look are gone. Jo whispers
goodbye to her sister. Hannah, however, announces that the fever
has broken. Beth is not dying but rather recovering. The doctor
confirms the good news, and Marmee arrives.
Summary — Chapter 19: Amy’s Will
During Beth’s illness, Amy has a hard time living with
Aunt March. Though Aunt March likes Amy, she makes her niece work
very hard. For consolation, Amy turns to the servant, Esther, who
tells her stories and plays with her among Aunt March’s old dresses
and jewelry. After a while, Esther tells Amy that she finds solace
in prayer. She even tells Amy that she will help set up a small
shrine for her. Esther then reveals that Amy is to receive her aunt’s
turquoise ring. From then on, Amy behaves extremely well so as to
be assured of getting the ring. She and Esther set up a chapel in
a dressing closet, and Amy derives comfort from praying there. Amy
also decides to make a will, in case she falls ill and dies. She
has Esther and Laurie serve as witnesses.
Summary — Chapter 20: Confidential
Marmee watches carefully over Beth, while Laurie goes
to Aunt March’s to tell Amy of Beth’s recovery. Later, Marmee also
comes to visit Amy. Amy shows her the chapel, which Marmee approves
of as a place for quiet reflection. Amy also asks Marmee if she
may wear the turquoise ring that Aunt March has now given her. She
wants to wear it to remind herself not to be selfish, and Marmee
approves of this plan. When Marmee gets home, Jo tells her that
Mr. Brooke has Meg’s glove. Marmee asks Jo if she thinks Meg cares
for Mr. Brooke and tells Jo that Mr. Brooke has confessed an interest
in Meg. This unwelcome revelation saddens Jo, who does not want
to lose Meg. Marmee says that she too would like Meg to remain in
the house until she is at least twenty years old. Jo says that she
wanted Meg to marry Laurie and live in luxury. Meg comes in, and
Marmee evaluates how Meg reacts to discussion of Mr. Brooke. She
decides that Meg does not love him yet but that she will learn to
love him soon.
Analysis — Chapters 16–20
In several ways, Chapter 16 reinforces
the idea that the mother is the emotional and practical head of
the family. Alcott portrays Marmee’s absence in Chapter 16 as
much more significant than Mr. March’s absence throughout the whole
novel thus far. The family, which has managed perfectly
well without the father’s presence, struggles as soon as the mother
leaves. The girls cry over Marmee’s departure, suggesting that their
father’s continuing grave illness does not cause them as much anxiety
as Marmee’s initial absence. Though a letter from Mr. March is read
early in the novel, no letters from the girls to him are ever described.
In contrast, an entire chapter is devoted to the girls’ letters
to their mother. Female-female bonds are strong in the novel, and
most female-male bonds are weak by comparison.
