Lessons From Little Women and Jo March Essay Sample

Louisa May Alcott wrote the novel Little Women in the late nineteenth century with an audience of young women in mind. In the novel, we read about the adventures of the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Each sister grows immensely throughout the story; however, the girls do not grow alone. With the lessons from their mother, Mrs. March (or as the sisters call her Marmee), they learn a great deal and become content with their lives. Jo, the main character, experiences the grandest change of all the sisters. Mrs. March has a large influence on Jo’s life because of the many lessons she teaches that help her develop from a tomboyish child to a beautiful little woman.  

One of the first lessons Mrs. March teaches her quick-tempered daughter, Jo, concerns controlling and concealing her anger. After Jo had a direct impact on Amy’s near-death experience, she realizes if she does not suppress her rage, she could harm those she loves. Jo seeks her mother for advice regarding her character flaw. Mrs. March tells her it is “impossible to conquer your fault” and explains how Jo’s temper used to be similar to her own (Alcott 73). Upon hearing that her mother still struggles with anger, Jo learns her temper will never disappear, but she must control and conceal it. The lesson is impactful to Jo because of Mrs. March’s way of explaining. Mrs. March explains she is not perfect, a statement most parents would not say to their children. She even tells Jo she hopes she “will be a great deal better” than herself (Alcott 75). Jo manages her temper throughout the rest of the novel because of her mother's gentle tone and the impactful words she uses to teach her a lesson.

Mrs. March’s effective teaching style is why her lessons are immensely successful in educating Jo and her sisters about essential life lessons. Mrs. March allows the girls to take one full week of vacation to teach them the importance of a life where work and play are balanced. During this time, the girls feel the days “getting longer and longer” and are secretly excited the week would come to an end (Alcott 103). After a few dreadfully, prolonged days, the sisters begin to realize the consequential feelings of too much holiday time. Jo is the first one to say she would not like another week of the playful life. She comes to realize and tells her mother “lounging and larking doesn’t pay” (Alcott  110). Mrs. March is satisfied with this experiment and tells the girls to “understand the worth of time by employing it well” (Alcott 111). Jo is a prime example of this because once her work is done, she takes the time to write for leisure. This advice is remembered by the young March sisters for the rest of their lives. 

 Mrs. March’s other influence over Jo is on her love life, more specifically her relationship with their neighbor Laurie. One day, the dreaded topic of Laurie being in love with Jo comes up in a conversation between the mother and daughter. When Jo mentions she is not in love with him, Mrs. March tells her she is “glad of that” because she does not think they are “suited to one another… you both would rebel if you were mated for life” (Alcott 310). This clarification causes Jo to realize it is not wise to fall in love with Laurie because of their constant quarrels. Her mother, the wisest woman she knows, even thinks so. She agrees with her mother and says “That’s just the feeling I had, though I couldn’t express it,” (Alcott 311). When Laurie proposes to Jo she tells him “I agree with Mother that you and I are not suited for each other, because our quick tempers and strong wills would probably make us very miserable,” remembering the conversation they had all those months ago (Alcott 342). Because of their talk, Mrs. March contributes to one of the reasons Jo rejects Laurie when he proposes to her. 

Most mothers in this world have the greatest influence on their children’s lives. Mrs. March is no exception to this assumption. She influences Jo’s values and the decisions she makes throughout her life. If Mrs. March’s personality happened to be the slightest bit different, Jo would turn into a completely different person. We all must thank our mothers for all they do and their teachings.