Little Women
Chapter 14 — Teaching Companion
Louisa May Alcott · Trailblazers 4th–6th
Coaching, not a script — and not an answer key: every question here has more than one defensible answer.
This chapter's big question
Jo climbs out the window to take her first step toward independence and, the same afternoon, begs to stay a little girl and calls any change in Meg horrid, so what does Jo actually want, growing up or standing still?
The tension The chapter trades two secrets and lets them pull against each other. Jo's is her own, hidden so no one else will be disappointed, and it ends in print, praise, and the hope of supporting herself. Laurie's is not his to tell, and it makes Jo dread that Meg will be taken away, so that she is rude to Mr. Brooke for weeks and asks Meg to let her be a little girl as long as she can. In between, Jo lectures Laurie about billiards and bad company while resenting being lectured about romping. Independence for herself, no change for Meg, and the sisters watching from the window who cannot tell what any of it means.
Today's focus
Notice what Jo wants for herself and what she wants to hold still, and how she holds both in a single afternoon.
Two core ideas
- Jo's own secret is about going forward: a first step toward earning praise and supporting herself. She hides it so no one else will be disappointed.
- Laurie's secret is about someone else, and it makes Jo dread the separation from Meg. The chapter tells us what the secret does to her and never what it is.
The shape at a glance
Jo slips out onto the roof of a low porch, takes the omnibus to town, and leaves two stories with a newspaper man. Laurie meets her, they trade secrets, and Jo is upset by his. She races him down the hill, meets Meg, and begs to be a little girl a while longer. Two weeks later she reads her printed story to her sisters and tells them what it could mean.
A way in
Start with Jo at the dentist's stairs and ask the student what kind of errand makes a person circle a building three times.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the garret, the stairs, the walk, the secrets, the race, Meg, and the evening reading.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern about something they want to hold still while everything else changes.
Debate Take sides on the big question: does Jo want to grow up, or to stand still? Each side must use at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why Alcott gives Jo two secrets in one chapter and lets them pull against each other.
Easier Talk through discussion questions 1 and 3 only, with the stairs and the hilltop as the two pictures to hold.
On level Talk through all five discussion questions, then have the student write one critical-thinking answer with two pieces of evidence.
Harder Ask the student to find one more place where Jo moves forward or holds back, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- Jo climbs out of a window, circles the stairs three times, and looks as if she's having her teeth out. What is she so afraid of?Inference
What it asks It asks what Jo's secrecy and hesitation tell us about what she risks by sending her stories.
One reading
She is afraid of failing in front of people she loves, and wants no one to see if she does.
I said nothing about it, because I didn’t want anyone else to be disappointed.
Hush! It won’t come to anything, I dare say; but I couldn’t rest till I had tried
Another reading
She is afraid of the step itself, because it matters so much to her.
after standing stock still a minute, suddenly dived into the street
a sober, wistful expression, which plainly showed how earnest her work had been
Listen for
- Uses what Jo does at the stairs, not only what she says later.
- Notices that she tells Laurie, but no one at home.
If stuck
- How does Jo leave the house?
- What does she do when she reaches the doorway?
- Why does she say she told no one?
A strong answer Jo slips out of a window, walks to the door three times and runs away twice, and finally climbs the stairs like a person going to have her teeth out. She tells Laurie she did not want anyone to know or be disappointed. So part of the fear is of falling short in front of people who would be hurt for her. A strong answer also notices how earnest her work has been, and says that caring this much is part of the fear.
- Jo lectures Laurie about billiards and bad company, then Laurie asks, “Are you going to deliver lectures all the way home?” Was she right to speak?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether a friend's worry gives her the right to warn him, and what the warning does to the friendship.
One reading
She was right: she speaks out of care, and she says plainly that she worries about him.
A little, when you look moody or discontented, as you sometimes do; for you’ve got such a strong will, if you once get started wrong, I’m afraid it would be hard to stop you.
I did hope you’d stay respectable, and be a satisfaction to your friends
Another reading
She pushed too far: he takes it as a judgment, and she wishes she had held her tongue.
Laurie walked in silence a few minutes, and Jo watched him, wishing she had held her tongue, for his eyes looked angry
You think I’m likely to do the same? Much obliged.
Listen for
- Separates what Jo means from how it sounds.
- Notices how Laurie changes the subject.
If stuck
- What does Jo say about Ned Moffat?
- How does Laurie answer when she mentions Mr. King's son?
- What does Jo promise before he tells his news?
A strong answer Jo warns Laurie because she worries about his strong will and about the company he keeps, and she says so honestly. But she also compares him to Mr. King's son, and he says “Much obliged,” and his eyes look angry. She wishes she had held her tongue. A strong answer takes a side and says what a friend could do to warn without insulting.
- Jo hears Laurie's secret and says, “No, it’s horrid,” and that she wishes he hadn’t told her. Why does it upset her so?Character
What it asks It asks what Jo fears in the news, using her own words and what she does after she hears it.
One reading
She dreads losing Meg: the idea of someone coming to take her away is what she hates.
At the idea of anybody coming to take Meg away? No, thank you.
Laurie’s secret made her dread the separation which must surely come some time, and now seemed very near
Another reading
She also dislikes being told a secret she must keep, and feels shut in by it.
I don’t think secrets agree with me; I feel rumpled up in my mind since you told me that
I didn’t promise.
Listen for
- Uses Jo's words, not a guess about the secret itself.
- Notices the race down the hill that follows.
If stuck
- What does Jo say when Laurie asks if she likes it?
- What does she say she thinks of secrets?
- What does she do right after she says that?
A strong answer Jo says it is horrid and ridiculous, and that she dislikes the idea of anybody coming to take Meg away. She also says secrets do not agree with her and she feels rumpled up in her mind. The chapter does not say what Laurie whispered, but it tells us what Jo dreads. A strong answer sticks with Jo's words and says what she fears will change.
- Jo ends the chapter in happy tears over her printed story, saying it may help her support herself and help the girls. What does that hope tell us about what she wants?Theme
What it asks It asks what the printed story means to Jo, using her words to the family and the narrator's last line.
One reading
She wants to stand on her own feet and earn her living.
for to be independent, and earn the praise of those she loved were the dearest wishes of her heart, and this seemed to be the first step toward that happy end.
Another reading
She wants to be useful to her family and believed in by people she loves.
in time I may be able to support myself and help the girls
Jo’s eyes sparkled, for it is always pleasant to be believed in; and a friend’s praise is always sweeter than a dozen newspaper puffs.
Listen for
- Uses Jo's own words and the narrator's last line.
- Says whose praise matters most to Jo.
If stuck
- What does Jo say the story may let her do?
- What does the narrator call her dearest wishes?
- Who does she most want to praise her?
A strong answer Jo says that in time she may be able to support herself and help the girls, and the narrator says that to be independent and earn the praise of those she loved were the dearest wishes of her heart. So she wants to be self-supporting, and she wants to use that for her family. The narrator also says it is always pleasant to be believed in. A strong answer names what she wants and says who it is for.
- The chapter never tells us what Laurie whispers to Jo. Why might Alcott keep it from us?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what a withheld secret does to the reader, and whether the chapter needs it told.
One reading
It keeps us with Jo: we feel her sudden change without knowing the cause, and so the feeling stays in front.
Laurie bent, and whispered three words in Jo’s ear, which produced a comical change.
No, it’s horrid.
Another reading
It makes the reader, like Meg and the others, watch Jo's odd behavior and wonder.
For a week or two, Jo behaved so queerly that her sisters were quite bewildered.
Laurie and she were always making signs to one another
Listen for
- Says what the reader knows and what they don't.
- Compares Jo's secret, which is told, with Laurie's, which is not.
If stuck
- Which secret does Jo tell us about in full?
- What do the sisters notice about Jo for two weeks?
- What does Jo's reaction let us know?
A strong answer Jo's own secret is told openly, stories, newspaper man, and all. Laurie's is held back: we see its three-word effect on Jo and her sisters' bewilderment, and nothing more. That keeps our attention on how Jo feels and leaves the secret itself open. A strong answer says what the reader gains from not being told, and does not guess the answer.
Critical thinking
- Laurie sees Jo come down from the dentist's stairs and waits for her. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what Laurie's behavior shows about him as a friend.
What it asks It asks what Laurie does and says on the street, and what that shows about how he cares for Jo.
One reading
He looks after her, ready to help her home if she had a bad time.
It’s like her to come alone, but if she has a bad time she’ll need someone to help her home.
asking with an air of sympathy
Another reading
He is cheerful and ready to tease, and he keeps her secret.
Hurrah for Miss March, the celebrated American authoress!
I never tease.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains why Jo trusts him.
If stuck
- What does Laurie think Jo is doing in the building?
- What does he say when Jo tells him her news?
A strong answer Laurie thinks Jo is at the dentist and waits across the street to help her home if she needs it. When she tells him her secret he cheers for Miss March, the celebrated American authoress, and promises not to say a word. A strong answer uses one piece about his care and one about his delight, and explains why Jo tells him what she tells no one else.
- Meg and Beth watch Jo and Laurie race through the garden. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the two sisters see Jo differently.
What it asks It asks how two sisters read the same behavior in Jo and what each wants from her.
One reading
Meg sees something to correct, and wants Jo to behave like a young lady.
What shall we do with that girl? She never will behave like a young lady,
When will you stop such romping ways?
Another reading
Beth sees someone to love as she is, and hides her own hurt.
I hope she won’t; she is so funny and dear as she is,
who had never betrayed that she was a little hurt at Jo’s having secrets with anyone but her
Listen for
- Evidence from what each sister says.
- Notices what Beth feels and does not say.
If stuck
- What does Meg say when she watches Jo and Laurie in the garden?
- What does Beth answer?
A strong answer Meg sighs that Jo will never behave like a young lady and asks when she will stop romping. Beth says she hopes Jo won't, because she is funny and dear as she is, and the narrator adds that Beth was a little hurt at Jo having secrets with someone else. A strong answer uses one line from each sister, and says what each wants from Jo.
- Jo reads The Rival Painters aloud without saying who wrote it. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how each sister reacts when she finds out.
What it asks It asks the student to compare how the family takes Jo's news, and to back the answer with two pieces of evidence.
One reading
Beth and Meg are simply delighted and proud.
I knew it! I knew it! O my Jo, I am so proud!
how Meg wouldn’t believe it till she saw the words, “Miss Josephine March,” actually printed in the paper
Another reading
Amy answers like a critic first, and the family turns the news into a celebration.
It’s very good,” said Amy critically.
these foolish, affectionate people made a jubilee of every little household joy
Listen for
- Evidence from what each sister says.
- Notices how differently Amy and Beth respond.
If stuck
- What does Beth do when Jo says she wrote it?
- What does Amy say?
A strong answer Beth runs to hug Jo and says she knew it and is so proud. Meg will not believe it until she sees Jo's name printed. Amy says it is very good, critically, and offers hints for a sequel. The narrator says the family made a jubilee of it. A strong answer compares two sisters' reactions and says what each shows about her.