Little Women
Chapter 17 — 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
Ten days after a week of virtue that could have supplied the neighborhood, every sister has a reason not to go to the Hummels and Beth goes alone, so what has happened to their goodness, and does Beth's willingness make the others any less to blame for what follows?
The tension The chapter opens by admitting the girls did well and locating their fault in ceasing to. Each excuse is small and true: Meg is tired, Jo's cold is well enough for Laurie but not for the Hummels, Amy is out, Hannah is asleep, Beth herself is headachy and lies down to wait. Then the baby dies in Beth's lap and the doctor sends her home to take belladonna. Jo calls herself a selfish pig; Meg is hurt and relieved; Hannah says nobody dies of it if rightly treated. The narrator has already warned that the lesson will come through anxiety and regret, and the household ends unable to decide whether even to tell Marmee.
Today's focus
Watch what happens to the sisters' goodness after the first week, and who is left doing the work.
Two core ideas
- The sisters did well for a week and then slackened. Each excuse for not visiting the Hummels is small and partly true.
- Beth goes to the Hummels herself, and the baby dies in her lap. Afterward Meg and Hannah disagree about whether to tell Marmee.
The shape at a glance
For a week the house is full of virtue, and then the girls slip back into old ways. Ten days after Marmee leaves, each sister finds a reason not to visit the Hummels. Beth goes alone, and the baby dies in her lap. She takes belladonna, Hannah sends for the doctor, Amy is sent to Aunt March's, and Jo stays to nurse Beth.
A way in
Start with the excuses and ask the student which one sounds most like something they have said themselves.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the ten days back in order: the week of virtue, the excuses, Beth's visit, the baby, the doctor, and Amy's move to Aunt March's.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern about a job that everyone thought someone else would do.
Debate Take sides on the big question: does Beth's willingness change how much blame the others carry? Each side must use at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why Alcott tells the girls' fault through an afternoon of small, true excuses.
Easier Read the excuses scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 2 and 3 only.
On level Talk through all five discussion questions, then have the student write one critical-thinking answer with two pieces of evidence from the chapter.
Harder Ask the student to find one more moment where a small excuse has a real cost, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- The narrator says the girls felt “Endeavor deserved a holiday.” How does she sound when she says it?Tone
What it asks It asks the student to hear the narrator's voice in one phrase: is she teasing, excusing, or warning?
One reading
She is teasing gently. The capital E and the holiday make a joke of how quickly the girls decide they have earned a rest.
after such tremendous exertions, they felt that Endeavor deserved a holiday, and gave it a good many
For a week the amount of virtue in the old house would have supplied the neighborhood.
Another reading
She is warning us. The line sits beside a remark that the girls did not know they were being tested.
All were unconscious that this experience was a test of character
they learned this lesson through much anxiety and regret
Listen for
- Hears a joke in the capital letter and in the words a good many.
- Says what the narrator seems to expect to come next.
If stuck
- What do the girls do to their efforts once the first anxiety about their father eases?
- What does the narrator say the girls did not know about this time?
A strong answer The phrase makes a small joke of the girls' reasoning: after tremendous exertions they decide that Endeavor, with a capital E, deserves a holiday, and they give it a good many. But the narrator also says none of them knew it was a test of character, and that a lesson would come through anxiety and regret. So she sounds fond and amused, and also uneasy. A strong answer hears both and points to the words that carry each.
- Jo says her cold is well enough for going out with Laurie but not for the Hummels', and laughs at herself. What does that laugh tell us?Character
What it asks It asks what Jo's laugh and her look of shame show about her when she knows her excuse does not hold.
One reading
She sees through her own excuse and is honest enough to show it, so she is not fooling herself.
said Jo, laughing, but looking a little ashamed of her inconsistency
Another reading
She uses the laugh to ease her way out of the errand, because her story is what she really wants to do.
I’d go, but I want to finish my writing.
Jo was absorbed in her story
Listen for
- Uses Jo's own words and the narrator's word ashamed.
- Separates knowing an excuse is weak from acting on it.
If stuck
- What does Jo say her cold is well enough for?
- What does the narrator say about how Jo looks?
- What does Jo say she wants to finish?
A strong answer Jo's excuse is easy to see through, and she sees through it herself: she laughs, and the narrator says she looks a little ashamed of her inconsistency. Then she says she wants to finish her writing, and later she is absorbed in her story. The laugh shows that Jo knows more than her excuse lets on. A strong answer says what she does with that knowledge, and does not call her simply lazy or simply honest.
- Beth is tired and headachy, waits an hour for someone to go, then goes herself. Was that the right thing for her to do?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether going out when she was unwell was dutiful or unwise, and what the chapter shows about what it cost her.
One reading
It was right. The Hummels needed help and she was the one who knew how sick the baby was.
I have been every day, but the baby is sick, and I don’t know what to do for it.
Beth quietly put on her hood, filled her basket with odds and ends for the poor children
Another reading
It was a risk. She was unwell, she went quietly, and she came home to hide in her mother's room.
went out into the chilly air, with a heavy head, and a grieved look in her patient eyes
no one saw her creep upstairs and shut herself into her mother’s room
Listen for
- Weighs what the Hummels needed against what Beth risked.
- Notices that no one saw her come home.
If stuck
- What had Beth already said about the baby earlier that afternoon?
- What were Hannah and Jo doing during the hour she waited?
- What did the doctor tell Beth to do when she got there?
A strong answer Beth had been to the Hummels every day and knew how sick the baby was, and she had asked Meg and Jo first. When nobody went, she filled her basket and went herself, and she held the baby as it died. But she was tired, her head ached, and she came home to creep up to her mother's room without anyone seeing. A strong answer takes a side, says what her choice cost her and what it gave the Hummels, and does not turn her into either a saint or a fool.
- Meg thinks Marmee should be told if Beth is really ill. Hannah says it would only make them anxious. What is each trying to protect?Theme
What it asks It asks what two careful people are guarding when they disagree about a hard message.
One reading
Hannah is protecting Marmee and Father from worry they can do nothing about.
Hannah says we mustn’t, for mother can’t leave father, and it will only make them anxious
Beth won’t be sick long, and Hannah knows just what to do
Another reading
Meg is protecting something harder to name: the feeling that a mother ought to know.
I think we ought to tell her if Beth is really ill
it doesn’t seem quite right to me
Listen for
- Says what each one fears.
- Notices that Meg also says they were told to mind Hannah.
If stuck
- What does Hannah say Marmee cannot do?
- What did Marmee tell the girls about minding Hannah?
- What does Laurie suggest they do before deciding?
A strong answer Hannah is protecting Marmee and Father from worry they can do nothing about, since Mother cannot leave Father, and she thinks Beth will not be sick long. Meg is protecting something harder to name: she says it doesn't seem quite right not to tell Mother. She also says Mother told them to mind Hannah, so she is pulled both ways. Laurie suggests asking his grandfather after the doctor has been. A strong answer says what each one risks and does not decide yet whether Hannah is right.
- The chapter ends with Polly screaming at Amy and Amy sniffing. Why might Alcott end there, right after a baby's death?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what the comic scene at Aunt March's does to the mood after a sad day, and what it leaves the reader thinking.
One reading
It lightens the mood. Laurie and the parrot make Amy laugh, so the reader is not left in the sad scene.
Amy was on the point of crying, but Laurie slyly pulled the parrot’s tail
in such a funny way, that she laughed instead
Another reading
It ends on Amy alone and sniffing, so the chapter closes on a small unhappiness that sits beside the larger news.
“I don’t think I can bear it, but I’ll try,” thought Amy, as she was left alone with Aunt March.
at that rude speech Amy could not restrain a sniff
Listen for
- Compares the ending with the scene in Mother's closet.
- Says what mood the last line leaves.
If stuck
- What does Laurie do to the parrot, and why?
- Who is Amy left alone with?
- What does Amy do on the last line?
A strong answer The day has moved from the Hummels' baby to Beth's sickness, and the last scene is almost comic: a cross aunt, a rude parrot, and Laurie tweaking its tail. Amy is nearly in tears and is made to laugh. The final line leaves her alone with Aunt March, unable to restrain a sniff. A strong answer says what the comedy does after the sadness, and whether the ending feels like relief, worry, or both.
Critical thinking
- Beth goes to a closet and hides her face in an old gown when her heart gets heavy. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how Beth keeps going.
What it asks It asks how a quiet girl carries her own worry while still doing more than her share.
One reading
She has a private place for her sadness, so it does not spill into her work.
she went away into a certain closet, hid her face in the folds of a certain dear old gown, and made her little moan and prayed her little prayer quietly by herself
Another reading
She keeps busy with real duties, and the others lean on her.
All the little duties were faithfully done each day, and many of her sisters’ also
everyone felt how sweet and helpful Beth was, and fell into a way of going to her for comfort or advice in their small affairs
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains how private sadness and daily work fit together.
If stuck
- Where does Beth go when her heart gets heavy?
- Whose duties does Beth do besides her own?
A strong answer Beth keeps going by doing two things. When her heart gets heavy she goes to a certain closet, hides her face in a dear old gown, and prays quietly by herself, and nobody knows what cheers her up. And she does her own duties faithfully and many of her sisters' too, so the others come to her for comfort. A strong answer uses one piece on each and says how the private place helps the daily work.
- Amy says she would rather have the fever than go to Aunt March's. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how Laurie changes her mind.
What it asks It asks what Laurie says to a sobbing girl who feels she is being sent away, using two pieces of evidence.
One reading
He turns it into a plan with promises, so there is something to look forward to.
You go to Aunt March’s, and I’ll come and take you out every day, driving or walking, and we’ll have capital times.
On my honor as a gentleman.
Another reading
He answers her real fear, being in the way and getting sick, by saying the move is to keep her well.
I don’t wish to be sent off as if I was in the way
Bless your heart, child, it’s to keep you well. You don’t want to be sick, do you?
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains why Amy gives in when Meg could not persuade her.
If stuck
- What did Meg do before Laurie came in?
- What does Amy ask Laurie to promise?
- What does Laurie say the move is for?
A strong answer Meg reasoned, pleaded, and commanded, all in vain. Laurie sits down beside Amy, offers a jolly plan, and promises to come every day and take her out, on his honor as a gentleman. When she says she doesn't want to be sent off as if she were in the way, he tells her the move is to keep her well. A strong answer uses one promise and one answer to her fear, and says why that worked when ordering did not.
- Hannah takes charge as soon as she hears about Beth. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how she steadies the household.
What it asks It asks what Hannah says and does first, and how it lets the sisters stop panicking.
One reading
She calms them with words: there is no need to worry.
assuring Jo that there was no need to worry; everyone had scarlet fever, and, if rightly treated, nobody died
all of which Jo believed, and felt much relieved
Another reading
She makes a plan: the doctor, then Amy away, then one sister to stay with Beth.
we will have Dr. Bangs, just to take a look at you, dear, and see that we start right
then we’ll send Amy off to Aunt March’s, for a spell, to keep her out of harm’s way, and one of you girls can stay at home and amuse Beth for a day or two
Listen for
- Evidence from what Hannah says to Jo and what she says to Beth and Meg.
- A reason that explains why a plan steadies people.
If stuck
- What does Hannah tell Jo about scarlet fever?
- Who does Hannah say should look at Beth?
A strong answer Hannah wakes up at once and takes the lead. First she tells Jo that there is no need to worry, since everyone has scarlet fever and nobody dies if it is rightly treated, and Jo is relieved. Then she sets out a plan: the doctor to look at Beth, Amy away to Aunt March's, and one sister to stay and amuse Beth. A strong answer uses one piece of comfort and one piece of planning, and says why both help.