Little Women
Chapter 18 — 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
Hannah keeps Beth's danger out of the letters, Meg feels that deceives their mother, and Laurie telegraphs in secret partly because he cannot bear to be lorded over, so whose judgement about what Marmee should know deserves to win?
The tension The chapter gives each decider a real reason and a real limit. Hannah alone knows sickness and has been put in charge; Meg keeps a telegram ready and cannot think it right to deceive; the doctor waits until the first of December; Laurie acts a day earlier on his grandfather's fidgets, his fear for Beth, and his dislike of being ordered about. Then the chapter tempts the reader to judge by outcome: the news that mother is coming brings a breath of fresh air through the house, the fever turns at two in the morning before she arrives, and the girls learn how powerless watching is. Beside all this Jo says Beth is her conscience and finds God far away until a friend's hand holds hers.
Today's focus
Notice who decides what Marmee should know, and what reason each one has.
Two core ideas
- Hannah keeps Beth's danger out of the letters, Meg thinks that deceives their mother, and Laurie sends a telegram in secret, partly because he can't bear to be lorded over.
- Mother comes and the fever turns on the same night, and the chapter keeps the two events separate. Beth's turn comes before Marmee arrives.
The shape at a glance
Beth is much sicker than anyone but Hannah and the doctor suspect, and Meg writes letters that leave her out. On the first of December the doctor says Mrs. March had better be sent for. Jo sends the telegram, Laurie reveals he has already sent one, and the family waits through the night. The fever turns at two in the morning, and at dawn Laurie announces that Marmee has come.
A way in
Start with Meg's telegram in her desk and ask the student when they think she should send it.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the dark days back in order: the letters, the doctor, the two telegrams, the night watch, and the knock at the door.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern, explaining a choice they made and the feeling that settled it.
Debate Take sides on the big question: whose judgment about what Marmee should know deserves to win, Hannah's, Meg's, or Laurie's? Each side must use at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why Alcott keeps the fever's turning separate from Marmee's arrival.
Easier Talk through discussion questions 1 and 3 only, with Meg's telegram and Laurie's secret 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 decide whether a good outcome can show that a choice was right, and to add that to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- Meg writes letters to her mother without mentioning Beth's illness, and feels “a little guilty.” Is she deceiving her mother, or obeying Hannah?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to sort out Meg's guilt: which duty she is keeping, which she is breaking, and whether both can be true.
One reading
She is obeying Hannah, as her mother told her to, and Hannah thinks Beth's illness is a trifle.
she had been bidden to mind Hannah, and Hannah wouldn’t hear of “ Mrs. March bein’ told, and worried just for sech a trifle.”
Beth did have the fever, and was much sicker than anyone but Hannah and the doctor suspected.
Another reading
She is deceiving her mother, and that is why she feels guilty. Her silence leaves out the most important thing.
feeling very anxious and a little guilty when she wrote letters in which no mention was made of Beth’s illness
She could not think it right to deceive her mother
Listen for
- Names both duties Meg feels.
- Uses the narrator's word guilty and Meg's own thought.
If stuck
- Who told Meg to mind Hannah?
- What does Hannah say about telling Mrs. March?
- What does Meg keep ready in her desk?
A strong answer Meg was told to mind Hannah, and Hannah says Mrs. March should not be worried over a trifle, so she is obeying. But she also cannot think it right to deceive her mother, and she writes letters that leave out the one thing that matters, so she feels guilty. She keeps a telegram ready in her desk. A strong answer takes a side on whether the silence counts as deceiving, and gives Meg's own reasons for each.
- Jo says, “Beth is my conscience, and I can’t give her up.” What do you think she means by conscience?Character
What it asks It asks what Beth is to Jo, and why Jo calls her by that word on the worst day.
One reading
Beth is the one who makes Jo better, the gentle voice that steadies her quick temper.
learned to see the beauty and the sweetness of Beth’s nature
Beth is my conscience, and I can’t give her up. I can’t! I can’t!
Another reading
She is the one Jo loves most, and losing her would be losing part of herself.
she can’t love Bethy as I do; and she won’t miss her as I shall
Jo never stirred from Beth’s side
Listen for
- Gives an example of what a conscience does, using Beth.
- Connects it to what Jo has learned in the sickroom.
If stuck
- What does Jo say about Meg and Beth?
- What has Jo learned about Beth's nature?
- Where does Jo spend her days?
A strong answer Jo says Meg tries to pull fair but can't love Bethy as she does. Then she calls Beth her conscience, which suggests she is the one who shows Jo what she should be. In the sickroom Jo has learned to see the beauty and sweetness of Beth's nature. A strong answer says what a conscience does and finds it in Beth, using words from the chapter.
- Laurie sends a telegram to Mrs. March a day before the doctor says to, and keeps it from the girls. What do you make of how he goes about it?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to judge a secret act of help, and to look at what Laurie says about his own reasons.
One reading
He acts out of fear for Beth and care for the family, and keeps it secret so as not to raise hopes that might fail.
She’d never forgive us if Beth—well, if anything happened, you know.
he had kept his plot a secret, for fear of disappointing the girls or harming Beth
Another reading
He acts partly on his own feelings and goes over Hannah's head, which is not only about Beth.
Hannah most took my head off when I proposed a telegram.
I never can bear to be ‘lorded over;’ so that settled my mind, and I did it.
Listen for
- Names more than one reason Laurie gives.
- Says what the doctor's later word changes and what it does not.
If stuck
- What does Laurie say about his grandfather?
- What did Hannah do when he proposed a telegram?
- What did the doctor say the next day?
A strong answer Laurie says he and his grandfather got fidgety, that the doctor looked sober, and that Mrs. March ought to know. He also says Hannah most took his head off and that he can't bear to be lorded over, which settled his mind. He kept it secret for fear of disappointing the girls or harming Beth. A strong answer takes a side on how he went about it, weighs what he says himself, and does not let the doctor's later word or the happy night decide it.
- When Jo is in tears, Laurie has no fitting words and only holds her hand and strokes her head. Why might the narrator call that “the best thing he could have done”?Theme
What it asks It asks what a silent comfort can give that words cannot, using the narrator's own judgment.
One reading
Silence let Jo feel someone was with her without asking her to say anything back.
I’m here. Hold on to me, Jo, dear!
far more soothing than the most eloquent words, for Jo felt the unspoken sympathy
Another reading
His touch reminded her of her mother and, the narrator says, led her nearer to God.
gently stroking her bent head as her mother used to do
seemed to lead her nearer to the Divine arm which alone could uphold her in her trouble
Listen for
- Uses what Jo said just before: God seems far away.
- Names what Laurie does instead of talking.
If stuck
- What does Jo say about God just before she takes his hand?
- What does Laurie do when no fitting words come?
- How does Jo feel afterward?
A strong answer Jo says that her mother and father are both gone and God seems so far away she can't find him. Laurie takes her hand, says he is here, and strokes her bent head as her mother used to. The narrator says the warm hand comforted her sore heart and led her nearer to something greater. A strong answer says what Jo needed and could not have gotten from talk.
- Mother's arrival and the fever's turning both happen on the same night. Why might Alcott put them so close together, and keep them separate?Plot structure
What it asks It asks what the author gains by placing two hopeful events in one night without making one the cause of the other.
One reading
She keeps them separate so we do not credit the telegram with saving Beth; the fever turns before Marmee arrives.
The fever’s turned; she’s sleepin’ nat’ral; her skin’s damp, and she breathes easy. Praise be given!
“If mother would only come now!” said Jo, as the winter night began to wane.
Another reading
She puts them close so the night ends in double relief: Beth is safe, and the arrival is the last line.
Yes, there was a sound of bells at the door below, a cry from Hannah, and then Laurie’s voice saying, in a joyful whisper, “Girls, she’s come! she’s come!”
a fatherly look at them, “Yes, my dears, I think the little girl will pull through this time.
Listen for
- Puts the two events in order.
- Says what the reader would feel if Marmee arrived first.
If stuck
- Who is at the bed when the fever turns?
- Has Marmee arrived yet?
- What are the last words of the chapter?
A strong answer Hannah sees the fever turn and the doctor confirms it while Jo is still wishing mother would only come. Marmee's arrival is the last line, after the crisis has passed. The order means Beth's recovery does not depend on the telegram, and the ending still feels like a reunion. A strong answer puts the events in order and says what the order does, without claiming that the telegram did or did not matter.
Critical thinking
- Meg and Jo each make a promise during the night watch. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the night changes them.
What it asks It asks what the two sisters say and do in the night, and what each seems to have learned.
One reading
Meg sees how rich she has been in things money cannot buy and promises never to complain.
felt how rich she had been in things more precious than any luxuries money could buy
If God spares Beth I never will complain again
Another reading
Jo learns to value Beth's quiet virtues and promises to serve God all her life.
learned to see the beauty and the sweetness of Beth’s nature
If God spares Beth I’ll try to love and serve Him all my life
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains why grief changes what each values.
If stuck
- What does Meg say she will never do again?
- What does Jo say she will try to do?
A strong answer Meg, sitting alone with tears on her work, feels how rich she has been in love, protection, peace, and health, and in the night she whispers that she will never complain again. Jo, in the darkened room, learns to see the beauty of Beth's nature, and promises to love and serve God all her life. A strong answer uses one line from each and explains what the night changed.
- Beth, in her fever, still thinks of others. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what that shows about her.
What it asks It asks what the narrator reports Beth doing in her quiet hours, and what it shows about her character.
One reading
She worries about other people even when she is very ill.
in her quiet hours, she was full of anxiety about Jo
She longed for her cats, but would not have them brought, lest they should get sick
Another reading
She keeps faith with the things she cares for, even in delirium.
even in her wanderings she did not forget her forlorn protégé
often begged for pencil and paper to try to say a word, that father might not think she had neglected him
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that connects them to Beth's character before the illness.
If stuck
- What does Beth keep at her side in bed?
- Who does she worry about?
A strong answer Beth will not have her cats brought in case they get sick, and she is full of anxiety about Jo. Even in her wanderings she keeps old Joanna at her side, and begs for pencil and paper so her father won't think she has neglected him. A strong answer uses one piece about her worry for others and one about her faithfulness, and says how they fit the Beth we know.
- When Jo hears Laurie's news, she throws her arms round his neck and then pushes him away. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what Jo is feeling.
What it asks It asks what Jo's quick reactions show about her feelings, using her words and what the narrator says.
One reading
She feels overwhelming relief and gratitude, too big to hold.
she electrified him by throwing her arms round his neck, and crying out, with a joyful cry, “O Laurie! O mother! I am so glad!”
laughed hysterically, and trembled and clung to her friend
Another reading
She is embarrassed at her own rush of feeling and puts it down to gratitude and to wine.
Oh, don’t! I didn’t mean to; it was dreadful of me
don’t give me wine again; it makes me act so
Listen for
- Evidence from what Jo does and from what she says.
- Notices that she is still grateful after she steps back.
If stuck
- What does Jo do when Laurie stops speaking?
- What does she say when Laurie kisses her?
A strong answer Jo hugs Laurie at once, cries out that she is so glad, laughs hysterically, and clings to him as if bewildered by the news. Then she puts him gently away, says it was dreadful of her, and blames the wine. A strong answer uses one piece of the rush of relief and one of the step back, and says what each shows about how she feels.