Little Women
Chapter 22 — 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
Father reads a year of growth in Meg's roughened hand, Jo's lower voice, and Amy's unmentioned ring after one day at home, so how much does he really see, and what does each sister's own account of the year add or take away?
The tension The chapter sets Father's confident reading of straws against the evidence he has and the words the girls themselves use. He calls Meg's blemishes a little history and a burnt-offering of vanity; he misses his wild girl and welcomes the tenderhearted woman; he concludes from drumsticks and errands that Amy thinks of herself less. Jo feels she deserves a portion of the praise, not all of it. Meanwhile Meg calls the year pleasant, Amy calls it hard, Beth is only glad it is over, and Father names it a rough road. Beth's meadow is a rest before the journey goes on, and her hymn says fullness is a burden to pilgrims, on the day everyone is too full of happiness to hold one drop more.
Today's focus
Notice what Father reads in each sister, and set it beside what each sister says about the year.
Two core ideas
- Father reads a year of growth in small signs: Meg's roughened hand, Jo's lower voice, Amy's unmentioned ring. He says straws show which way the wind blows.
- The sisters' own summaries differ: Meg calls the year pleasant, Amy hard, Beth only glad it is over, and Father a rough road. The hymn says fullness is a burden to pilgrims.
The shape at a glance
Peaceful weeks follow Beth's recovery, and Christmas morning brings the snow-maiden from Jo and Laurie. Half an hour after the family says they could not hold one drop more happiness, Father walks in. At dinner and by the fire he reads the year in each daughter, and they tell what it was like. Beth tells of Christian and Hopeful's pleasant green meadow, then sings a quaint hymn at the piano.
A way in
Start with the moment Father points to Meg's hand and ask the student what they would notice about a person who had been away a year.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells Christmas back in order: the snow-maiden, Father's arrival, the dinner, what Father said to each sister, and the hymn.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern, finding something good in a small mark on someone's hand.
Debate Take sides: does Father really see what has changed in his daughters, or does he read in more than is there? Each side must use at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why Alcott ends a happy day on a hymn about burdens and pilgrimage.
Easier Talk through discussion questions 2 and 3 only, with Meg's hand and Jo's face in the firelight 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 set one of Father's readings beside a scene from earlier chapters, and to add that to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- Everyone says they are so full of happiness they couldn't hold one drop more, and half an hour later the drop comes. What do you make of the way Alcott arranges this?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author sets up a wish and answers it so quickly, and how the narrator wants us to take it.
One reading
She is playing with storybook luck and admitting it, and the reader is invited to enjoy it.
Now and then, in this work-a-day world, things do happen in the delightful storybook fashion, and what a comfort that is.
Half an hour after everyone had said they were so happy they could only hold one drop more, the drop came.
Another reading
She gives the family what it most wanted, on the day it most wanted it, so the chapter's rest feels earned after the dark days.
I’m so full of happiness, that, if father was only here, I couldn’t hold one drop more
Like sunshine after storm were the peaceful weeks which followed.
Listen for
- Hears the narrator's own comment on storybook fashion.
- Compares what each sister says just before the drop.
If stuck
- What does Beth say she wants before she can be fully happy?
- What does the narrator say about things happening like a storybook?
- Who announces the present?
A strong answer Beth says she is so full of happiness that she couldn't hold one drop more if Father were only here, and the other four say the same. Half an hour later he arrives. The narrator openly calls it delightful storybook fashion and a comfort. A strong answer says what that openness does, such as inviting the reader to enjoy a happy coincidence or admitting that life is seldom so neat.
- Father looks at Meg's rough hand and says that in these marks he reads “a little history.” What history do you think he means?Inference
What it asks It asks what a burn, a hard palm, and pricked fingers tell Father about Meg's year, in his own words.
One reading
He reads it rightly. The marks are from work done out of love, and he sees what they cost.
in these seeming blemishes I read a little history
I’m sure the sewing done by these pricked fingers will last a long time, so much goodwill went into the stitches
Another reading
He may be reading in more than is there. The hand shows work, and Meg herself calls the year pleasant.
Rather a pleasant year on the whole!
Not much; straws show which way the wind blows, and I’ve made several discoveries today.
Listen for
- Separates what the marks show from what Father says they mean.
- Uses Father's own comparison of straws and wind.
If stuck
- What marks on Meg's hand does Father point to?
- What does Father say he remembers of this hand?
- What does Meg say about the year?
A strong answer Father points to a roughened forefinger, a burn on the back, and hard spots on the palm, and says that a burnt-offering has been made of vanity and that so much goodwill went into the stitches. He reads the marks as work done out of love. Meg herself calls the year pleasant, so the marks are his evidence and not her account. A strong answer says what story the marks tell and where the story is his.
- Father says he misses his wild girl but will be satisfied with a strong, helpful woman in her place. What do you think Jo feels hearing this?Character
What it asks It asks what Jo makes of praise that also names a loss, using what the narrator shows about her reaction.
One reading
She feels proud and moved. Her eyes go dim and her face rosy because she knows she has worked for it.
Jo’s keen eyes were rather dim for a minute, and her thin face grew rosy in the firelight
feeling that she did deserve a portion of it
Another reading
She may also feel the loss. Father misses the wild girl she was, and wonders whether the shearing of her hair is what sobered her.
I rather miss my wild girl
I don’t know whether the shearing sobered our black sheep
Listen for
- Names what Jo does, not just what she might say.
- Hears the word portion in the narrator's line.
If stuck
- What does Father list that Jo no longer does?
- What does the narrator say about Jo's eyes?
- What does Jo feel she deserves?
A strong answer Father lists the changes: Jo pins her collar, laces her boots, and no longer whistles or lies on the rug, and her voice is lower. He misses his wild girl but would be satisfied with a helpful woman. The narrator says Jo's keen eyes were dim and her face rosy, and that she felt she did deserve a portion of the praise. A strong answer reads her reaction as pride, loss, or both, and says what the word portion adds.
- Meg calls the year pleasant, Amy hard, and Beth says she is glad it is over. What is each of them looking at when she answers?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks the student to notice what each speaker has in front of her when she sums up the year, and what Father adds.
One reading
Father's is closest. He has seen the whole road, and his words include the burdens coming off.
Rather a rough road for you to travel, my little pilgrims, especially the latter part of it. But you have got on bravely
I think the burdens are in a fair way to tumble off very soon
Another reading
Each is true from where she stands: Meg remembers the parties, Amy the lessons of exile, and Beth the return.
Rather a pleasant year on the whole!
I’m glad it’s over, because we’ve got you back
Listen for
- Uses at least two of the four answers.
- Notices what each speaker is looking at when she answers.
If stuck
- What is Meg doing when she answers?
- What is Amy watching?
- Where is Beth sitting?
A strong answer Meg smiles at the fire, pleased with herself for treating Mr. Brooke with dignity, and calls the year pleasant. Amy watches the light on her ring and calls it hard. Beth, on her father's knee, is glad it is over because they have him back. Father then calls it a rough road, especially the latter part. A strong answer says what each summary holds on to and whose sounds fullest.
- The last thing we hear is Beth's hymn: “Fullness to them a burden is, that go on pilgrimage.” Why might Alcott end a happy Christmas on those words?Theme
What it asks It asks what the hymn adds to a chapter of happiness, and how it sits beside the girls' own words about being full.
One reading
It is a gentle warning that fullness is for resting in, not for staying in, and pilgrims go on.
Fullness to them a burden is, that go on pilgrimage; Here little, and hereafter bliss, Is best from age to age!
and there they rested happily, as we do now, before they went on to their journey’s end
Another reading
It is a hymn of contentment, and suits a girl who has just come back from danger.
I am content with what I have, Little be it or much
a singularly fitting song for her
Listen for
- Connects the hymn to the girls' line about one more drop.
- Says what the word pilgrimage does in this chapter.
If stuck
- What does Beth say she read that day?
- What does the hymn say is a burden?
- What do the girls say before the drop of happiness comes?
A strong answer Beth says she read in Pilgrim's Progress how Christian and Hopeful came to a pleasant meadow where they rested before going on. Then she sings a hymn that says fullness is a burden to those who go on pilgrimage. The chapter has been full of happiness, so the hymn gives that fullness a place in a longer journey. A strong answer says whether the hymn warns, consoles, or both, and does not treat it as a forecast.
Critical thinking
- Father says Amy has learned to think of others more and herself less. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how he knows, and whether it is enough.
What it asks It asks what Father observed about Amy in one day and how far it supports what he concludes.
One reading
It is enough for a first judgment: he lists several small things in a single day.
I observed that Amy took drumsticks at dinner, ran errands for her mother all the afternoon, gave Meg her place tonight
has waited on everyone with patience and good-humor
Another reading
It is only a beginning: he has one day, and he judges from a ring she does not mention.
has not even mentioned a very pretty ring which she wears
so I conclude that she has learned to think of other people more and of herself less
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- An honest view of how much one day can show.
If stuck
- What does Father say Amy did at dinner?
- What does Father say Amy has not mentioned?
A strong answer Father noticed that Amy took drumsticks at dinner, ran errands all afternoon, gave up her place to Meg, waited on everyone with good humor, and did not look in the glass or mention her ring. From these he concludes she thinks of herself less. A strong answer uses two of the things he saw, says they are real, and says what a longer look might add.
- Christmas morning begins with Jo and Laurie's snow-maiden. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what the gifts show about how the two friends think of Beth.
What it asks It asks what Jo and Laurie chose for Beth, and what the choices show about how well they know her.
One reading
They chose things for her particular loves: music, cats, and her doll.
Here’s music for her pianee, An Afghan for her toes.
A portrait of Joanna, see, By Raphael No. 2
Another reading
They chose things for her comfort and strength after the illness, and made it a joke she could enjoy.
Here’s fruit to feed our busy bee, And flowers for her nose
How Beth laughed when she saw it
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- A reason that explains why a joke was the right gift.
If stuck
- What does the snow-maiden carry?
- How does Beth react?
A strong answer The snow-maiden brings music for Beth's piano, an Afghan for her toes, a portrait of her doll Joanna, a ribbon for her cat's tail, fruit and flowers, and ice-cream. Those match what Beth loves and what she needs after her illness. The verses make a joke of it, and Beth laughs. A strong answer uses two gifts and says what they show about how Jo and Laurie know her.
- Laurie announces another Christmas present, and Mr. March walks in leaning on Mr. Brooke. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the family reacts.
What it asks It asks what each person does when Father appears, and what the scene shows about how much they have wanted him.
One reading
They are overwhelmed, and ordinary manners go out of the window.
Of course there was a general stampede; and for several minutes everybody seemed to lose their wits, for the strangest things were done, and no one said a word.
Amy, the dignified, tumbled over a stool, and, never stopping to get up, hugged and cried over her father’s boots
Another reading
Beth's reaction is different: joy gives her strength, and she goes to him herself.
the little red wrapper appeared on the threshold—joy put strength into the feeble limbs—and Beth ran straight into her father’s arms
Mrs. March was the first to recover herself, and held up her hand with a warning, “Hush! remember Beth!”
Listen for
- Evidence from at least two people.
- A reason that explains why the scene is both funny and moving.
If stuck
- What does Amy do?
- What does Mrs. March say first?
- What does Hannah do with the turkey?
A strong answer Everybody loses their wits: Mr. March disappears in four pairs of arms, Jo nearly faints, and Amy the dignified trips on a stool and hugs her father's boots. Mrs. March is the first to recover and says “Hush! remember Beth!”, but Beth's joy gives her strength and she runs into his arms. A strong answer uses two reactions and says why the chapter keeps it funny without making it small.