Little Women
Chapter 32 — 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 decides from a blush and a tear that Beth loves Laurie and then plans her own departure around it, while her mother doubts the romantic reading, so how much of Jo's plan to go to New York is care for others, and how much is running from what she cannot face at home?
The tension The chapter lets the reader watch Jo reason and warns her about it: a slight incident gives the clue, lively fancy and loving heart do the rest, and common sense, weakened by romance writing, does not come to the rescue. Jo is also right about something: she refuses to force Beth's confidence because hearts open naturally, and she admits to Marmee that Laurie is getting too fond of her and that she cannot return it. Her reasons for New York are honest work, new material, and restlessness, and also escape. Marmee agrees she should go, for Laurie's sake, and takes a grave, unromantic view of Beth that the chapter does not explain.
Today's focus
Notice how Jo reads the signs she sees, and what she says and does when she decides to leave.
Two core ideas
- Jo watches Beth and Laurie closely and draws a conclusion from small signs, and the narrator shows how much her fancy adds.
- Jo gives honest reasons for going to New York, and the chapter sets them beside what she says about Laurie and Beth.
The shape at a glance
Marmee asks Jo to find out what is troubling Beth. Jo sees a tear at the window and comes to her own conclusion. She spars with Laurie on the sofa, comforts Beth at night, and tells her mother she wants to go to New York. Marmee agrees, and Jo leaves with Laurie's warning in her ears.
A way in
Start with the tear on the window-ledge. Ask what Jo sees, and what she adds to it.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: Marmee's worry, the window, the sofa, the night with Beth, the talk with Marmee and the goodbye.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: what a person would have seen without a new idea, and how the idea ran away with her.
Debate Take sides: is Jo going to New York to help the people at home, or to get away? Each side must use at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the author tells us Jo's fancy has run away with her before she acts on it.
Easier Read the window scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 1 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 place where Jo says less than she thinks, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- Beth smiles at a passerby, then "a tear lay shining on the window-ledge." What does Jo see there, and how else might you read it?Inference
What it asks It asks the student to separate what Jo actually sees from what she adds, and to find a second way to read the same small moment.
One reading
Jo reads a tender sorrow in Beth's face, because she watches closely and cares.
Beth started, leaned forward, smiled and nodded, watched the passerby till his quick tramp died away
in her half-averted face, read a tender sorrow that made her own eyes fill
Another reading
Jo is reading more than the moment shows: the chapter gives a smile, a fading color and a tear.
A slight incident gave Jo the clue to the mystery, she thought
the bright color faded as quickly as it came, the smile vanished, and presently a tear lay shining on the window-ledge
Listen for
- Lists what Jo sees before saying what she makes of it.
- Offers a second reading that uses the same details.
If stuck
- What does Beth do when she hears the voice outside?
- What happens to her smile and her color?
- What does the narrator say about the incident and the clue?
A strong answer Jo sees Beth start, smile, watch the passerby out of sight, then lose her color and leave a tear on the ledge, and in her half-averted face she reads a tender sorrow. The narrator calls it a slight incident that gave Jo the clue "she thought," so another reader can say the chapter shows only those few signs. A strong answer keeps what is seen apart from what Jo adds, and does not settle what Beth feels.
- On the sofa Jo slams down the pillow, scolds Laurie about flirting, and sends him off to sing. What might each of those do for Jo?Character
What it asks It asks the student to look at three things Jo does in one conversation and say what each one gets her.
One reading
They keep Laurie at a distance and cut off talk that is getting too close.
No slang,” snapped Jo, slamming down the pillow.
Mercy on us, this will never do
Go and make yourself useful, since you are too big to be ornamental.
Another reading
They are a friend's scolding, meant to steer him toward better company.
Mother doesn’t approve of flirting, even in fun; and you do flirt desperately, Teddy.
go and devote yourself to one of the ‘pretty, modest girls’ whom you do respect
Listen for
- Names what each action does, not only what Jo does.
- Notices the moment Jo says "Mercy on us, this will never do."
If stuck
- What does Laurie say just before each of Jo's answers?
- What does Jo think when he winds her apron-tassel round his finger?
- What does Jo do as soon as he goes to sing?
A strong answer Each move does more than one job. The pillow and "No slang" are the old sofa game, and sending him to sing ends a talk that has turned serious; Jo herself thinks, "Mercy on us, this will never do." But the scolding about flirting and the advice to seek a modest girl also sound like a friend who cares how he turns out. A strong answer says what each action does and lets both readings stand.
- Jo believes she knows what troubles Beth, but only asks, "Does anything trouble you, deary?" Was holding back the right choice?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether patience is right when you think you know someone's trouble, and what holding back costs and saves.
One reading
It was right: pressing would hurt, and Beth says she will tell in time.
hearts, like flowers, cannot be rudely handled, but must open naturally
I know it. I’ll tell you by and by.
Another reading
It was a risk: Jo holds a belief she never checks, and acts on it alone.
though she believed she knew the cause of Beth’s new pain
Beth must think I’m going to please myself, as I am, for I can’t talk about Laurie to her
Listen for
- Weighs what Jo gains by waiting against what she leaves unchecked.
- Uses what Beth says, not only what Jo does.
If stuck
- What does Beth say when Jo asks her to tell?
- What does Jo say she will do, and what does she promise?
- What does Jo later decide about Beth and her plan?
A strong answer Jo's patience is kind: she learned that hearts cannot be rudely handled, and she tells Beth that she and their mother are always glad to hear and help. Beth says she will tell by and by, so she is not shut out. But Jo goes on believing she knows the cause and builds a plan on it without checking. A strong answer says what waiting is worth here and what it leaves untested.
- The narrator tells us Jo's fancy "galloped away with her" before we watch Laurie and Beth through her eyes. Why tell us first?Author's choice
What it asks It asks what the author gains by warning the reader about Jo's imagination before the sofa scene, and how that changes the way we read what Jo sees.
One reading
It makes us read Jo's observations with care, as her own fancies.
Jo fancied that Beth’s eyes rested on the lively, dark face beside her with peculiar pleasure
having set her heart upon seeing it, that she saw a certain increase of gentleness in Laurie’s manner
Another reading
It lets us stay fond of Jo, since the narrator blames her fancy and her loving heart together.
lively fancy, loving heart did the rest
common sense, being rather weakened by a long course of romance writing, did not come to the rescue
Listen for
- Says what the warning does to the later scenes, not only what it says.
- Points to one thing Jo sees that we now hold loosely.
If stuck
- What would the sofa scene look like without the narrator's warning?
- Which words show Jo is choosing what to see?
- Does the narrator sound angry at Jo, or amused, or fond?
A strong answer The narrator says Jo would have seen nothing unusual if she had not got the new idea into her head, so when she fancies Beth's eyes rested on Laurie with peculiar pleasure, we hold it loosely. The warning also stays kind: lively fancy and a loving heart did the rest. A strong answer says what the warning does to one later observation and what tone the narrator takes toward Jo.
- Marmee agrees Jo should go away "for Laurie's sake," but does not take "so romantic a view" of Beth. What might she see that Jo does not?Inference
What it asks It asks why a mother accepts one of Jo's ideas and doubts the other, and what she has noticed that Jo has not.
One reading
She has watched Beth herself and seen signs Jo has not: crying, sad songs, a look she cannot read.
I found her crying over the babies the other day. When she sings, the songs are always sad ones
now and then I see a look in her face that I don’t understand
Another reading
She trusts her own reading of Jo and Laurie, so she agrees with that part and keeps her doubts about the rest.
I don’t think you suited to one another.
Mrs. March shook her head, and did not take so romantic a view of the case, but looked grave
Listen for
- Uses what Marmee says before Jo tells her anything.
- Does not guess at Beth's trouble beyond what Marmee says.
If stuck
- What does Marmee tell Jo at the start of the chapter?
- What does Marmee say about Jo and Laurie being "too much alike"?
- How does she look when Jo tells her own story about Beth?
A strong answer Marmee asked Jo to find out what is on Beth's mind because she had seen her crying, singing sad songs and wearing a look she did not understand. So when Jo offers a romantic story, she looks grave and does not take it up. About Jo and Laurie she has her own reasons: she thinks they are too much alike and too fond of freedom. A strong answer says what Marmee knows that Jo does not, and leaves Beth's trouble unnamed, as the chapter does.
Critical thinking
- Jo tells her mother why she wants to go to New York. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what she says she hopes to get there.
What it asks It asks the student to gather what Jo says she wants from the plan: work of her own, new things to write about, a change.
One reading
She wants honest work that makes her independent.
it’s honest work, and I’m not ashamed of it
The teaching would render her independent
Another reading
She wants new sights for her writing and a change from feeling restless.
I shall see and hear new things, get new ideas
I want something new; I feel restless, and anxious to be seeing, doing, and learning more than I am
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Uses Jo's words and the narrator's description of the plan.
If stuck
- What job would Jo do at Mrs. Kirke's?
- What does she say she will bring home for her writing?
- What does she say about feeling restless?
A strong answer Jo says she wants honest work she is not ashamed of, and the narrator adds that the teaching would make her independent. She also wants a change: she feels restless and wants to see and hear new things, and to bring home material for her writing. A strong answer uses two different pieces of evidence and says what each shows she hopes for.
- The narrator says Jo "preferred imaginary heroes to real ones." Using two pieces of evidence, explain how Jo has treated Laurie's attempts at tender talk.
What it asks It asks how Jo has handled Laurie's tender moods in the past, and what the narrator's remark about heroes helps explain.
One reading
She deflects with humor before things go too far.
always having a joke or a smile ready at the least sign of impending danger
This suited the young lady better than twilight confidences, tender pressures of the hand, and eloquent glances of the eye
Another reading
She shuts the subject down firmly, and does so even in front of others.
Jo hated “philandering,” and wouldn’t allow it
scolded violently if anyone dared to suggest it
Listen for
- Two different ways Jo responds, not one told twice.
- Connects her habit to the narrator's remark about heroes.
If stuck
- What does Jo have ready at the least sign of danger?
- What does Jo do when someone at home hints at Laurie?
- Why does the narrator say she liked imaginary heroes better?
A strong answer The narrator says Jo always had a joke or a smile ready at the least sign of impending danger, and that she hated philandering and would not allow it. So she has deflected softly and refused firmly. The narrator explains that imaginary heroes could be shut up in the tin-kitchen when she was tired of them and real ones were less manageable. A strong answer uses two different habits and says how the remark about heroes explains them.
- When Jo tells Laurie she is leaving, he takes it "very quietly," then whispers a warning at the last. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what he seems to be doing.
What it asks It asks what Laurie's quiet and his whispered words say about how he is taking the news, and whether the two point the same way.
One reading
He is being serious and trying to change, taking her news calmly.
to her surprise he took it very quietly
So I am; and I mean this one shall stay turned.
Another reading
He is not giving up, and he lets her know it.
It won’t do a bit of good, Jo.
My eye is on you; so mind what you do, or I’ll come and bring you home.
Listen for
- Two separate pieces of evidence, one from each scene.
- Stays with what Laurie says and does, and does not guess what he does afterward.
If stuck
- How does Jo expect Laurie to take the news, and how does he take it?
- What does he say when teased about turning over a new leaf?
- What does he whisper when he says goodbye?
A strong answer Jo tells Laurie with fear and trembling and is surprised that he takes it quietly; he is graver than usual and says he means this new leaf to stay turned. But his last whisper is a warning: it won't do a bit of good, his eye is on her, and he will come and bring her home. A strong answer uses one moment of quiet and one of warning and says whether they fit together.