Blurred and blotted, faulty and feeble, as the lines were, they brought a look of inexpressible comfort to Beth’s face,Too great to be put into words.
Little Women
Chapter 40
Louisa May Alcott · Trailblazers 4th–6th
Copywork
Blurred and blotted, faulty and feeble, as the lines were, they brought a look of inexpressible comfort to Beth’s face, for her one regret had been that she had done so little; and this seemed to assure her that her life had not been useless, that her death would not bring the despair she feared. As she sat with the paper folded between her hands, the charred log fell asunder.
Read your copy aloud. The narrator gives four words against the poem before she says what it did. What was Beth's one regret, and what did the blotted lines seem to promise her? Then find what happens to the log while Beth sits with the paper.
Discussion
Narration Tell back Beth's last months: her room, what she does for the schoolchildren, what Jo finds in the night, and how the chapter ends.
- Beth drops mittens from her window for “a pair of purple hands.” What does she get from making such small gifts, and what do they do for the young ones who get them? Character
- The narrator says, “Seldom, except in books, do the dying utter memorable words.” Why might the author say that just before Beth dies? Author's choice
- The narrator says Beth's one regret was that she had “done so little.” Why might Jo's blotted poem ease it? Theme
- Jo says “I’ll try, Beth,” and gives up her old ambition on the spot. Is that a promise to make at a bedside? Moral reasoning
- In Jo's poem Beth is “a serene and saintly presence,” while Jo asks to be given her virtues. Why might Jo write about herself as much as about Beth? Inference
Make a Connection Tell about someone you know who does small kind things that no one asks for.
Vocabulary
- inexpressible
- asunder
As she sat with the paper folded between her hands, the charred log fell asunder.
Into separate pieces.- capricious
old Hannah never wearied of concocting dainty dishes to tempt a capricious appetite, dropping tears as she worked;
Changing without reason.- beseechingly
such aching hearts and imploring prayers, when those who loved her best were forced to see the thin hands stretched out to them beseechingly,
In a begging, pleading way.- eclipse
A sad eclipse of the serene soul, a sharp struggle of the young life with death; but both were mercifully brief, and then,
A darkening of something bright.- uneventful
with eyes made clear by many tears, and a heart softened by the tenderest sorrow, she recognized the beauty of her sister’s life—uneventful,
Without notable happenings.- beatified
Seldom, except in books, do the dying utter memorable words, see visions, or depart with beatified countenances;
Made blessed; glowing with holiness.- benignant
and feeling, with reverent joy, that to their darling death was a benignant angel, not a phantom full of dread.
Kind and gentle in effect.- placid
and the spring sunshine streamed in like a benediction over the placid face upon the pillow—a face so full of painless peace that those who loved it best smiled through their tears,
Calm and untroubled.
Critical thinking
- The family arranges Beth's room and brings her things. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how each person shows love in a different way.
- The narrator says watching Beth “did more for Jo than the wisest sermons.” Using two pieces of evidence, explain what Jo learns and how.
- Beth's last days are hard. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the chapter shows both the pain and the peace.