Little Women
Chapter 41 — 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
Laurie is disgusted to find his love for Jo healing so fast and tells himself Jo's sister is almost Jo's self, while Amy refuses Fred because money is no longer enough, so is Vevay a second love or a substitute for the first, and how could a reader tell?
The tension The chapter gives the reader every clue and no verdict. Laurie cannot make Jo into an opera because memory keeps showing him her bandanna and sofa-pillow; the golden-haired phantom takes her place without a name; Mozart's example, that when he could not have one sister he took the other, is thought and refused, and then Jo refuses him once more. He locks the ring and letters away as if at a funeral. Amy says no to Fred because Laurie's face keeps returning, and wants to be lovable more than to be a queen of society. At Vevay the lazy man is never idle and the scold never lectures. The narrator writes that Amy could fill Jo's place, and ends with two people pulling in the same boat.
Today's focus
Watch what Laurie does and feels after Amy's lecture, what Amy does and feels, and what clues the narrator leaves for the reader.
Two core ideas
- Laurie's grief for Jo does not end in a scene; it fades while he is busy failing at music, and he is surprised by it.
- Amy and Laurie come together through letters and a shared loss, and the narrator gives Laurie's own reasons without ruling on them.
The shape at a glance
After Amy's lecture, Laurie tries a Requiem and an opera in Vienna, tears them up, and finds his grief healing. He writes Jo once more and is refused, and he writes Amy instead. Amy turns down Fred. Word of Beth's death reaches Amy at Vevay, Laurie comes, and the chapter ends with the two of them rowing on the lake.
A way in
Start with the opera. Ask why Laurie's memory gives him a bandanna and a sofa-pillow when he wants a heroine.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: the Requiem, the opera, the healing, the letter to Jo, the letters with Amy, Fred, Vevay and the lake.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes one sentence in the same pattern: an image for the feeling someone tried to revive, then what he found instead.
Debate Take sides: is what Laurie feels for Amy the same kind of love as what he felt for Jo? Each side must use at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking what the narrator lets us see and what she leaves for us to decide.
Easier Read the lake scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 1 and 6 only.
On level Talk through all six 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 the narrator hints at a feeling and then steps back, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- Laurie tries to write Jo into an opera, but memory shows him a bandanna and a sofa-pillow. Why might memory work against him?Inference
What it asks It asks why Laurie's own memory will not give him the heroine he wants, and what that says about what he remembers of Jo.
One reading
Memory is honest: the Jo he knows is funny and prickly, not a romantic heroine.
memory turned traitor; and, as if possessed by the perverse spirit of the girl, would only recall Jo’s oddities, faults, and freaks
beating mats with her head tied up in a bandanna, barricading herself with the sofa-pillow
Another reading
The sorrow is already lighter: he laughs at the pictures instead of aching over them.
an irresistible laugh spoilt the pensive picture he was endeavoring to paint
Bless that girl, what a torment she is!
Listen for
- Says what Laurie wants from his memory and what he gets.
- Uses the two pictures of Jo, not only the word "memory."
If stuck
- What does Laurie want Jo to be in the opera?
- What pictures of Jo does memory give him?
- What does he do when he sees them?
A strong answer Laurie wants a tender heroine, but memory only shows Jo beating mats in a bandanna and barricading herself with the sofa-pillow, and he laughs. One reading is that his memory is honest about who Jo is; another is that the ache has already eased enough to let him laugh. A strong answer says what the pictures show and picks a reason, without claiming to know what Laurie feels underneath.
- The chapter says men seldom own that a woman's advice did them good. Does Laurie own it, or find a way around it?Character
What it asks It asks the student to watch what Laurie says to himself about Amy's lecture, and whether he gives her the credit.
One reading
He owns it, in the end, and says so to himself.
She is right! Talent isn’t genius, and you can’t make it so.
he soon brought himself to confess that he had been selfish and lazy
Another reading
He finds a way around it: he tells himself he meant to do it anyway.
He had always meant to do something, and Amy’s advice was quite unnecessary.
he did not own it till long afterward
Listen for
- Uses what Laurie thinks, not only what the narrator says.
- Notices that both readings can be found in the same stretch of the chapter.
If stuck
- What does Laurie say when he tears up his music?
- What does he tell himself about Amy's advice?
- What does the narrator say about when he owned it?
A strong answer Laurie does both. He tells himself the advice was unnecessary because he always meant to do something, yet when he tears up his music he says that she is right and that the music took the vanity out of him as Rome took it out of her. A strong answer keeps the two together and says what each shows about his pride.
- On the terrace Amy sketches a knight on a tomb, a sleeper in the grass, and a ballroom couple with both faces left “a blur.” Why blur the faces?Inference
What it asks It asks what a small artistic choice tells us about Amy, and whether the blur is a hiding place or only a fashion.
One reading
She is leaving something unsaid, even to herself, and the blur keeps it safe.
both faces being left a blur
which was safe, but not altogether satisfactory
Another reading
It is simply the fashion, and she is an artist idly studying the scene.
according to the last fashion in art
studying nature, I dare say
Listen for
- Says what the narrator does and does not tell us about the sketches.
- Does not claim to know whose faces they are, since the chapter does not name them.
If stuck
- What three sketches does Amy make?
- What does the narrator say about the blur?
- What does the narrator say she was doing on the terrace, and how sure does she sound?
A strong answer The narrator gives a reason and then doubts it: the blur is according to the last fashion in art, and Amy is studying nature, I dare say. But she also says the result was safe and not altogether satisfactory, and that Amy grew pale and pensive. A strong answer weighs the fashion against the hint of something hidden and leaves the faces unnamed, as the chapter does.
- Laurie kisses the ring, says “I haven’t forgotten, I never can,” and writes to Jo again. Was that honest persistence, or holding on?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether trying once more is fair to himself and to Jo, when his own heart is already changing.
One reading
It is honest: he wants to be sure before he gives up.
I’ll try again, and if that fails
he could not settle to anything while there was the least hope of her changing her mind
Another reading
It is holding on: his feeling is already fading, and the letter asks something Jo cannot give.
the wound persisted in healing with a rapidity that astonished him
She was wrapped up in Beth, and never wished to hear the word “love” again.
Listen for
- Uses what Laurie says to himself and what Jo answers.
- Says what would make asking again fair or unfair.
If stuck
- What does Laurie do with the ring before he writes?
- What does he say he cannot do while there is hope?
- What does Jo say in her answer?
A strong answer Laurie says he has not forgotten and writes because he cannot settle while there is the least hope. That is honest persistence, since he wants to be sure. But the chapter also says his wound was healing faster than he wished, and Jo's answer is that she is wrapped up in Beth and does not wish to hear the word love again. A strong answer says what makes a second asking fair, and what it costs each of them.
- The narrator stops to argue with “Mrs. Grundy” about what young men do. What tone does she take, and what is she after?Tone
What it asks It asks the student to hear the voice of the narrator's aside and to say what it adds to Laurie's steadiness.
One reading
The tone is brisk and defiant: she answers a doubter directly.
I dare say you don’t, Mrs. Grundy, but it’s true nevertheless.
Women work a good many miracles
Another reading
The tone is tender and a little wistful: she is protecting a hope she half knows may be a delusion.
If it is a feminine delusion, leave us to enjoy it while we may
who still love their mothers better than themselves, and are not ashamed to own it
Listen for
- Names a tone and backs it with the narrator's own words.
- Says what the aside does between Laurie's temptations and his next chapter of feeling.
If stuck
- What does Mrs. Grundy say about young men?
- How does the narrator answer her first?
- What does she say later about a "feminine delusion"?
A strong answer The narrator answers Mrs. Grundy sharply, saying women work miracles and can raise the standard of manhood by refusing to echo such sayings. Then she turns tender, saying that if it is a feminine delusion, leave us to enjoy it. A strong answer hears both tones and says what the aside does for the reader: it asks us to believe in Laurie's steadiness without proving it.
- Laurie expected the moment to come “by moonlight” in the garden. It comes on the lake “in a few blunt words.” Why might Alcott choose that?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author sets the last scene on the lake at noon, in plain speech, instead of where Laurie pictured it.
One reading
It fits these two: easy, equal and plain, working the oars together.
How well we pull together, don’t we?
So well that I wish we might always pull in the same boat. Will you, Amy?
Another reading
It marks a difference from his first try, which was stormy and all scene.
His first wooing had been of the tempestuous order
His second wooing he resolved should be as calm and simple as possible
Listen for
- Compares the lake scene with the garden Laurie imagined.
- Says what the rowing adds to the words.
If stuck
- What had Laurie imagined the scene would be like?
- What are Amy and Laurie doing when the question is asked?
- How does the narrator describe the first time he asked?
A strong answer Laurie pictured moonlight and a graceful scene, but the question comes at noonday while they row, and the joke of pulling in the same boat carries it. The plainness fits the two of them, and it also stands against his first, tempestuous wooing. A strong answer says what the change of place and style does for the ending and uses one line from the lake.
Critical thinking
- Laurie has money and nothing to do, and could easily go wrong. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what keeps him “safe and steady.”
What it asks It asks what holds a young man back from the temptations the narrator names, and whether it is duty or a wish to be honest.
One reading
A promise holds him: he gave his word, and he values good faith.
his promise to his grandfather
much as he valued liberty, he valued good faith and confidence more
Another reading
A wish holds him: he wants to look honestly at the people who love him.
his desire to be able to look honestly into the eyes of the women who loved him
say “All’s well,”
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what each one protects.
If stuck
- Whom did Laurie make a promise to?
- What does he want to be able to say to the women who love him?
- What does the narrator say he valued more than liberty?
A strong answer The narrator names two things: Laurie's promise to his grandfather and his desire to look honestly into the eyes of the women who loved him and say all is well. He also valued good faith and confidence more than liberty. A strong answer uses two different pieces of evidence and says which seems to hold him harder.
- Amy decides to treat Laurie like a brother and writes twice a week. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how the narrator describes her care for him.
What it asks It asks the student to read the narrator's careful hints about Amy's letters and to say what the chapter shows and what it only suggests.
One reading
She treats him as a good sister would: listening, asking his opinion, being kind.
Amy never lectured now; she asked his opinion on all subjects
there was nothing to do but be very kind, and treat him like a brother
Another reading
The narrator hints it goes beyond that, then says she will not hint.
letters carried about in their sisters’ pockets, read and reread diligently, cried over when short, kissed when long, and treasured carefully
she certainly did grow a little pale and pensive that spring
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, one plain and one hinted.
- Notices that the narrator says "we will not hint."
If stuck
- What does Amy ask Laurie's opinion about?
- What does the narrator say few brothers are complimented by?
- What change does the narrator notice in Amy that spring?
A strong answer The plain evidence is that Amy never lectures now, asks his opinion on everything and treats him like a brother. The narrator then lists fond things a sister might do with his letters and says she will not hint that Amy did any of them, while noting that Amy grew pale and pensive. A strong answer says what is shown and what is only hinted and does not claim more than the narrator says.
- Laurie finds Amy alone in the château garden. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what he sees in her, and what she does when she sees him.
What it asks It asks the student to gather what the narrator says Laurie sees, and to tie it to Amy's first words to him.
One reading
He sees her grief, in small signs.
the blotted letters in her lap, the black ribbon that tied up her hair, the womanly pain and patience in her face
a homesick heart and heavy eyes
Another reading
He sees a link to himself: what he gave her, and how she greets him.
even the little ebony cross at her throat seemed pathetic to Laurie, for he had given it to her
O Laurie, Laurie, I knew you’d come to me!
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, one from what he sees and one from what she says.
- Uses the narrator's phrase about seeing with new eyes.
If stuck
- What is in Amy's lap, and what is in her hair?
- What does she wear that Laurie gave her?
- What does she say when she looks up?
A strong answer The narrator lists what Laurie sees: the blotted letters in her lap, the black ribbon and the womanly pain and patience in her face. He also notices the little ebony cross he gave her, and she greets him with "O Laurie, Laurie, I knew you'd come to me!" A strong answer uses one sign of grief and one sign of her welcome, and says what each shows him.