Little Women
Chapter 42 — 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
Living for others was easy to promise while Beth was there and hard once she is gone, and the narrator will not make Jo a saint in a mortified bonnet, so what actually helps a struggling human girl keep the promise, and is her growing loneliness a failure of it?
The tension The chapter opens with the promise turned to rebellion: it is not fair, Jo tries harder than Amy and gets no reward. Then the helps arrive in familiar shapes, and none of them is a sermon. Marmee's tears are a reminder of a greater grief; Father asks for comfort as much as he gives it; Beth's old brush and mop bring the songs back; a story written for the family with no thought of fame is the one that finds its style. The narrator insists Jo is not a heroine and that Providence took her at her word with a task better because self had no part in it. Yet the chapter ends with Jo's heart grown elastic, wanting more than the family can fill, crying over an old note, and a question the narrator will not answer.
Today's focus
Notice what keeps Jo going after Beth dies, and what the chapter leaves open about her.
Two core ideas
- Jo's promise is hard to keep; the help she gets is ordinary: her mother's arms, her father's study, Beth's brush and a story for her family.
- The narrator will not make Jo a saint, and ends on a loneliness and a note that she refuses to explain.
The shape at a glance
Jo finds her promise to live for others hard to keep. Her mother and father comfort her, she keeps up Beth's household ways, and she writes a small story for her family that is a success. News comes of Amy and Laurie's engagement. In the garret Jo finds an old note and cries, and the narrator asks what it means.
A way in
Start with "It was not fair." Ask what Jo wants from the promise she made and what she gets.
Lesson plan
Retell The student tells the chapter back in order: Jo's rebellion, her mother, her father, the brush and mop, the story, the engagement letter and the garret.
Imitate the author After copying the passage, the student writes two sentences in the same pattern: what a storybook heroine would do, and what a real girl does instead.
Debate Take sides: is Jo's loneliness a sign she is failing her promise or a sign she is growing? Each side must use at least one quote from the chapter.
Purpose Close by asking why the narrator ends with a question and does not answer it.
Easier Read the night scene with Jo's mother and the study scene aloud together and talk through discussion questions 2 and 3 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 speaks to the reader, and to add it to a critical-thinking answer.
Discussion
- Jo thinks, “It was not fair,” because she tried harder than Amy and got no reward. Does Jo have a point?Moral reasoning
What it asks It asks whether Jo's complaint about fairness is a fair one, and what she is really counting as a reward.
One reading
She has a point: she is doing more hard duty and getting less than Amy seems to.
it was not fair, for she tried more than Amy to be good, but never got any reward, only disappointment, trouble, and hard work
life get harder and harder as she toiled along
Another reading
Her point is thinner than she thinks: the chapter says she is wrong about Amy and that she knew it.
It was not true; she knew that, and tried to put it away
Providence had taken her at her word
Listen for
- Says what Jo counts as a reward and whether the chapter agrees.
- Uses two moments, one early and one late.
If stuck
- What does Jo compare herself with Amy about?
- What does Jo say later about why one sister has all she asked and the other nothing?
- What does the narrator say about that thought?
A strong answer At first Jo's complaint has a real basis: her duty is hard and she gets trouble. But later the narrator says it was not true that one sister had all and the other nothing, and Jo knew it. A strong answer says what Jo is counting as a reward and whether fairness is the right measure for a promise like hers.
- The narrator says her helpers “wore familiar shapes” and used “simple spells.” Why might the chapter choose a mother's arms and a father's study over something grander?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the author gives Jo plain, familiar help instead of one big turning point, and what that says about grief.
One reading
Because grief is eased by ordinary things done again and again.
someone did come and help her, though Jo did not recognize her good angels at once, because they wore familiar shapes
Brooms and dishcloths never could be as distasteful as they once had been, for Beth had presided over both
Another reading
Because the help is shared: her mother and father need comfort too, and it runs both ways.
nothing can comfort me like this,” he answered, with a falter in his voice, and both arms round her, as if he, too, needed help
tears that were mute reminders of a greater grief than Jo’s
Listen for
- Names a help and says what it does, not only that it is small.
- Notices that her mother and father are grieving too.
If stuck
- What does Jo's mother do when Jo cries at night?
- What does Jo ask her father?
- How does her father answer?
A strong answer The helps are a mother's arms at night, a father's study, a brush and mop, all things Jo already knows. The chapter says she did not recognize her good angels at once. The help also runs both ways: her father says nothing comforts him like her coming, and her mother's tears are a reminder of a greater grief than Jo's. A strong answer names one help and says why a plain help might reach where a grand one would not.
- The narrator says, “Jo wasn’t a heroine; she was only a struggling human girl.” Why might the author say that out loud?Tone
What it asks It asks what the narrator is teasing and what she is protecting when she tells us Jo is not a storybook heroine.
One reading
She teases the moral storybook, with its mortified bonnet and tracts.
she ought at this period of her life to have become quite saintly, renounced the world, and gone about doing good in a mortified bonnet, with tracts in her pocket
It’s highly virtuous to say we’ll be good, but we can’t do it all at once
Another reading
She protects Jo, and readers like her, from being measured against a saint.
she just acted out her nature, being sad, cross, listless, or energetic, as the mood suggested
to do it cheerfully—ah, that was another thing!
Listen for
- Names a tone and backs it with the narrator's words.
- Says what a reader might take from being told Jo is not a saint.
If stuck
- What would a moral-storybook heroine do?
- What does the narrator say Jo does instead?
- What does she say about trying to be good all at once?
A strong answer The narrator's tone is teasing toward the storybook, with its mortified bonnet and tracts in the pocket, and gentle toward Jo, who is sad, cross, listless or energetic as the mood suggests. The narrator says it takes a long pull before some of us get our feet set in the right way. A strong answer hears the joke and the kindness together and says what the aside does for a reader who is struggling.
- Jo's little story comes from “no thought of fame or money,” and it is a “great success.” How do you weigh what that shows?Theme
What it asks It asks what the story's success says about how Jo writes best, and what the chapter does not say about her future.
One reading
It suggests her best writing comes when she writes from the heart for people she loves.
You wrote with no thought of fame or money, and put your heart into it
write something for us, and never mind the rest of the world
Another reading
It is a small comfort, not a turning point: the chapter calls it a success for a small thing.
For a small thing it was a great success
not as a reward, but as a comfort, as Christian took the refreshment afforded by the little arbor
Listen for
- Uses Mr. March's words and the narrator's words.
- Does not claim to know what Jo writes next.
If stuck
- What does Mrs. March ask Jo to write, and for whom?
- What does Mr. March say is the secret?
- What does the narrator compare the gift to?
A strong answer Mrs. March asks Jo to write something for the family and never mind the rest of the world, and Mr. March says she wrote with no thought of fame or money and put her heart into it. The narrator calls it a great success for a small thing and a comfort, not a reward. A strong answer weighs the lesson about writing from the heart against the chapter's modest way of describing the success.
- Jo says, “mine is so elastic, it never seems full now.” What do you think she is wanting, and why might her mother smile?Inference
What it asks It asks what lies behind Jo's new hunger and why Marmee already understands it.
One reading
She wants someone to love and be loved by in a new way, and Amy's letter has woken it.
Amy’s happiness woke the hungry longing for someone to “love with heart and soul, and cling to while God let them be together.”
I care more to be loved than when he went away
Another reading
She wants more than her family can fill because she has grown, and Marmee reads that as good.
I’d no idea hearts could take in so many; mine is so elastic
it shows that you are getting on
Listen for
- Says what Jo says she wants and does not add a name the chapter does not give here.
- Notices that Marmee calls it a sign she is getting on.
If stuck
- What does Jo say about trying to satisfy herself with natural affections?
- What does Marmee say when Jo admits she is lonely?
- What did Marmee notice in Jo's eyes?
A strong answer Jo says the more she tries to be satisfied with natural affections, the more she seems to want, and that her heart is so elastic it never seems full. Marmee says it shows Jo is getting on, and she smiles her wise smile because she understands. A strong answer says what Jo is wanting in her own words and why Marmee might read the hunger as a good sign.
- The chapter ends with the note, “Wait for me, my friend,” and the question, “Was it all self-pity, loneliness, or low spirits?” Why might the author leave it open?Author's choice
What it asks It asks why the narrator ends on a question instead of an answer, and what each of her three suggestions would mean.
One reading
She leaves it open because Jo herself does not know what she feels.
Was it all self-pity, loneliness, or low spirits?
my dear old Fritz, I didn’t value him half enough when I had him
Another reading
She leaves it open so the reader can weigh the clues, and the last phrase is a teasing one.
or was it the waking up of a sentiment which had bided its time as patiently as its inspirer?
Who shall say?
Listen for
- Uses the narrator's three or four suggestions, not only the last.
- Does not decide what the note or Jo's tears mean.
If stuck
- What does Jo do with the paper?
- What does Jo say about how much she valued him?
- How many explanations does the narrator offer for her crying?
A strong answer The narrator offers self-pity, loneliness, low spirits, or the waking of a sentiment that bided its time, and then says, "Who shall say?" Jo holds the note as if it were a promise yet to be fulfilled and cries, but she says only that she did not value him enough. A strong answer weighs the explanations and does not decide for the chapter, which does not.
Critical thinking
- Jo hums Beth's songs while she works with the old brush. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how Hannah reads what Jo is doing.
What it asks It asks the student to see what Jo does without meaning to, and what Hannah sees in it.
One reading
Hannah sees a kind of tribute: Jo is keeping Beth's ways alive so the house does not feel the loss.
You thoughtful creter, you’re determined we shan’t miss that dear lamb ef you can help it.
Jo found herself humming the songs Beth used to hum, imitating Beth’s orderly ways
Another reading
Hannah sees a thing the family notices and does not say aloud, and she says it with blessing.
We don’t say much, but we see it
the Lord will bless you for’t, see ef He don’t
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, not one told twice.
- Says what Jo did without knowing she was doing it.
If stuck
- What does Jo find herself humming?
- What does Hannah do as she speaks?
- Does Jo plan to do any of this?
A strong answer Jo finds herself humming Beth's songs and imitating her orderly ways, without planning it, and the narrator says it was the first step toward making home happy though she did not know it. Hannah reads it as Jo being determined they shall not miss Beth, and says the family sees it and does not say much. A strong answer uses one line for what Jo does and one for how Hannah takes it.
- Marmee admits she did not tell Jo her guess about Amy and Laurie. Using two pieces of evidence, explain why she kept quiet.
What it asks It asks what reasons Marmee gives for waiting, and whether they are about Jo's pain or about the news itself.
One reading
She was being careful that nothing was said before it was settled.
I was half afraid to put the idea into your head, lest you should write and congratulate them before the thing was settled.
Mothers have need of sharp eyes and discreet tongues when they have girls to manage.
Another reading
She feared it would pain Jo, and wondered whether Jo might want a different answer.
I fancied it might pain you to learn that your Teddy loved anyone else
I have thought that if he came back, and asked again, you might, perhaps, feel like giving another answer
Listen for
- Two different reasons, one about timing and one about Jo's feelings.
- Notices that Jo answers that she is not so silly and selfish.
If stuck
- What does Marmee say she was afraid Jo would do?
- What did Marmee fancy might pain Jo?
- How does Jo answer her?
A strong answer Marmee gives two reasons. She feared Jo would write and congratulate them before the thing was settled, and she thought it might pain Jo to learn that Teddy loved someone else. She also admits she wondered whether Jo might give another answer if he asked again. A strong answer uses one reason about timing and one about feelings and says what Jo's reply shows.
- Amy writes that she has never been so happy and so humble. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what she says has changed her.
What it asks It asks what Amy says about Laurie and about herself in her letter, and what she says has changed.
One reading
She says it is Laurie: she has seen his heart and finds it full of noble purposes.
I never knew how good and generous and tender he was till now, for he lets me read his heart
I find it full of noble impulses and hopes and purposes
Another reading
She says it is being loved, which makes her humble and wants to deserve it.
it makes me so happy and so humble that I don’t seem to be the same girl I was
try to be all he believes me
Listen for
- Two different pieces of evidence, one about him and one about her.
- Uses Amy's own words from the letter.
If stuck
- What does Amy say about how Laurie lets her see him?
- What does she say about being loved?
- What does Jo say about Amy when she has read the letter?
A strong answer Amy says she never knew how good and tender Laurie was until he let her read his heart, and that she finds it full of noble purposes. She also says being loved makes her so happy and humble that she is not the same girl, and she tries to be all he believes her. A strong answer uses one line about Laurie and one about Amy, and says which change matters more to her.