In Louisa May Alcott's novel, Little Women, she tells the semi-autobiographical story of the Transcendental lives of a New England family. At the center of the drama is the relationship between the four sisters of the March family. Every person who reads the novel has a favorite among the sisters and I confess my affectionate changes allegiance each time I read the novel or see one of the film versions. Fictional characters are great to have relationships with: you control their behavior and they are custom fitted to your interpretations of them. At different points in my life I have loved each of the March sisters. For those of you who think this strange, just imagine having a crush on Beiber or Britney Spears except in a much more classy, literary way.
- Meg. The oldest and most practical March sister. She helps Marmee with the younger sisters and eventually marries the equally practical Mr. Brook. Meg is motherly and what guy doesn't occasionally want someone to take care of him?
- Jo. The star of the novel, Jo is adventurous, intelligent, daring, emotional and dramatic. Every guy wants to date a Jo at least once in his life. She is full of passion and desire and always looking for adventure. The problem arises in the fact that she is a workaholic and will always outshine her man in public.
- Beth. Beth is the sister with the tender heart. She is frail and kind and plays a hauntingly good piano. Beth of course dies in the novel. Many men want to date a Jo and then marry a Beth.
- Amy. Spoiled and childish at first, she grows up to marry Teddy who initially loved Jo. Amy is high maintenance and knows it. She always wanted to marry for money and does. Amy is the "mean girl" that, while you don't like her attitude she is an object of desire as well.
I would say in my life I have dated all four types of March and found good and bad in all of them. Jo-like women will always be the ones I fall for, but I love the sweetness of a Beth, the sturdiness of a Meg and the challenge of an Amy. None is perfect, but it makes for a perfect story and a perfect setting for a literary crush.
Everyone wants to date a Jo and then marry a Meg or a Beth.
