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January 22, 2008 10:42 AM

HELEN'S HEROINES: Jo March

Helen Redfern's weekly column about the fictional heroines who have inspired her...

It is ironic that the character Louisa May Alcott apparently wrote under protest, with speed and for money became one of the most lovable heroines in fiction. Alcott’s publisher urged her to write a book of ‘girls fiction’ and she reluctantly accepted, creating a girl with individuality rather than the typical two dimensional characters prevalent within those times.

Jo March was the second eldest of four sisters growing up in Concord and Boston Massachusetts during the American Civil War (1861 – 1865 fact fans) immortalised within the books Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men and Jo’s Boys. She was the best loved (by the readers) of the four sisters and was based upon the writer, or as some would say, the person the writer wanted to be.

As with last week’s heroine, George Kirrin, Jo is bold, outspoken, often in trouble and courageous. She is described as a tomboy, which basically means she is a tough, strong girl, decisive and open to life. Due to her mother’s influence she believes she is equal to any man (not a usual thing to believe in 1860’s Bostonian society) and has ambitions to be a writer.

When her father goes away to the war she announces “I’m the man of the family now Papa is away.” She also sacrifices her own hair by chopping it off and selling it to a wig shop, just so her mother could afford to visit her injured father.

Unlike other women of the time, she isn’t interested in gossiping. She would rather be independent and dismisses New England Society. For all her independence though and need for solitude, she still lays great store in being with her family and along with her sisters they have a great time writing and performing plays. She also doesn’t see the need to marry a rich man for money rather than love (to the frustration of many a fan who wrote to Alcott). Instead she marries one who will accept her for who she is.

The best bit of Jo for me is that she is a fully rounded character with flaws and virtues. She isn’t just hard and tough but has feminine and maternal sides. She has a strong, tender affection for Beth, tries to raise Laurie her friend into a man and as the sequels show she goes on to create a loving and nurturing school with Plumfield.

Yes, if I looked further I may find inconsistencies within the feminist message. Jo marrying and settling down as a ‘mother’ in Plumfield contradicts Jo’s support for women into higher education. Then she encourages the young girl Daisy to keep the boys out of her kitchen. I however, see a woman who has not given up on her ambition to be a writer yet can still be a mother. She is having it all (helped by her inheritance and encouraging husband) and who am I to begrudge her that?

Related posts: Little Women interpreted by Meg Cabot | Friday Flick - Little Women

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Posted by Keris on January 22, 2008 in Classic Novels, Helen's Heroines | Permalink

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