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The character stakes here are high, both contemporaneously and historically, and in no way would book-Jo have considered this option. A change that mars the entire endeavor in an irreparable way. Gerwig included slight plot deviations and contractions earlier in the film, all of which were either executed so well as to be allowable or were a pleasant play on the spirit of the book and characters. Women are often asked to compromise, and so a character who refuses to fall into this trap is significant. This is such an important emotional difference- Jo is a strong woman who will not compromise her heart or her values. I can forgive the initial doubt, but the concrete action of writing the letter and the hope - however ill-founded - that she loses when it is revealed that Laurie and Amy have wed, is incredibly disloyal to Jo’s personality. Undoubtedly, Gerwig wished to show the depths our heroine reached and found this to be a suitable way to tug at our heartstrings. In the book, she joyfully celebrates when her sister and Laurie return having eloped, unmarred by any of her own marriage proposals or lack thereof. In the film, she tightens her resolve and writes a letter, playfully suggesting that she and Laurie reconsider his proposal and get on with it - a hollow and desperate attempt at changing her heart. Instead of being true to herself and staying the hard course, film-Jo expresses her sadness to her mother, Marmee, and contemplates saying yes should Laurie propose again.Īt this point, Gerwig did the thing I feared most: Everything was perfect, and in one choice she cut the belly of the film and let it bleed out in the snow. Her life has become pale and listless.īoth book-Jo and film-Jo fall into a depression, limping through life, not daring to hope that things will become bright again. She finds less in common with her married sister. Her sister Amy is far away on tour in Europe. In her words: “I don't believe it's the right sort of love, and I'd rather not try it.” As the story progresses, her dear sister Beth dies and her writing career takes a turn for the worse. After his proposal, she insists that her love for him will always be Platonic.

She is emphatically not in love with her childhood friend Laurie, no matter what his feelings for her may be. Women are expected to submit to society’s expectations and needs, but Jo carves her own path with a sharp hatchet.ĭespite many pains along the way, her character presses forward to find out more.

She is a woman who knows or is at least willing to put in the time to find out who she is. With all her faults, Jo is a rare example of clarity and commitment in a female character. Everyone sees themselves in Jo, headstrong, garrulous, impatient. I did not trust Hollywood’s Gerwig to do right by MY March family.Ī common game among "Little Women's" readers is “which March sister am I?” This is a four-sign zodiac that always ends with a variation of “I’m definitely Jo, but with a rising Meg in my 4th house of domesticity”. We as a culture and a fan club did not need some upstart pushing our luck. I had all I needed in my imagination and the good-enough film adaptations.

The moment I heard Greta Gerwig was adapting Little Women, I was appalled. Ever since, the characters, scenery and even the somewhat platitudinous moralisms have made up a large part of who I am and how I move through the world. I know you read and enjoyed it, but have you read it 25 times? Sure, you watched the classic 1990s Winona Ryder film, but can you recite whole passages from memory? I first read about the March family when I was 8-years-old.