*Warning: This post contains spoilers in regards to the narrative and characters from the book Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Read at your own risk if you have not read the book or have seen any of the adaptations.
There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.
In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Little Women to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.
There is an old Jewish saying: may you live until 120.While the ideal is that we should all live into our golden years, the sad reality is that death can sadly strike the young as well as the old.
In Little Women, Beth March is the third of the four March girls. Unlike her sisters, she is a homebody who rarely socializes outside of her immediate circle. She always has a giving heart and a shoulder to lean on when needed. Beth is also an accomplished musician who likes nothing more than to play on the family piano.
The ying to Jo’s yang, she is the calm in the eye of the storm when Jo is temperamental and blowing up like a volcano. Unfortunately, Beth dies young after contracting an illness when she visited a family whose circumstances are much worse than the March’s.
To sum it up: Every story has a heart. It may make you laugh or it may make you cry, but it is always there. Beth is the heart of Little Women. She is the representation of all that is good in the world. Ultimately, that heart breaks when Beth dies, but it is always there, even if is there only in spirit.
Share this:
Writergurlny 