Little Women Character Review: Aunt March

*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.

If we are lucky, we have older relations who love us and want the best for us.  But that doesn’t mean that they are always right. In Little Women, that older relation is Aunt March. Aunt March is the wealthy and widowed Aunt by marriage of Mr. March. She is also very opinionated and not afraid to share her opinions.  The reader is introduced to Aunt March when we follow Jo to her job as her aunt’s companion. They get along like oil and water.

It is Aunt March who continually harps on what she believes to be her nephew’s poor decision-making abilities. She also nearly breaks up the engagement of Meg to John Brooke. John is just poor tutor without connections or a large fortune and according to Aunt March, an unwise choice of a spouse.

Though she is critical and not afraid to speak her mind, Aunt March is not heartless. She takes a shining to Amy and encourages her to develop her artistic abilities. She also leaves her home, Plumfield to Jo after her death.

To sum it up: Aunt March maybe a cantankerous and stubborn old woman, but that does not mean that she puts money above family.  I think when writers create characters like Aunt March, there has to be a balance between the smart-mouthed old biddy who thinks she knows everything and the woman who really does care, but it doesn’t come out in a direct fashion. It’s just a matter of knowing when to reveal which part of the character’s personality.

 

This will be the last character review post for Little Women. The next group of characters who will receive a character review in two weeks is…….I’m not telling you. You have to wait and see. 

 

 

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Early Throwback Thursday-Double Dare (1986-1993)

Game shows have been part of the television landscape since the early days of television.

From 1986-1993 Double Dare was a regular on Nickelodeon’s schedule. Hosted by Marc Summers, the competition contained both trivia questions and physical stunts that could only be described as messy.

I remember watching this show back in the day and thinking that it was so much fun to watch. Looking back, what made it so much fun was the fact that it was neither a strictly academic or strictly physical competition. The physical component of the game was also a little gross, but gross in a good way.

I recommend it.

Words Can Hurt And Bullying Can Kill

Bullying in school has been around since the invention of school. Countless children over the generations have suffered at the hands of their classmates.

These days, in school bullying has been taken to another level by social media.

Last summer, Mallory Grossman was in sixth grade at Copeland Middle School in Rockaway, New Jersey. She took her own life after dealing with the persistent bullying she received from her classmates, both in school and online.

According to media reports, one of the accused bullies asked the young girl the following: “when are you going to kill yourself?”.

Some might argue that social media plays a role in the bullying that led to the girl’s decision to commit suicide. While I can certainly understand where that argument is coming from, social media is not entirely to blame.

If the bullying happened on school property and nothing was done by the staff to stop the bullying, the school is culpable. The blame is also on the parents of the bullies. Their children are responsible for this girl’s death and should be punished appropriately.

Two decades ago, I too was bullied in school. Thankfully, social media as we know it be today did not exist back then. Though it’s been years since my own experience of school days bullying, the scars still remain.

May Mallory’s memory be a blessing to those who knew and loved her. Wherever she is, the bullies cannot hurt her anymore.

RIP.