Little Women

Little Women: How different is the movie from the book

by Jessica Bartel

11. Conclusion

10. Movie scenes

9. Reviews

7. general differences and particularities of the book and the movie

6. chronological order of the movie

5. historical background

4. chronical order of the book

3. Characters

2. Facts about the Novel

8. important book scenes that didn't get mentioned in the movie

1. Louisa May Alcott

Index

• Born 29. November 1823 in Germantown, Pennsylvania
• Three sisters -> Anna, Elizabeth, and May
• loved writing -> wrote melodramas and acted them out with her sisters in front of an audience
• poverty led to her pursuing different jobs
• died 6.March 1888 (two days after her dad)

Louisa May Alcott

Facts about the novel

• coming-of-age novel
• point of view; Third person Omniscient
• Past tense
• written during and after the American Civil War
• it´s a semi-autobiography

Robert March Hannah Mullet Aunt MarchJames LaurenceJohn BrookeProfessor Friedrich BhaerFred Vaughn

Margaret March/ Meg- played by Emma Watson- oldest sister- very caring

Amy Curtis March- played by Florence Pugh- the youngest sister- cares a lot about appereance

Margaret March/ Marmee- played by Laura Dern- has good morals- is the mother

Theodore Laurence/ Laurie- played by Timothee Chalamet- their neighbour- clever

Elizabeth March/ Beth- played by Eliza Scanlen- the second youngest child- musically talented

Josephine March/ Jo- was played by Saoirse Ronan-protagonist- second oldest sister

Characters

getting to know Laurie and Mr. Laurence

Chronological order of the book

Attending a ballfirst appereance of the "Laurence Boy"

spending time at the Laurence´sGift for and from Beth

Sisters go back to work and schooldeeper relationships explained

Christmas

Taking breaks and dealing with chaos at home

Chronological order of the book

Meg staying with a friend and attending partiesMeg recieving critisism from Laurie

Meg recieves a glove from Mr BrookePicnic with Laurie and the vaughnes

Jo proposing that Laurie joins their acting club

Amy burning Jo`s book

Chronological order of the book

Beth going to the Hummels contracts an IllnessAmy got send to stay with Aunt March

Jo`s first time giving her manuscript to the newspapersLaurie revealing that Mr. Brooke has Meg´s other glove

Beth recovers after becoming dreadfully ill

Telegram from father and Marmee leaving for a while to take care of him

Talking about their dreams and how Laurie can`t follow them

Chronological order of the book

Three year fowards jumpMeg is about to get marriedWar is over

Mr.March coming backJo being angry because she feels like she`s loosing Meg

Meg gets married

Mr.Brookes asking Meg to marry him in a few yearsMeg defending him in front of Aunt March because of his non-existent wealth

Laurie writing a love letter in the name of Mr Brooke --> got in trouble

Chronological order of the book

Amy working at a fairAmy got chosen to go to Europe with Aunt CarrollJo is dissapointed as she hoped to go

Jo enters a writing competition and ends up winning itsend the money to Beth and Marmee to go to the seapublished the first novel

Amy gets to meet Fred Vaughn again and is planning to accept his proposal

Meg gets mad because of their money problemsMeg gets pregnant

Amy is more into her art and decides to throw a party with only one person showing up

Chronological order of the book

Laurie confesses his feelings for Jo and gets rejectedLaurie and Granddad leave for Europe

Jo meets Bhaerhe gifts her Shakespear books and teaches her Germanenjoyed herself at a masquerade

Beth and Jo going to the sea and Beth confessing that she feels like she`ll die soon

Jo writes stories for a newsletter in NYReturns home for Lauries Graduation

Beth is falling in love with LaurieJo goes to New York because she has a feeling that Laurie is falling for her and thinks that they aren't compatible

Laurie and Amy staying together in Nice for a monthAmy giving Laurie an eye opening conversationLaurie goes to his Grandfather

Chronological order of the book

Fred Vaughn proposes to Amy--> rejectedAmy and Laurie mourningLaurie proposes --> Accepted

Jo gets lonely and misses Bethhappy for Laurie and Amywrites more

Death of Beth

Amy and Laurie met up and attended Ball together in Francelook at each other differently now

Chronological order of the book

Aunt March passes away

Amy and Laurie decide to support people with money

Jo opens a school

Jo and Bhaer run into each other him saying he`ll leave for the westthey confessed their feelings for each other

Laurie, Amy and Mr.Laurence are back homeCelebrationBhaer shows up

Historical background

Was written during the American Civil WarWomen were dependent on their husband and couldn`t really decide something for themselves

Chronological order of the book

Meg buys the silk

Jo talking to Professor Friedrich Bhear

Jo attends a play and a party afterward with Friedrich Bhaer

Amy is in Paris and meets Laurie and talks about the rejection from Jo

Jo sells her stories in New York

Chronological order of the movie

Amy attends a ball with Fred Vaughn and Laurie ruining it and arguing with Amy while being drunk and with multiple female companies

Jo and Laurie met formally for the first timedanced outside the housewent back together as Meg sprained her ankleLaurie met the March family for the first time

Jo lets Bhaer read her text and not being able to receive his criticism well

Jo writing a book in New York and receiving the Shakespeare books from Bhaer

flashback from 7 years ago and Meg and Jo getting ready for the ball

Chronological order of the movie

The March sisters playing their play in front of an audience

Flashback to Christmas gifting their breakfast to the Hummelstrying to rehearse a sceneThe Laurence´s watching them from a distance

Jo arriving back in Massachusetts and Bhaer asking for her

getting a surprise breakfast from the Laurence´sReading a letter from Mr.March

Jo received the letter about Beth´s condition and returns immediately

Chronological order of the movie

Jo´s first time at the Laurence´sThe Marchs meeting Mr. Laurence and Mr. Brooke

Jo spent time with Aunt March and argued with her about the importance of marriage and her parentsAunt March offers Jo to go to Europe with her

The Laurences welcome the Marchs and offer them the things they desireMr.Brooke finds Meg´s glove

Amy got in trouble for sketching her teacherLaurie´s and Amy's first real interaction

Holidays are overGirls going shoppingAmy tells her sisters about the limes and getting Money from Meg

Chronological order of the movie

Jo and Meg going to the theather with Laurie and Mr. Brooke

Jo proposing to have Laurie in their acting group and Laurie got chosen after a quick discussion

Amy burns Jo´s storyAmy and Jo fighting

Jo gets back into the house gets a warm welcome

Jo arrives and takes a look into the letterbox

Chronological order of the movie

Meg is on her way to a ballJo gives Laurie a ringBeth gets the opportunity to play the piano at the Laurences and takes itLaurie shows up at the ball and criticizes Meg Laurie dancing with Meg

Amy catching a cold and Jo having a long conversation about her anger and feelings with her mother

Beth is playing the Laurences piano for the first timeMr.Laurence listening from the distance

Beth woke up to Jo and Jo takes care of hertalks about Amy and Laurie

Amy tries to get Jo´s forgiveness Jo and Laurie go ice skatingAmy breaks into the ice

Chronological order of the movie

Beth and Jo at the seasideBeth making Jo promise to continue writing

Laurie visits Amy while she is drawing and discussing her dreams of an artist and the picture of women in society and Fred Vaughn

Mrs. March helps the country by packing things for the ones at warmeets a man on the way to his injured son and gives him extras

The March sisters going to the seaside with Laurie, Mr. Brooke, and Fred Vaughn

Meg and Mr.Brooke arguing over povertyMeg apologizing

Chronological order of the movie

Beth making a pair of slippers to thank Mr.Laurence and visiting the Hummel´srecieving a piano as a gift

Jo cuts her hair and sells it to give her mum money for her father and crying afterward

Beth goes to Mr.Laurence to thank him and he noticed that she has a fevergets diagnosed with scarlet feverAmy gets sent to Aunt March

Amy and Laurie talked about his grandfatherLaurie telling Amy to not marry Fred Vaughn and her telling him how she felt about him the whole time a few years ago

Marmee receives a letter from the military and quickly makes her way to her husbandMeg´s and Mr.Brooke´s first cheek kiss

Chronological order of the movie

Fred Vaughn proposing and Amy rejecting it

Jo taking care of Beth the first time she gets sick

Mr.Brooke telling Meg to take care of Beth and that he´ll look after the kids

Aunt March being fond of Amy and promised her a ring

Jo reading Beth a story she wrote at the seasideBeth tells Jo that she isn't afraid to pass away

Chronological order of the movie

Meg´s and Mr.Brooke´s wedding + Amy gets invited to europe

Mr.March comes back

Jo rejects Lauries proposal

Beth´s death and her funeral

Beth gets healthy

Chronological order of the movie

Aunt March´s deathJo sending her story to New York

Jo writing a letter and putting it into the mailboxLaurie talked to her about the marriage with Amy--> Jo threw the letter into the lake

Bhaer showed up and left after a whileJo going to the train station to confess her love to himLittle Women getting printedThe March´s opening of a school

Jo begins to write Little Women

Laurie and Amy went back and got married

Book

VS

Movie

Not in the chronological book order --> jumps back and forth between the past and the presentScenes have different color settings for girlhood and adulthood--> warmer color for scenes about girlhood--> colder colors for scenes about adulthood

Clear seperation of girlhood and adulthood --> Chapter One = girlhood--> Chapter two = adulthood.A better understanding of the relationships between the CharactersThe struggle of growing up and being a woman in a society is more obvious

Book scenes that were different from movie scenes or not even displayed

The time when they got judged by kat Vaughn because of their povertyHow Jo and Friedrich Bhaer got ended up togetherLaurie's proposal to AmyMeg´s and Mr.Brooke´s love storyHow Amy got punished by her teacher

They got closer to Laurie in a different way and met his grandfather in a different situationAmy going to Europe without Aunt March

Book reviews

• "A timeless classic that I enjoyed just as much now as I did when I first read it at school"
• " I found myself scanning the book because of its slow plot. There aren´t many exciting events to keep the reader hooked throughout"
• "I was a bit surprised by how Amy and Laurie are written. Having now read the book, I feel that no one has yet truly captured their essences on screen"
• "That feeling when you spend the whole majority of the book desperately longing to be a Jo, but end up realizing you´re actually just a beth
• "Alexa, play "Champagne Problems" by Taylor Swift"

Movie review

• "We enjoyed the movie but some of the editing choices made it difficult to follow the story and to differentiate between the times when the girls were younger teenagers and when they were young adults"
• "This chronological shuffling jolts the story awake and nudges the viewer to pay close attention"
• "Though Alcott`s work has been adapted many times before, Gerwig`s movie could rightfully become the definitive adaption

Beth´s last christmas

The contrast between the past and the present is very noticeable in those two scenes. As Beth gets to be healthy in the first scene, which is colorful, whereas in the next where Beth passes away everything gets cold and gloomy

Laurie and Jo dance outside of the ball hall

Both, the book and the movie are something everyone should´ve watched or read at least once. Just to see the sisters growing up together is a very refreshing feeling and might make you think about memories of your childhood

Thankyou!