Spoilers!
Siblings (or more specifically, sisters) have their feuds. One may feel far more superior, while the other can feel belittled or unseen. An example of these sisters is Jo and Amy March, characters from the novel “Little Women” written by Louisa May Alcott. There have been about eight film adaptations of the novel, but my personal favorite is one most famously directed by Greta Gerwig, starring Saoirse Ronan as Jo and Florence Pugh as Amy. There seems to be a similar theme with all lovers of the film, and it is whether they side with Jo or Amy, mainly on the matter of (spoiler!) who deserved to be with Theodore ‘Laurie’ played by Timothee Chalamet at the end of the film. While I will keep my opinion about the whole romantic ordeal, my opinions on the characters and their development will continue to lie with Amy March.
I believe Amy March’s story deserved so much better.
As the film explores Jo and her feminist ways (which is a good thing!), at the time the movie takes place, there are endless limitations set up in their society that hinder so many abilities for a woman to be independent. Amy March is pragmatic in the story. Unfortunately, her older sister looks down upon the pragmatic trait of Amy’s, whereas Amy just wants to be able to live a stable life in the place they are given.
Due to the film highlighting Jo and her ups and downs, the character developments of the other March sisters, especially Amy, are passive. When Amy is first introduced, she has more of a childish spirit and has vanity. As the film continues and the March sisters get older, Amy grows out of her old ways. Amy handled the death of her sister, Beth, alone while she was far from home, and came to terms with the fact that she didn’t have the means or talent to become a well-known painter despite her passion for it (honorable mention to her monologue!).
Amy, in my opinion, took charge of her life in a way that Jo never did.
So was Jo’s story insignificant? No. Jo had a clear goal in life and did everything she could to live up to that, even hurting those she loved and not realizing it until later on. Amy deserved far more recognition than she was given, and was able to find solutions to move through life even if it did not favor her, unlike Jo.
In the end, the March sisters all grew, found love within others or themselves, and did as their father’s letter told them, “…do their duty faithfully, fight their enemies bravely and conquer themselves so beautifully…that when I come back to them I may be fonder and prouder than ever of my Little Women.”