Thursday, September 6, 2012

Little Women Poll! Jo & Laurie vs. Amy & Laurie (Yes, Spoilers)

Source: dailydoseofstuf.tumblr.com via Miss Elizabeth on Pinterest 
Am I going into a controversial topic for Little Women fans? Maybe I am... But it's a question that's been on my mind since finding the pin above at Pinterest (Follow Me Here).



For those of you who have seen any version of Little Women (which from what I've seen around is a number of you), we all know the famous Laurie proposing to Jo scene.



After being so heart broken about Jo rejecting him, you would think Laurie would never be happy with another girl except Jo. I started to hope, "Well, maybe Jo will turn around and come to love Laurie and they'll get married and be happy," and so on and so on. After all, they were very good friends and maybe she'll come around and love him.
Why, Laurie, why?!

But I was left disappointed...

Okay, I admit that I actually happened upon a spoiler that told me what happened before watching Little Women, but nevertheless, I still hoped!

Instead, he marries Jo's sister, Amy. After he said that he couldn't be happy with anyone other than Jo, he marries Amy. Was anyone else upset with this? Laurie, how could you? You and Jo were made for each other! When did Amy come into the picture?! Waah!

Anyways...

The question that I'm putting out there today is:

Who should Theodore "Laurie" Laurence from Little Women have married?
Jo March
Amy March


The poll is now open for voting. This poll will be open for two weeks.

And, of course, discussion is always welcome! What do you think? Who should Laurie have married? Would he have been happy with Jo? Or do you think he made the right decision when he married Amy? Leave a comment! Debate! Discuss! Just be respectful!

 God Bless,
God Bless, Miss Elizabeth Bennet

16 comments:

  1. Laurie and Jo would never have worked together! They were like brother and sister. :-) I stand behind Alcott's decision not to allow Jo March to do what was expected or what the little girls all over America assumed, as a woman, it was only right that she do.

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  2. It's interesting that the voting results so far are pretty even. I too was really disappointed in his choice of Amy. It almost would have been better if he would not have married anyone at all. Marrying her showed that he was willing to go with another March sister who would make him happy too. It was sort of like he said, "Well then, since Jo won't have me, that's alright, I'll just go with another sister." To me, it would have shown more true love for Jo if he wouldn't have married at all.

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    1. I agree. Either Jo and Laurie should have married each other or neither should have married. Louisa Alcott doesn't have Jo marry Laurie because she didn't want Jo to marry, but then why did she have Jo marry the other guy? That was creepy that Laurie married Amy.

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  3. Well.... For the book I'm under the opinion that Professor Bhaer was a little old and boring in comparison to Laurie. And if it had been me, I would have totally opted for the latter. :)

    As for the movies, it really depends on the version. In the one with Christian Bale and Winona Ryder, Laurie was absolutely PERFECT for Jo and I've never forgiven her for refusing his wonderful proposal. (I am a bit of a Christian-Bale-is-awesome person though, so I could just be a bit bias.)

    However.

    In the movie with June Allyson and Peter Lawford, they conveyed really well why Jo turned Laurie down. (That version isn't as faithful to the book, but it's probably my favorite adaption.)

    All in all, I think it was a silly thing of LMA to do to Laurie and Jo. :)

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  4. Your choices, madam, do not satisfy me, and I must add: c) none of the above. ;P

    I DO wish that Laurie and Jo would have worked--that is, I wish Louisa May Alcott would have made a match out of them. But as it was, Jo is probably right and they wouldn't have worked well as a married couple. Pity, that.
    And anyway, Jo didn't love him.

    BUT. I think it HORRENDOUS that he married Amy. "Till I kissed her little sister and forgot my Clementine..."
    Seriously? Ugh. Just UGH. Although it wasn't as bad in the book as it was in the movie. ;)

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  5. I will always support the Jo & Laurie couple, from my childhood until now, I've never understood why Alcott decided to pair him with Amy, I think Jo and Laurie could be a great couple!
    What a pity, from that moment the Little Women serie started to going down in my list of favourite novels, I can't forgive Louisa Alcott for not putting them together =(

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  6. I admit that first time I read the book, I was pretty upset that Laurie and Jo didn't marry. I "get" it now, though. Jo and Laurie were just to similar- it just wouldn't have worked out. Then I decided, "well, then he shouldn't have married ANYONE!" But now I'm reconciled to him marrying Amy. You know, I truly think -now- that he thought he loved Jo, but it was just sort of a childhood crush and a desire to be a part of her family. Now I like that he and Amy married because now he and Jo are would they always truly were- brother and sister.

    I'm not going to lie and say it didn't take me years to get to that conclusion, though. It's especailly hard in the newer movie, because, well, I love Laurie in that one...

    Besides, in that one, he promised to kiss Amy before she died. So technically he was promised to Amy before Jo. :)

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  7. Well, I cannot really answer the question 'Who should Laurie have married?' with a definitive answer. I can however answer the question 'Who should Jo have married?' I'm 100% in favor of Jo marrying prof. Bhaer. Not only did I find them supercute in the recent movie (and love what prof. Bhaer says to Jo in the opera theatre 'Your heart understood mine'), but when I read Little Boys, the sequel to Little Women, you see what a good couple Jo and prof. Bhaer make and how well they work together also professionally. You don't really get to see Laurie and Amy as a couple in this book, as they are only secondary characters, so I can't say much about them.

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  8. I don't agree with Louisa May Allcot because you could straight out tell that Laurie Loved Jo. It even said in the book,"Laurie was FOND and ADORING of Jo". But now that the book was made into a cratoon it has cleared everything to me. For me,if I warote the book,I put Jo and Laurie together and Amie with some else and they could live fsr away from Jo and Laurie. Well i dont really now who to choose Team Laurie or Team Bhaer? Helen,September 27,2012 4:15 PM

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  9. you really didnt do any justice
    it was not true love at all.according to me jo should have accepted laurie for he was so loving and adorable.if it were me I would have accepted on the spot.

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  10. Its not because someone is your first love that they are perfect for you. It always feels like that are but when you grow up you often realise that its not the case and that the memory feels sweeter then the reality. So Jo was smart turning him down. As for Laurie and Amy, I think Louisa May Alcott wrote that very well. They are a good couple and I'll admit being Jo's sister it could have looked like his was just settling, but it was believably written. So he married the right sister.

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  11. I think Amy married Laurie because she was selfish and wanted fine things and money. I was disappointed that Jo and Laurie weren't married, but Laurie didn't like and made fun of Jo's writing so it probably would not have been a match made in heaven. Jo was too much of a tomboy in the beginning and refined later when she married the older and boring professor.

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  12. I aprove Laurie/Amy , she helped him mature and they love each other, Jo never loved Laurie like that, she was grossed by his flirting...

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  13. While I think that Laurie & Amy was done pretty well in the book, and LMA did her best to describe the transition from a love-scorned Laurie to a Laurie who had developed "new appreciation" for an older Amy...I believe that Jo and Laurie would have been a more realistic outcome - even despite Jo's obstinate nature. Here's how I think it SHOULD have played out: Laurie proposes, Jo refuses, citing that she's not the marrying kind and such a thing would be oppression for her. She goes to New York, Laurie goes abroad. Laurie comes across Amy, who is now engaged to Fred Vaughn, and learns how to "let go" of Jo...but still can't find that indescribable happiness. Jo also learns a lesson while in New York. The Professor teaches her that she can be an independent spirit while ALSO being married. Jo eventually returns home and feels empty inside. She realizes that a life without Laurie is a life without laughter, or deeper meaning. When Beth dies, her first impulse in her grief is to write Laurie. Laurie, upon reading the letter, can read between the lines and know that Jo is hurting immensely...because he KNOWS Jo. He immediately returns home to her, and the reconcilliation is a romantic one. Jo realizes that she could always be HERSELF with Laurie, and a marriage doesn't need to change that.

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  14. Jo March, definitely.
    Only I think she was right to turn him down the first time. Asking straight after college without a plan for his life, a published author - even if she is his best friend? He wasn't ready for marriage then. But he should've got himself ready and come back and asked her again (yes that's like Darcy but that is exactly what I mean - Jo March deserved to be chased!).

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  15. Jo March, but only under certain circumstances:
    - He had returned to comfort her during Beth's illness
    - He had done a whole lot more to help Beth regain her health if it was possible
    - He had worked out what he was going to do with his life (if not music, and if not being an merchant to India the idea of which he despised).

    Why Jo said no - that's another topic ;) (I ended up writing a whole blog post about that one... but won't go into that here! For those who want to check it out: https://marchandlaurencelittlewomen.wordpress.com/2017/01/01/why-did-jo-say-no/)

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