Student Question
What was Mother's attitude towards the girls' vacation plans in Little Women?
Quick answer:
Mother's attitude towards the girls' vacation plans in "Little Women" is supportive yet instructive. She agrees to let them try a week of idleness, believing they will soon tire of it. Her prediction proves correct as the girls quickly become bored and irritable, realizing that a balance of work and play is important. Through this experience, they learn that work and responsibilities are beneficial, aligning with their mother's gentle guidance.
You can find the answer to this in chapter eleven. The girls are about to embark on three months' vacation from school. It is the beginning of June, and those around them are leaving for summer holidays of various sorts—the Kings have gone to the seashore and Aunt March has also left for Plumfield, thankfully without asking any of the girls to go with her.
The girls are very much looking forward to spending a few months in idleness, with Meg in particular complaining about having been "routed" early all year and forced to do things for other people. She now wants to spend her time resting. Jo argues that she wouldn't be able to spend her time exactly like that but will instead spend her time reading in the apple tree. Amy leaps upon this proposal and says they should all cease to do lessons and instead spend their...
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time playing and resting. Beth is slightly more industrious and says she would like to learn some new songs, but in general she agrees that a rest sounds wonderful.
Mrs March reacts to this with her usual light touch in terms of parenting. She says the girls may try this for a week, but feels that by the time a week has elapsed, they will no longer find the idea of resting so "delicious." She is willing to let the girls try whatever they please but believes they will quickly become bored.
What was the mother's attitude toward the girls' vacation plans in Little Women?
The girls, all on vacation from either work or schoolwork in June, decide that it would be wonderful to do nothing for awhile. Marmee agree to allow this for one week. She says:
I think by Saturday night you will find that all play and no work is as bad as all work and no play.
The girls at first don't believe this, but before the week of vacation is over, they realize their mother's words are true. It feels "peculiar" to do nothing, the days seem to get longer and longer, and the girls become more and more irritable. Jo, for example, gets sick of reading, which is very unusual for her, and argues with Laurie, while Amy gets bored with tea parties and playing with dolls. She starts complaining to herself about her sisters and Laurie. Meanwhile, Meg ruins her sewing, and Beth's little bird dies because she forgets to feed it. By the end of the week, the girls have learned the lesson Marmee hoped they would, that having work and responsibilities is good for the soul.