Film
Little Women & the Importance of writing your own story
On the ambiguous ending of Greta Gerwig’s 2019 film, Little Women
Greta Gerwig ends her 2019 film, Little Women, by acknowledging both the novel’s ending and the ending Louisa May Alcott wanted before succumbing to culture of her time.
I will be discussing the events of the film rather than the events of the book. Though, spoilers for both ahead. Leave your thoughts on the book, film, and this post!
Flim Summary:
The film follows the March sisters as they grow up in Post-Civil War Massachusetts told from the perspective of Josephine March (Jo March).
We follow the March sisters from childhood to adulthood as they deal with living on little money while helping others and pursuing their desires. The film focuses on Jo March as she struggles to make herself a name as an author in 18th century America.
Jo fights vehemently against the culture of women suited for marriage and smaller domestic roles rather than making their own way in the world. She pushes against the editorial changes made to her story of having her heroine married by the end of story.
The film depicts different paths available to women in the context of the story through the symbolism of the March family.
Symbolism of the March Family:
Each of the family members represent different paths for women could take in the context of the story.
- The Mother (Marmee) represents the traditional role of a woman in the 1800s. The homemaker carrying for the children while her husband is out assisting the war effort.
- Aunt March is a single woman who is wealthy and often advises her nieces to marry rich because — in her mind — it’s the only way a woman could make her way in the world
- Jo represents following your ambition and dreams rather than marrying
- Meg and Amy represent the traditional marriage route, both marrying out of love but one ending up poor and the other marrying wealthy, respectively.
- Beth unfortunately dies due to scarlet fever
There weren’t many options available for women to move upwards economically or socially apart from marriage. Oftentimes it comes between marriage with the chance of economic movement upward or dying poor.
Amy March has a great quote about why marriage is often an economic proposition for women.
Even if I had my own money, which I don’t, it would belong to my husband the minute we were married. If we had children they would belong to him, not me. They would be his property. So don’t sit there and tell me that marriage isn’t an economic proposition, because it is. It may not be for you, but it most certainly is for me.
- Amy March, Little Women (2019)
The undercurrent of Jo’s battle against the status quo of marriage versus having a career as a writer pushes the film forward, and, as a viewer, you’d expect a definitive ending — similar in the book — to the battle with her marrying.
Except we don’t.
The Ambiguous Ending:
The last 30 minutes of the film has Jo’s old friend, Fredrich Bhaer, visiting her on a whim letting her know he’s moving to California for work. As Fredrich leaves, Jo and her family chase after him in the rain in true romantic fashion for Jo to profess her love to him.
But the film pulls us back to Jo and her editor discussing the plot of the book and if she does marry Fredrich. Jo says she doesn’t marry any of them. The editor implores her to change the ending to marriage, and Jo chuckles sarcastically and agrees.
Then the film does something interesting. We see Jo professing her love to Fredrich, but then we cut to a family scene with Jo and Fedrich we don’t get a firm answer on if they stayed together and married.
The film isn’t about Jo getting married, it’s about her finishing her book.
From the opening scene, we see Jo selling parts of her book to a newspaper and are introduced to potential love interests later in the film.
In a film, the opening five minutes sets the foundation for the main character & the main plot of the movie for the audience to remember.
We see Jo and her book, we instinctively know we will follow the story of Jo and her publishing her book, but the trope of romance and girl meets boy is heavily ingrained in our culture and we easily allow it to overshadow Jo’s ambition throughout the movie.
The film concludes with Jo holding her book tightly, and, after a brief moment of remembering her journey, she smiles. She has finished her story.
This is Jo’s story, and she decides where it goes.
Own your story:
The book is semi-autobiographical. Alcott changed the ending of her book from pressure of her editors but always wanted to leave Jo March unmarried.
The author Louisa May Alcott did not marry in real life and focused on her career as a writer though she still felt conflicted about feeling lonely while having the career. A feeling Greta Gerwig expertly wrote in a beautiful monologue deliver by Jo towards the ending of the movie.
Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. But……... I’m so lonely!
- Jo March, Little Women (2019)
The March sisters have different choice and dreams, and as Meg so aptly puts it, just because her dreams are different than Jo’s doesn’t mean they aren’t important.
Little Women (2019) is a movie about owning your story. Whatever dreams and ambitions you have, you decide if you want to pursue it. You don’t let others dictate how you write the story of your life even if your ambitions and life are different than those around you.
The film demonstrates you can be a woman, fall in love, and get married without sacrificing your ambitions. It’ll take effort no doubt.
But this is your story. You get to decide how it’s written.
And it’s worth the effort to write it the way you want.
