Who's Who in "Little Women" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jo March

It is said that Louisa May Alcott based Jo March on herself, which tends to make this story a half-way autobiographical tale. It's no surprise then that Jo wants to become a writer and that she behaves like a tomboy. This is, most likely, her way of rebelling against the limitations that women are forced to endure during this time.

To add to her tomboy-ishness, she hates romance, has a fiery tongue and is quick tempered. That said, she loves her family dearly and will do whatever she can to hold them together. As the protagonist to the tale, there is so much more that could be written here about Jo, however, her interactions with the rest of the characters in the story are pivotal and it is through their profiles that a stronger picture of Jo will emerge.

Answer: Meg March

Meg's strengths are that she is responsible and kind, gentle and loving and has a strong foundation when it comes to deciding what is right or wrong. Her weakness though is that she craves a life of luxury and leisure. This stems from the fact that she can remember when the family was rich and cannot reconcile with the lowly state that the family exists in now.

However, when she is given the opportunity to step back into that high life she comes to realize how shallow it is and, in the end, she becomes a humble housewife, the epitome of domesticity.

Answer: Frederick Bhaer

Jo meets Professor Bhaer while in New York and he soon becomes her anchor. He is somewhat in a similar position to the March family in that he was a highly respected teacher in his homeland of Germany but, here in New York, he finds himself at the bottom rung of the ladder and forced to teach a small group of children to make ends meet.

What becomes apparent very quickly to Jo is the Professor's joy. He loves life and loves teaching, and this is evidenced by the way he seeks to make learning fun for his pupils. Being much older than Jo, he has had time to determine his moral compass, and he stands firmly behind his principles. It is this quality in the professor that helps Jo find her own way in respect to her writing.

Answer: Beth March

Beth is almost angelic. Very shy and quiet, she shares Jo's resentment of the limitations of women in their society and also her desire to keep the family together. In other respects, she is a little like her eldest sister Meg, in that she is a good person and tries a little too hard to please everyone.

Beth adores music and plays the piano exceptionally well, however, she lives with the lingering shadow of the effects of a previous contraction of scarlet fever. In a very emotional part of the book the illness eventually takes her life. Her passing has a profound effect on the girls, especially Jo, who steels herself and becomes determined to live a life full of purpose.

Answer: Mr Brooke

Until chapter 12, John Brooke remains a bit of a mystery to the reader. All we see is his professionalism and his determination to ensure that Laurie succeeds in his studies. This is borne out of the fact that Mr Brooke is poor and he sees tutoring as a way out of his predicament.

His eventual interactions with the March family bring out his true character. We soon identify that he is selfless, kind and has a virtuous heart. He also becomes the first love interest to impact upon the family. Falling for Meg, the eldest of the March girls, he treats the young lady with total respect and kindness. This relationship gradually changes the dynamics within the March household.

Answer: Marmee

Marmee is an honest, patient, wise and often generous woman who is the cornerstone of the March household. She raises four daughters and, to a large extent, their neighbour's young boy Laurie, while her husband is away doing his bit in the Civil War.

Marmee has had a strong and sophisticated life, but this is only revealed to us in fragments, most notably through the sage advice she delivers to her daughters and young Laurie. Despite the family losing their fortune she does not complain, instead, she teaches herself to cook and maintain a household with minimal resources. Her daughters see this inner strength and they try to model their own lives upon it.

Answer: Hannah

Hannah Mullet has been with the March family since the birth of their eldest daughter, Meg. Yes, she holds a minor role within the household but if you look deeper, you find a woman who is loyal, reliable and a steadying influence on the family.

She has been with the household for so long that she is virtually accepted as a member of the family. This creates the opportunity for her to become the second matriarchal figure in the house, an ideal that takes on a vital importance when Marmee is called away to Washington to take care of the ailing Mr March.

Answer: Aunt March

When her husband passes, Aunt March is left with a substantial fortune and its these resources that allow some of the plot lines in the story to emerge. These would include Amy's sojourn to Europe and Marmee's dash to Washington.

Raised in privilege, Aunt March retains the airs of her circle and insists that the rest of March family retains these standards and associations as well...so much so, that she threatens Meg with her removal from her will if she goes ahead with her marriage to Mr Brooke. Aunt March maintains her oldfashioned values, especially with respect to a woman's place. This stubbornness leads to tension with Jo, who is cut from a similar stubborn cloth, during their interactions. These conversations, however, must have struck an accord with Aunt March as she winds up leaving her Plumfield estate to Jo when she passes.

Answer: Amy March

At the start of the story, Amy is 12 years old. She has Meg's desire for the high life but is blessed with Jo's artistic flair. Whilst she has a bit of a selfish streak, being the youngest she tries hard to fit in and wants to be involved in everything. She experiments with various forms of art, believing that, eventually, it will lead to her fame and fortune.

She manages to travel to Europe with her Aunt Carrol to study art and this trip is the making of her. The separation from her sisters means that she needs to become more self-reliant, which makes her a more worldly woman. She also reaches the resolution that her talent will not be enough to fulfil her dreams of fame.

Answer: Laurie Laurence

Laurie, also called Theodore or Teddy, lives with his grandfather next door to the March family. He is the same age as Jo, but his life is one that revolves around him remaining indoors with his only contact being his tutor. Consequently, he appears to the world as a bored and sullen young man. Jo identifies this and drags him into her family which has the effect of bringing forward his carefree, if not rebellious, nature. His interactions with the March girls also serves to straighten his moral compass and draw him to his senses whenever he is on the point of doing something stupid.

He expresses his love to Jo and is shattered when she rejects him. He travels to Europe to study music, but simply sees this as a waste of time, which brings out the worst in him. Once again it is the March family values that he'd collected along the way that rescue him. That, and the fact that he discovered the more worldly Amy, in whom he finds his true soul mate.