NovelGuide: Little Women: Novel Summary: Chapter 32- Chapter 34

Chapter 32- Chapter 34

Chapter 32: Mrs. March approaches Jo one day and tells her that something is wrong with Beth. Marmee does not think that she is acting her usual self and Jo endeavors to find out the problem. While studying her little sister one day, Jo realizes that Beth is in love with Laurie. She wonders if it would be possible for Laurie to love Beth back. Jo is excited by the idea, and tries to come up with a way to make the match. One day she has a private conversation with Laurie in which he hints at his feelings for her, not Beth. She then decides that it would be best if she got out of the way, so planned to move to New York for the winter to help one of her mother's friends. Marmee agrees to the plan, and as Jo leaves, Laurie tells her he knows what she is doing, and that he will not have feelings for anyone but her.

Chapter 33: Jo writes detailed letters home about her life in New York. Most of her letters however are about one man who she lives with that she finds exceptionally interesting, Professor Bhaer. He is German and loves kids. Jo befriends him and he begins teaching her German in exchange for her doing mending his clothing. Jo tells Beth the take care of Teddy (her own nickname for Laurie who's real name is Theodore) and complains that he never writes her. For Christmas, Professor Bhaer gave Jo a book of Shakespeare that she adored, and for New Years, she went to a masquerade party.

Chapter 34: Jo wrote a story and took it to a newspaper called the Weekly Volcano. She left the story there, asking the man if he would look it over and consider publishing it. He told her to come back in a week and a week later when she did, he told her he would publish it if she cut out all of the moral lessons in it. Jo agreed and received twenty-five dollars for her work. After that she continued writing "sensation" stories, and became more swept up in the lives of her characters she had to research. During this time, she became a better friend with Professor Bhaer and one day as he was giving her a German lesson; Jo began laughing at him. Upon his head, Tina- one of the children in the house that adored Bhaer- had placed a paper cap on his head. When he discovered the paper, the professor laughed until he saw it was a sensation newspaper of which he did not approve. Professor Bhaer made Jo feel guilty about writing for the paper, although he did not know. What Jo did not know was that Professor Bhaer had guessed that she wrote for the papers. After that Jo tried to write tales with moral, then children's stories, but neither suited her and she gave up writing for a time. When June came along, it was time for Jo to go back to her family. She said goodbye to everyone, and she extended the invitation to Bhaer to come visit her and her family. Bhaer was going to miss her, and she him, and he told her that he would come. Jo was happy because she had made such a good friend.