Little Women I. Playing Pilgrims. Summary
Home, Gifts, and Promises
The March girls prepare for a modest Christmas, resolve to give Marmee presents, rehearse a play, and receive a comforting letter from their father.
Summary
Four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—sit in their modest parlor on a snowy December evening, fretting about their poverty and the lack of Christmas presents while their father is away at war. They argue good-naturedly about what they would like to buy with their dollars, tease one another about manners and tastes, and reveal small household burdens and disappointments. Their personalities emerge through dialogue: Jo's tomboyish impatience and longing to be a boy, Meg's vanity and sisterly authority, Beth's quiet contentment and gentle helpfulness, and Amy's prim fastidiousness. They sketch each other and the room, showing a warm, lived-in home despite faded furnishings.
When Marmee arrives, the mood brightens; she brings news of a letter from their father, who is well and sends loving counsel that moves the girls to tears and resolutions to be better. Marmee suggests they play
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