Jo and Beth's Relationship

In chapter 36, Jo came home from New York when she saw Beth for the first time in a while. It is apparent right away to Jo that Beth is very sick, however, their parents don’t seem to notice anything since they see Beth on a daily basis at home. Throughout the whole novel we have seen that Jo is a tomboy, quick tempered, and some would say free spirited. Beth has always been very different from Jo. Beth is quiet, selfless, and always wants to be with her family. In chapter 36, while Beth is at the seashore with Jo, Beth states, “‘I don't know how to express myself, and shouldn't try to anyone but you, because I can't speak out except to my Jo. I only mean to say that I have a feeling that it never was intended I should live long. I'm not like the rest of you. I never made any plans about what I'd do when I grew up. I never thought of being married, as you all did. I couldn't seem to imagine myself anything but stupid little Beth, trotting about at home, of no use anywhere but there. I never wanted to go away, and the hard part now is the leaving you all’” (Alcott, 413). This quote and setting represent the relationship of the two so well. Although Jo is very different from some of her sisters and is more of a tomboy, she still holds the feminine characteristic of being a caretaker. Jo knew right when she saw Beth that she was sick, and she took her away from home to be with her and comfort her. This quote also shows that Beth realizes that she was never meant for the experiences her other three sisters are experiencing. She accepts the fact that she wasn’t meant to grow old. When they returned from the seashore, their parents realized Beth’s sickness, “She was right. There was no need of any words when they got home, for Father and Mother saw plainly now what they had prayed to be saved from seeing…Her father stood leaning his head on the mantelpiece and did not turn as she came in, but her mother stretched out her arms as if for help, and Jo went to comfort her without a word” (Alcott, 414). The realization from their parents that Beth is soon going to die, the way Jo was going to tell them if they didn’t realize it, and the way Jo comforts them represents so many aspects of Jo’s character – Jo is strong-willed and has the strength to tell her parents this devastating news, but she also comforts her mother, which shows her truly caring side.