evohr.org

Friday, September 07, 2007

This morning Bryn asked Kathy to read aloud from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, which was Kathy's favorite book as a child and has recently become Bryn's favorite book as well. One of the passages Kathy read describes how Meg, unhappy with the state of her marriage to John, tries an experiment to set things right. Rather than focusing all her time and energy on their two small children, Meg starts to pay attention to John, telling him apologetically that she has "shamefully" neglected him and trying to show an interest in his affairs. In return, John shows an interest in a bonnet that Meg is making. At this point, Meg explicitly mentions her experiment to improve their marriage and asks John what he thinks of it. Alcott doesn’t have John answer, instead writing:

Never mind what John said, or what a very narrow escape that little bonnet had from utter ruin; all that we have any business to know is that John did not appear to object . . . (542)

At this point Kathy laughed, and Bryn asked what was so funny. When Kathy, still amused, explained that Meg and John were probably kissing and going to their bedroom to snuggle, Bryn reacted not to this plot but rather to Kathy’s appreciation of it:

Ew, you’re a lovey-pants.

Guilty as charged.
8:57:00 AM

© 2000-8, the evohrs