Elizabeth "Beth" March Character Analysis in Little Women

Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. March, and sister of Jo, Meg, and Amy. Beth is sickly, shy, and utterly pious. Too anxious to attend school and too humble to attempt work outside of the home, Beth spends her days making herself useful around the March household. Beth seems to intuitively understand what is right and wrong (something Jo admires in her). Beth harbors musical ambitions, something that kindles a friendship between her and Mr. Laurence. Beth nearly dies of scarlet fever in Part I. Her health is weakened as a result, and she dies toward the end of Part II. Beth is thirteen when the story begins.

Elizabeth "Beth" March Quotes in Little Women

The Little Women quotes below are all either spoken by Elizabeth "Beth" March or refer to Elizabeth "Beth" March. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Signet Classics edition of Little Women published in 2012.

“Our burdens are here, our road is before us…Now, my little pilgrims, suppose you begin again, not in play, but in earnest, and see how far on you can get before Father comes home.”

Related Characters: (speaker), , , , ,

Page Number and Citation: 16

Explanation and Analysis:

“…she can’t love Bethy as I do, and she won’t miss her as I shall. Beth is my conscience, and I can’t give her up. I can’t! I can’t!”

Related Characters: (speaker),

Page Number and Citation: 190

Explanation and Analysis:

Elizabeth "Beth" March Character Timeline in Little Women

The timeline below shows where the character Elizabeth "Beth" March appears in Little Women. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...few days before Christmas in the year 1860. The four March girls – Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy - are sitting in their sparsely furnished living room. The March family is... (full context)

...a governess for the King family, fifteen-year-old Jo serves as sour Aunt March’s companion, thirteen-year-old Beth does a good deal of housework, and twelve-year-old Amy goes to school with tiresome girls... (full context)

...tall, thin, and tan, with her only beauty being her thick mane of brown hair. Beth is small, delicate, shy, and rosy – her serene nature has earned her the nickname... (full context)

The girls prepare for their mother’s return after a long day of work. Beth puts Mrs. March’s slippers by the fire to warm up, and the girls note how... (full context)

Beth, meanwhile, is too shy to attend school, so she stays at home and helps the... (full context)

...Kings’ oldest son had been disgraced at school, which threw his family into an uproar. Beth quietly chimes in with a pleasant story – earlier that day, she witnessed old Mr.... (full context)

...Laurie: a plate of blanc mange (a kind of custard) from Meg and kittens from Beth. Jo straightens up Laurie’s quarters, and offers to read out loud to Laurie. Laurie begs... (full context)

...house, and she reminds Meg “that children should be children as long as they can.” Beth reflects on Pilgrim’s Progress, and how they may reach the Palace Beautiful if they are... (full context)

Beth, however, is terrified of Mr. Laurence, and doesn’t have the courage to go next door... (full context)

Beth thus begins to practice the piano at Mr. Laurence’s house. She’s so overcome with Mr.... (full context)

Beth returns home one day to find that Mr. Laurence has replaced the March family’s old,... (full context)

...days), but Meg still worries that she will look shabby compared to the wealthy Moffats. Beth observes that Meg had previously said she would simply be happy to accompany the Moffats,... (full context)

...some of her clothes in an attempt to fix them up like the Moffats’ clothing, Beth keeps forgetting not to work (and fights with her beloved dolls when she doesn’t), and... (full context)

...well over her head when she attempts to cook a fancy meal for him. Meanwhile, Beth discovers her canary has died due to her negligence. Laurie and surprise guest Mrs. Crocker... (full context)

Meg notices that she’s missing a glove. Beth brings in the mail from the P.O. Laurie has sent Meg a translation of a... (full context)

...distance, and spies them sitting in a forest glade. Meg is sewing, Jo is knitting, Beth is sorting pinecones, and Amy is sketching ferns. Laurie asks if he can join them,... (full context)

...college. The girls advise Laurie to obey his grandfather. That night, as Laurie listens to Beth playing piano for his grandfather, he resolves to do the right thing. “I’ll let my... (full context)

Mr. Laurence returns to the Marches’ house with Beth, who had gone to him for a couple bottles of wine for Mr. March. Mr.... (full context)

...play with clay, and Meg forgets her sewing in lieu of writing letters to Marmee. Beth, however, continues to be industrious (although she does grieve). (full context)

Beth goes to Meg and asks her to see the Hummels, as their baby is sick.... (full context)

Beth arrives quite late, and no one notices her hide away in her mother’s room after... (full context)

Laurie and Meg wonder if Mrs. March should be told of Beth’s illness. Hannah (who has experience with scarlet fever) has told the children that she thinks... (full context)

Beth has become quite ill, and is under the constant care of Jo, Hannah, and the... (full context)

On the first of December, the doctor looks in on Beth and tells Hannah that Mrs. March must be sent for. Jo runs out the door... (full context)

News of Mrs. March’s imminent arrival spreads throughout the house, and hope is renewed. Beth’s pet bird begins chirping again, and a half-blown rose is discovered outside, which are seen... (full context)

The whole household stays up to keep watch over Beth that night. When midnight strikes, Jo sees Meg kneeling with her face hidden. Jo suddenly... (full context)

...they’d found in the garden. “I thought this would hardly be ready to lay in Beth’s hand tomorrow if she – went away from us. But it has blossomed in the... (full context)

...as witnesses. Laurie reads the document and asks Amy if she got the idea from Beth. Amy is confused, and Laurie goes on to explain that one day, when she felt... (full context)

...she wants nothing to do with love at the moment, given the recent trauma of Beth’s illness. Laurie arrives, and he apologizes profusely. Meg and Mrs. March forgive him, but Jo... (full context)

Peace reigns at the March household as Beth’s health improves. Christmas Day arrives, and news of Mr. March’s return after the New Year... (full context)

...pleased to see that Jo is less tomboyish, that Amy is less selfish, and that Beth’s health is much improved. Jo asks Beth what she’s thinking, and Beth replies that she... (full context)

...reliving” the early days of their love through Meg, Amy draws the new couple, and Beth sits chatting with Mr. Laurence. Meanwhile, Jo and Laurie sit on the couch together, and... (full context)

...Aunt March’s confidante, leaving Jo free to write for the newspaper and to tend to Beth (who is still delicate). Laurie, meanwhile, is in college, and has become a bit of... (full context)

...and never mind the money,” he cautions. Jo resolves to use her earnings to send Beth and Mrs. March on a seaside holiday. (full context)

Something in Beth’s behavior worries Mrs. March. After observing Beth in secret, Jo concludes that she has fallen... (full context)

That night, Jo watches Laurie talk to Beth in the Marches’ parlor. Jo retreats to the sofa, so as to give the two... (full context)

Later that night, as she lies awake in bed, Jo overhears Beth weeping into her pillow. She assumes that Beth is crying about Laurie. (full context)

Several days later, prompted by both Beth and Laurie’s behavior, Jo tells Mrs. March that she thinks it would be best if... (full context)

On the day of her departure, Jo asks Beth to take care of Laurie for her while she’s away. As she says goodbye to... (full context)

Jo writes to Mrs. March and Beth about her adventures in New York. Mrs. Kirke is the proprietor of a large boarding... (full context)

Jo realizes that Beth’s health has waned in her absence. Jo reveals to her family that she has made... (full context)

Jo and Beth go to the seaside. During their trip, Jo somehow senses that Beth is going to... (full context)

Jo implores Beth to not give up on life just yet. Soon after, a small brown sandpiper sits... (full context)

When they return home, Mr. and Mrs. March plainly see that Beth is not long for the world. Beth is tired from the journey and immediately goes... (full context)

Back in the March household, the family is coming to grips with Beth’s imminent death. Beth is given a special room in the house. The family gathers with... (full context)

Beth eventually becomes weaker and weaker, to the point where she can no longer sew. One... (full context)

Spring arrives. Lying asleep on her mother’s chest, Beth dies one day at the break of dawn. Sunlight streams onto Beth’s face, and snowdrops... (full context)

A letter about Beth’s failing health is lost in the mail, and by the time Amy hears about her... (full context)

Jo realizes she has to come to grips with life without Beth. She finds it difficult to act virtuous without her sister’s pious influence, and she realizes... (full context)