Little Women

Little Women

by

Louisa May Alcott

Teachers and parents! Struggling with distance learning? Our Teacher Edition on Little Women can help.

Margaret "Marmee" March Character Analysis

Mother of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, and wife of Mr. March. Mrs. March runs the household in the first half of the book, when Mr. March is away at war. She is calm and collected, deeply moral, and teaches her girls to see the proper way to behave and the value of their poverty.

Margaret "Marmee" March Quotes in Little Women

The Little Women quotes below are all either spoken by Margaret "Marmee" March or refer to Margaret "Marmee" 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:
The Role of Women Theme Icon
).
Part 1, Chapter 1 Quotes

“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 Literary Devices:
Page Number: 16
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1, Chapter 11 Quotes

“Work is wholesome, and there is plenty for everyone. It keeps us from ennui and mischief, is good for health and spirits, and gives us a sense of power and independence better than money or fashion.”

Related Characters: Margaret "Marmee" March (speaker)
Page Number: 124
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1, Chapter 15 Quotes

“My dear, where did you get it? Twenty-five dollars! Jo, I hope you haven’t done anything rash?”
“No, it’s mine honestly. I didn’t beg, borrow, or steal it. I earned it, and I don’t think you’ll blame me, for I only sold what was my own.”
As she spoke, Jo took off her bonnet, and a general outcry arose, for all her abundant hair was cut short.

Related Characters: Josephine "Jo" March (speaker), Margaret "Marmee" March (speaker)
Page Number: 167
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1, Chapter 20 Quotes

“I’m not ambitious for a splendid fortune, or fashionable position, or a great name for my girls. If rank and money come with love and virtue, also, I should accept them gratefully, and enjoy your good fortune, but I know, by experience, how much genuine happiness can be had in a plain little house, where the daily bread is earned, and some privations give sweetness to the few pleasures.”

Related Characters: Margaret "Marmee" March (speaker)
Page Number: 209
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2, Chapter 24 Quotes

“Meg and John begin humbly, but I have a feeling that there will be quite as much happiness in the little house as in the big one. It’s a great mistake for young girls like Meg to leave themselves nothing to do but dress, give orders, and gossip.”

Related Characters: Margaret "Marmee" March (speaker), Margaret "Meg" March, John Brooke
Page Number: 248
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2, Chapter 25 Quotes

It wasn’t at all the thing, I’m afraid, but the minute she was fairly married, Meg cried,” The first kiss for Marmee!” and turning, gave it with her heart on her lips.

Related Characters: Margaret "Meg" March (speaker), Margaret "Marmee" March
Page Number: 258
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2, Chapter 47 Quotes

Touched to the heart, Mrs. March could only stretch out her arms, as if to gather children and grandchildren to herself, and say, with face and voice full of motherly love, gratitude, and humility…
“Oh, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this!”

Page Number: 499
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Little Women LitChart as a printable PDF.
Little Women PDF

Margaret "Marmee" March Character Timeline in Little Women

The timeline below shows where the character Margaret "Marmee" March appears in Little Women. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Chapter 1: Playing Pilgrims
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
...- are sitting in their sparsely furnished living room. The March family is poor, and Mrs. March (their mother) has suggested that the family go without presents, given that it would be... (full context)
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
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 worn they... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Mrs. March – “a tall, motherly lady with a ‘can I help you’ look about her” -... (full context)
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Mrs. March reminds her daughters of the times they used to act out scenes from Pilgrim’s Progress... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 2: A Merry Christmas
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...read, Amy sneaks out and exchanges the small, cheap bottle of cologne she bought for Mrs. March for a large one. (full context)
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Mrs. March comes home from some early morning errands, and tells the girls that the Hummels –... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
The Marches return home and breakfast on bread and milk. After Mrs. March receives her gifts, the girls spend the rest of the day making preparations for their... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 4: Burdens
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Mrs. March, who has been quietly listening the whole time, gathers the girls around her and tells... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 5: Being Neighborly
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Jo reveals that Laurie said he’d been grateful for the “medicine” Mrs. March had sent over, and Meg remarks that Laurie was paying Jo a compliment. Jo is... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 6: Beth Finds the Palace Beautiful
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
...go next door to try out Mr. Laurence’s grand piano. Realizing this, Mr. Laurence visits Mrs. March and, within earshot of Beth, tactfully mentions that he wishes someone would drop by and... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 7: Amy’s Valley of Humiliation
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
At recess, Amy runs home and tells her family what happened. Her family is incensed. Mrs. March agrees that Amy can take a vacation from school, given that she disagrees with corporal... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 8: Jo Meets Apollyon
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...and Amy quickly guesses that they’re going to the theater with Laurie. Meg explains that Mrs. March wants Amy to go another time, given that Amy’s recovering from a cold. Jo snorts... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...rush Amy home, where she’s bundled in blankets and parked in front of the fire. Mrs. March assures Jo that Amy will be perfectly fine. Jo, however, is shaken, and is ashamed... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 9: Meg Goes to Vanity Fair
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
...with her new friend Annie Moffat, whom she met at the New Year’s Eve dance. Mrs. March has given Meg a few dainty accessories to wear from the “treasure chest” (a trunk... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...party, a box of roses is delivered. They’re from Laurie, accompanied by a note from Mrs. March . Meg uses the flowers to decorate her dress and hair, offers bouquets to the... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...unknown women (presumably two of the Moffat women) gossiping about her. The women speculate that Mrs. March is planning on marrying Meg off to Laurie, given that he’s rich. They also pity... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...returns home and is relieved that she can just be herself again. She confesses to Mrs. March that she allowed herself to give in to her vanity at the Moffats’ party, and... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 11: Experiments
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
...own hands and pitch in to make a sub-par breakfast, which they proudly serve to Marmee. Jo invites Laurie over for dinner, and gets in well over her head when she... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
At day’s end, Mrs. March asks the girls what they’ve learned this week. She reveals that she wanted the girls... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 15: A Telegram
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...someday make a fortune for the Marches through their art, but Meg remains skeptical. Meanwhile, Mrs. March and Laurie come home. All is normal until Hannah bursts in with news of a... (full context)
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...grief, quickly springs to action. Hannah (for whom “work was panacea for most afflictions”) encourages Mrs. March to get ready to leave for Washington right away. Laurie rushes off to send a... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...gone to him for a couple bottles of wine for Mr. March. Mr. Laurence offers Mrs. March everything he has at his disposal, and promises to keep an eye on the girls... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
The afternoon quickly passes as preparations are made for Mrs. March ’s departure. Jo is gone all afternoon, and the Marches begin to worry about her.... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Addressing her stunned family, Jo tells the story of how she sold her hair. Mrs. March isn’t upset, but does worry that Jo will regret her decision. Later that night, Jo... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 16: Letters
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
The girls awake at dawn to see their mother off. As Mrs. March leaves the house, she bids her daughters to be brave, to refrain from grieving, to... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...girls tell Mrs. March about how they haven’t forgotten her lessons. (Jo, for instance, tells Marmee that she recently battled with her temper in a quarrel with Laurie.) Hannah, Laurie, and... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 17: Little Faithful
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
...to 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)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Laurie and Meg wonder if Mrs. March should be told of Beth’s illness. Hannah (who has experience with scarlet fever) has told... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 18: Dark Days
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...She bumps into Laurie when she returns, and she tells him that she’s sent for Marmee, and about Beth’s worsening condition. Tears stream down her face as she talks, and Laurie... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
He then reveals that he’s already contacted Mrs. March, and that she’s scheduled to arrive that very night. Jo throws herself into Laurie’s arms... (full context)
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
News of Mrs. March ’s imminent arrival spreads throughout the house, and hope is renewed. Beth’s pet bird begins... (full context)
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...she wakes. Outside, the girls hear sleigh bells, and Laurie calls from outside to announce Mrs. March ’s arrival. (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 20: Confidential
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Mrs. March returns, and the girls are ecstatic. The girls sleep most of the day, and a... (full context)
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...her cries awake an exhausted Laurie, who had been napping on the couch. Amy shows Marmee the chapel Esther made for her, and Mrs. March approves of it. (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Mrs. March notices that Amy is wearing a turquoise ring, and Amy explains that Aunt March gave... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
That evening, Jo goes to Mrs. March and tells her what Laurie told her: that Mr. Brooke took one of Meg’s gloves,... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...go away. “Why weren’t we all boys, then there wouldn’t be any bother,” she sighs. Mrs. March, on the other hand, thinks Mr. Brooke is an excellent man, and that she would... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Jo asks her mother if she wouldn’t rather see Meg married to a rich man. Mrs. March replies that she’d rather see her daughters happily, if humbly, married rather than have them... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Meg walks in at that moment with a letter for Mrs. March to proofread. Mrs. March tells Meg to add a note to “John,” sending him Mrs.... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 21: Laurie Makes Mischief, and Jo Makes Peace
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...that she was too young to marry, and that he must speak to Mr. March. Mrs. March is proud of Meg’s response. Meg then reveals that the letter she received today is... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Jo runs to fetch Laurie. While she’s gone, Mrs. March asks Meg if she loves Mr. Brooke. Meg responds that she wants nothing to do... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
...with the Marches, but Laurie didn’t tell him the whole story given that he’d given Mrs. March his word to keep quiet. When Laurie refused to tell the whole story, Mr. Laurence... (full context)
Part 1, Chapter 22: Pleasant Meadows
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
...Jo receives a long-desired book) until, that evening, Laurie brings Mr. March into the parlor. Mrs. March and her daughters are ecstatic. Later that night, they all sit down for a triumphant... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 24: Gossip
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
...its décor and upkeep give it a charm that, Meg decides, money could never buy. Mrs. March estimates that there will be quite as much happiness in Meg’s small house as there... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 25: The First Wedding
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...the couple, and after she’s married Meg declares that the first kiss shall go to Marmee. (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 26: Artistic Attempts
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
With this in mind, Amy asks Mrs. March if she might have the girls from her drawing class over for lunch and a... (full context)
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Mrs. March suggests a simple lunch, but Amy insists on delicacies: cold chicken and tongue, French chocolate,... (full context)
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
...Amy bursts out laughing. She bids that they take the party leftovers to the Hummels. Mrs. March expresses her sympathy that the party was a disappointment, but Amy reflects that she is... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 27: Literary Lessons
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
...mind the money,” he cautions. Jo resolves to use her earnings to send Beth and Mrs. March on a seaside holiday. (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 28: Domestic Experiences
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...Brooke returns home, Meg gives Mr. Brooke the cold shoulder until she recalls some advice Mrs. March had given her regarding Mr. Brooke: “Watch yourself, be the first to ask pardon if... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 30: Consequences
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
...her anger. “Because they are mean is no reason why I should be,” she tells Mrs. March . Her mother agrees that this is the right course of action. (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
...to Europe. Jo is devastated – she was sure that Aunt Carrol would pick her. Mrs. March explains that Jo was passed over due to her “blunt manners and too independent spirit.” (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 31: Our Foreign Correspondent
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...to Mrs. March, Amy reveals that she thinks Fred wishes to marry her. She tells Marmee that though she’s “not madly in love,” she’s decided that she will say yes if... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 32: Tender Troubles
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Something in Beth’s behavior worries Mrs. March . After observing Beth in secret, Jo concludes that she has fallen in love with... (full context)
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Several days later, prompted by both Beth and Laurie’s behavior, Jo tells Mrs. March that she thinks it would be best if she left town for a while. Jo’s... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 33: Jo’s Journal
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Jo writes to Mrs. March and Beth about her adventures in New York. Mrs. Kirke is the proprietor of a... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 36: Beth’s Secret
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
When they return home, Mr. and Mrs. March plainly see that Beth is not long for the world. Beth is tired from the... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 38: On the Shelf
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Meg begins to feel abandoned, and she goes to Mrs. March for advice. Marmee explains that Meg has “made the mistake that most young wives make – forgotten your... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Meg reveals to her husband that she’s trying to take Mrs. March ’s advice, and Mr. Brooke is overjoyed. In the end, though experiments such as this,... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 40: The Valley of the Shadow
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...in the house. The family gathers with her here (Daisy and Demi often visit, and Mrs. March, Jo, and Mr. March often do their work in the room), and for the first... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 42: All Alone
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Mrs. March suggests to Jo that she start writing again. Jo takes her advice, and pens a... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 47: Harvest Time
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
...apple orchard is overrun with children. A toast is raised to Aunt March, and to Mrs. March ’s sixtieth birthday. Jo’s students disappear into the branches of the trees and soon begin... (full context)
The Role of Women Theme Icon
Christianity, Morality, and Goodness Theme Icon
Work and Social Class Theme Icon
Genuineness, Simplicity, and Natural Beauty Theme Icon
Love Theme Icon
Mrs. March sits “enthroned” in the grass, surrounded by her daughters. They all reflect on their respective... (full context)