Little Women

Laurie stays for a month in Nice, and Amy welcomes his familiar presence. At the same time, “they were half-consciously making discoveries and forming opinions about each other. Amy rose daily in the estimation of her friend, but he sank in hers, and each felt the truth before a word was spoken” (431).

Although they get along, Amy notices Laurie’s laziness and his indifference toward his grandfather’s responsibility. Unable to keep silent, she asks Laurie when he will go to see his grandfather. His vague responses irritate her, so she says, “What would Jo say if she saw you now?” (435) to get a reaction. At the mention of Jo’s name, she senses “a new expression on Laurie’s face—a hard, bitter look, full of pain, dissatisfaction, and regret” (435), and tries to pry for an answer to his behavior.

They discuss Amy’s changed artistic ambitions and her decision to marry Fred Vaughn, which receives slight criticism from Laurie. Amy uses the opportunity to discuss his own aimless wandering when he should be taking care of his grandfather and working toward some pursuit: “Here you have been abroad nearly six months, and done nothing but waste time and money and disappoint your friends” (439).