Little Women Chapter 8

Meg and Jo are going out on Saturday, and Amy wants to know where they are going. She is bored and lonely because Beth is playing her piano. Amy guesses that they are going somewhere with Laurie. Meg and Jo say she is right, but tell her to stop bothering them. Amy realizes that they are going to the theater to see Seven Castles. She is upset when her sisters tell her she has a cold, and so must wait to go next week with Beth and Hannah. Amy says that she has been indoors so long that she can't take it anymore Her sisters debate whether to take her or not. Jo says that she will be too fidgety. Amy gets mad and starts putting on her boots. Jo tells her it is rude to want to go when she wasn't invited, and that their seats are reserved, so Laurie will have to give up his place and get a seat somewhere else, which would spoil their fun. Amy begins to cry, and Meg tries to reason with her. The sisters prepare to leave, and Amy yells down the stairs "'You'll be sorry for this, Jo March, see if you ain't.'" Jo slams the door and is gone.

Meg and Jo have a good time at the play, but Jo feels a little bitter. Her temper and Amy's often clashed. Jo tries to be good.

When they come home, Amy is reading in the parlor and doesn't ask any questions about the play. Beth asks, and it is described to her. Jo goes to her room and looks around, because during her last fight with Amy, Amy had dumped out one of her dresser drawers. Everything is in its place, so Jo assumes Amy has forgiven her.

The next day, though, Jo discovers that the manuscript of a book she has been writing is missing. Jo notices a change in Amy's face and asks her where it was. Amy says she doesn't have it. "'Scold me as much as you like, you'll never see your silly old book again,' cried Amy, getting excited in her turn." (p.88) Amy says that she burned the book. Jo turns pale. She says that Amy is a wicked girl and that she will never forgive her.

Beth tries to comfort Jo and Meg rescues Amy. When their mother comes home she makes Amy understand what she has done. Amy asks for Jo's forgiveness. Their mother didn't say anything else, because Jo was moody, and the best way to let her learn to control her temper is to let her come around on her own. That night, as her mother is kissing her goodnight, she advises Jo to not let the sun go down on her anger. Jo can't forgive Amy and says so. Amy can hear that she doesn't deserve to be forgiven.

The next day, because her family is a little hateful to her for not forgiving Amy, Jo goes looking for Laurie to go skating with her. Amy hears Jo get her skates and follows her and Laurie. Jo has promised that she would bring Amy with her the next time they went skating. Jo sees Amy following them, but ignores her. Laurie goes to make sure the ice can hold them before he and Jo race on it. Laurie tells Jo to keep to the shore because the ice in the middle isn't safe. Jo thinks to herself that she doesn't care if Amy heard that; she can take care of herself. Laurie skates away, and Jo skates after him, but something makes her turn around in time to see Amy fall through the ice. Laurie rushes by her, telling her to get a rail for Amy to hold on to. They get Amy out of the water and get her home quickly. Jo feels horrible about this, feeling that it would have been all her fault if Amy died. "'It's my dreadful temper! I try to cure it; I think I have, and then it breaks out worse than ever. Oh, Mother, what shall I do? What shall I do?' cried poor Jo, in despair." Chapter 8, pg. 93 Her mother says that her own temper was like Jo's, but she learned how and when to keep it back. She says that Jo can learn this, too. Jo resolves to do this. When Amy is asleep Jo goes to her. Amy wakes up as Jo gives her a hug and a kiss and forgives her.