Even after the new film, which certainly popularized Amy/Laurie in a way Iāve never seen before, I keep hearing a lot of the same old arguments:Ā āLaurie never stopped loving Joā,Ā āLaurie didnāt really love Amyā,Ā āAmy was a second choice/consolation prizeā,Ā āJo shouldāve been with Laurieā etc. And a lot of these people claim this is book canon. As Iāve just reread the book, Iāve got a lot of thoughts on all of thisā¦Ā
(Note: This is all purely based on book canon.)
In the book, after Amy harshly scolds Laurie, he decides to go back to London and work for his grandfather to better himself. At first, he thinks heās doing it for two reasons: Amy despises him and that hurts him, but also the idea that if he does somethingĀ āsplendidā Jo may love him (or at least respect him, as Amy put it).Ā
So Laurie decides to write a requiem for JoĀ āwhich should harrow up Joās soul and melt the heart of every hearerā. But he canāt come up with anything because he keeps humming the dance music reminiscent of the Christmas ball in Nice which he spent devoting himself to Amy all evening.Ā So then he tries to compose an opera with Jo as his heroine, but it doesnāt work.Ā āHe wanted Jo for his heroine, and called upon his memory to supply him with tender recollections and romantic visions of his love. But memory turned traitor; and, as if possessed by the perverse spirit of the girl, would only recall Joās oddities, faults, and freaks, would only show her in the most unsentimental aspects.āĀ
Jo no longer fits as his heroine, no matter how hard he tries. So heĀ gives up on that, and his imagination promptly comes up with another heroine for him without even trying:Ā
āThis phantom wore many faces, but it always had golden hair, was enveloped in a diaphanous cloud, and floated airily before his mindās eye in a pleasing chaos of roses, peacocks, white ponies, and blue ribbons. He did not give the complacent wraith any name, but he took her for his heroine and grew quite fond of her, as well he might, for he gifted her with every gift and grace under the sun, and escorted her, unscathed, through trials which would have annihilated any mortal woman.ā
While Laurie doesnāt realize it, the woman heās imagining is Amy. Amy with the blue ribbons in her golden hair, who put roses in his buttonhole, who he watched feed the peacocks in Paris, and who he first saw again in a carriage drawn by ponies. Itās also a little prophetic, as he does escort the real Amy through future trials. (Bonus: at the same time, Amy spends her time sketching some faceless man who clearly resembles Laurie, but she doesnāt realize it either.)
Contrary to what some in the fandom would claim, Laurie isnāt at all forcing himself to love Amy just so that he can be part of the March family. He doesnāt even realize that sheās become theĀ āheroineā in his story, that sheās the woman heās fantasizing about. He thinks heās doing this to improve himself for Jo, but itās Amy thatās inspiring him.Ā
And then Laurie realizes that his feelings for Jo are disappearing:
āLaurie thought that the task of forgetting his love for Jo would absorb all his powers for years, but to his great surprise he discovered it grew easier every day. He refused to believe it at first, got angry with himself, and couldnāt understand it [ā¦] Laurieās heart wouldnātĀ ache; the wound persisted in healing with a rapidity that astonished him, and instead of trying to forget, he found himself trying to remember. He had not foreseen this turn of affairs, and was not prepared for it. He was disgusted with himself, surprised at his own fickleness, and full of a queer mixture of disappointment and relief that he could recover from such a tremendous blow so soon. He carefully stirred up the embers of his lost love, but they refused to burn into a blaze: there was only a comfortable glow that warmed and did him good without putting him into a fever, and he was reluctantly obliged to confess that the boyish passion was slowly subsiding into a more tranquil sentiment, very tender, a little sad and resentful still, but that was sure to pass away in time, leaving a brotherly affection which would last unbroken to the end.ā
This passage alone pretty much puts to rest the idea that Laurie never got over Jo. He actually got over her so easily and quickly that he felt disgusted with himself, thinking this made him fickle. His romantic feelings are gone, and soon will leave only aĀ ābrotherly affectionā when the last of the hurt is gone as well. Maybe he got over her so easily because he simply mistook his strong bond with her for romance, or maybe it was just a rash and immature first love that was never going to last long anyways, or whatever elseā¦ point being, he got over her.
2087
amandla
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
izzy806
blakekathryn
snowghoul
andulkaphoto
yousharknotpass
