This movie is Big!
Gerwig, the writer of “Little Women”, portrays her most talked about Character Josephine March, who is also known as “Jo” an aspiring and eventually a successful writer. Her up-bringing is made clear to Gerwig’s audience when she drives herself mercilessly and tastes the rejection of her works with which some writers in her vicinity are not so pleased and unhappy with.
The movie also takes a romantic stage. This is made real in a way where the audience could actually relate to the scenes. From the outset of the movie, Gerwig sets these two characters, Jo and Laurie as perfect for each other in every role played. With the exception of the one into which sentimental conventions would force them: and that is “Marriage”.
Jo’s career as a scribbler makes her lonely, but she is made much lonelier by the realization that love in real life does not greatly resemble the kind of love she describes in her most of her stories. Now, even though her other three sisters, Meg, Beth and Amy and her Mum loved her Write-up’s, Hers, to many didn’t meet that of the standards to what most authors and the professor wanted.
Jo does more than show affection for her family. She showed much love by cutting her hair to sell when the news broke out that her Dad was ill. She must also earn the money that supports them, and this necessity sometimes means neglecting them in favor of her work. Her love for Laurie, grew when she let him find a greater happiness in her sister Amy than she can give him as a wife. To borrow the words of Leonard Cohen, “Love, for Jo, is not a victory march”
Lessons learnt from Gerwig’s “Little Women”
1. The act of Kindness and Sacrificing is a great value.
I have never experienced anything like this as I have now in my field of endeavor. After watching this Movie, I couldn’t help but relate with the sense of Kindness and unconditional love from Marmee and her Children to other neighbors.
“Let me be your shoulder and please let me make you happy”
Whenever someone utters these words, I get goosebumps and I am lost for words. Marmee shed tears when she gets to know Hannah her neighbor and children had no food for their Christmas festival. She had to pack up breakfast meant for her household to Hannah. This scene is so epic and heart-warming.
Even though they don’t have much themselves. Kindness is one of the cornerstones of how Marmee raises her girls, and in turn they learn how to weave kindness into their everyday. Tell you what, I have and I am still experiencing this act. I, however, wonder how this person does it.
2. Learn to focus more on your previous achievement and work on new dreams: Overcome the Obstacles.
From the movie, we see the attitude of strength demonstrated by Marmee. This moral trait is exhibited on the four March sisters. Their father is a chaplain for the Union army who was not living with them. This makes Marmee and her children firm in their own task. Somehow, she is seen as a woman who steers her four teenage daughters on very little money while still raising her daughters with love and values. She does this perfectly well. Her strength and activeness is impeccable! Gerwig presents her as unassuming in this movie.
3. Live for yourself and not for others.
You might probably do anything when it comes to matters of the heart. Once someone advices “If you are going to add value to yourself,it should be that you are doing it for you and not for others or anyone” Amy tells Laurie, who’s been in love with Jo for years, that he can love her forever if he chooses. She adds: “But don’t let it spoil you, for it’s wicked to throw away so many good gifts because you can’t have the one you want.”
Listen, if you are doing it because of someone else, stop and ponder over it. Remember these, do it for you and not for them! Expectations hurts! Don’t succumb to it. Learn to let go of your expectations and accept things the way they are.
Is there a more quintessential human challenge than letting go?I personally think Jo should have married Laurie. But she had her own opinion about how love should be and finally had to let Laurie go. And just like Amy suggests, I’ve let go of my expectations and accepted change. Many a time, we let the one thing we have thought we wanted destroy all the good things going on in our lives.
4. Self-love is the best!
I have come to understand this in a very wired way. Now more than ever, we have got to tell ourselves whether they care for us or not, whatever happens, the good, bad and ugly. If you don’t love yourself, there is no way you can love others too.
The Little Women quote, “Be worthy love, and love will come”. Lesson learnt: Learn not to expect someone to come along and save you or make you whole. Enjoy the moment, Live life to the fullest, Add Value to life. “We have to be fully satisfied and sure of ourselves as individuals before we can truly experience everything that love has to offer us”
This Movie was worth my time! Please find time, download and watch it too!
Time: 2hrs 15 min
Written and Directed by : Greta Gretwig
Published Dec. 23, 2019
Updated Jan. 2, 2020
