Where does Little Women take place? Story and Timeline explored

Little Women, the 2019 film written and directed by Greta Gerwig, is the seventh movie adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel of the same name. It tells the story of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March, who live in Concord, Massachusetts, in the 19th century. Standing apart from her predecessors, Greta divides the narrative into two separate timelines interspersed with each other, known as the Past and the Present. 

Beginning at the Present, in 1868, Little Women introduces the protagonists as adults leading their own lives. It then takes the viewers back to the past in 1861. As both timelines proceed simultaneously, the two eras are differentiated with the use of color. The Present is seen in a colder, more blue palette, while the past is seen in brighter colors and a golden tint.

The coming-of-age period drama film has a runtime of 135 minutes, and is liked by critics and audiences alike. On the film and television rating website Rotten Tomatoes, Little Women has been certified 95% ‘fresh,’ while the audience score stands at 92%. The film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen as the four sisters Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth, respectively. 

Everything that takes place in 1861 in the Little Women

Jo and her older sister, Meg, were at a party in 1861 when they met their neighbor, Laurie. On Christmas morning, "Marmee," the girls' mother, convinces them to share their breakfast with Mrs. Hummel and her kids, their impoverished neighbors. Their neighbor and Laurie's grandfather, Mr. Laurence, had piled their table high with food when they get home. Their father is serving in the American Civil War, and Marmee then reads a letter from him. Jo reads to Aunt March, her father's sister, on a daily basis in the hopes that she may be invited to Europe. 

An envious Amy burns Jo's unpublished novel while Laurie, Meg, Jo, and Laurie's tutor, John Brooke, are at the theater. The following morning, Amy follows Laurie and an irate Jo onto a frozen lake in an attempt to win her forgiveness. Laurie and Jo save Amy after she breaks through the ice. Mr. Laurence asks Beth to come to his house and play the piano that belonged to his late daughter.

Beth was previously given the piano by Mr. Laurence, who later learns that she has scarlet fever from the Hummels. Amy is placed under Aunt March's care to prevent her from contracting the disease, and Aunt March counsels her to marry well in order to support her family. Meg tells John that she sold the fabric and adds that she is content as his wife, despite John's insistence that she construct a dress out of it right now to please her. 

In the past, Beth gets better in time for Christmas, and their father also comes home. Beth passes away after getting sicker in the present. Jo tries to persuade Meg to flee on her wedding day in the past, but Meg declares her happiness at getting married to John. Aunt March announces that Amy, not Jo, will be traveling to Europe. Laurie pops the question to Jo after the wedding, but she declines, saying she doesn't see herself getting married.

How does the plot unfold in 1868 in the Little Women?

"Stop crying, it's just a movie."

The movie: pic.twitter.com/0KpVsHcZGN

— Little Women (@LittleWomen) March 24, 2021

Jo March is employed as a teacher in New York City in 1868. Her short story will be published by Mr. Dashwood, an editor. At the same time, Amy, her youngest sister, is in Paris with their Aunt March and goes to a party with Laurie, the Marchs' neighbor and childhood friend. After Laurie's inebriated behavior angers Amy, he makes fun of her for hanging out with affluent businessman Fred Vaughn. Friedrich Bhaer, a German professor who stays at her boarding home, critiques Jo's writing, which infuriates and hurts her. When Jo finds out that her younger sister Beth's condition has gotten worse, she goes back to Concord, Massachusetts.

In the present, Meg tells John that she is unhappy about her financial situation after purchasing fabric that they cannot afford. Laurie urges Amy to marry him instead of Fred and visits her to apologize for his actions. Amy, who is in love with Laurie, declines because she feels inferior to Jo all the time. She nevertheless declines Fred's offer.

Presently, Amy is returning from Europe with an ailing Aunt March, Marmee tells. Jo questions if she was too hasty to turn Laurie down and sends him a letter. Jo starts writing a novel on her and her sisters' lives and sends the first few chapters to Mr. Dashwood, who is not impressed. On his trip to California, Bhaer unexpectedly shows up at the March residence, surprising Jo.

In New York, Mr. Dashwood agrees to publish Jo's novel when his daughters insist on knowing the conclusion, but he won't accept the protagonist's unmarried status at the conclusion. Jo stops Bhaer from departing for California at the end of her book, which features her as the protagonist, in order to please him. She and Mr. Dashwood are able to effectively negotiate royalties and copyright. After Aunt March passes away, Jo takes over her home and turns it into a school, where Meg, Amy, John, and Bhaer all teach. Jo watches as Little Women, her book, is printed.

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