{"id":6187,"date":"2016-05-19T12:29:52","date_gmt":"2016-05-19T06:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=6187"},"modified":"2026-07-17T22:03:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:33:35","slug":"how-greta-gerwigs-little-women-reclaims-the-brilliance-of-amy-march","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187","title":{"rendered":"How Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March"},"content":{"rendered":"\nF<\/span>or years, a generation of girls who grew up reading Louisa May Alcott\u2019s Little Women<\/em> have known that it was the original \u201cWhich Character Are You?\u201d fan quiz<\/a> format now popularised by Buzzfeed. If you\u2019ve read Little Women<\/em>, I\u2019m willing to wager that you instantly identified with one of the four March sisters \u2013 the ever-popular writerly protagonist Jo, or the responsible, kindly eldest Meg. As a younger sister<\/a> however, I always knew that I belonged to the tribe of Amys \u2013 the bevy or choir of Amys as the self-assertive youngest March would no doubt prefer.\n\nIn a family<\/a> of pathologically generous individuals, Amy stands out for being slightly more materialistic than Meg, as sanctimonious as Jo, and far more self-absorbed than sweet, martyred Beth. That\u2019s why Greta Gerwig\u2019s painterly reimagining of Little Women<\/em> \u2013 the seventh film adaptation of the 1986 novel \u2013 has seen a storm of conversation not only around Jo (a sparkling Saoirse Ronan), but also Florence Pugh\u2019s turn as Amy. Gerwig, true to the novel<\/a>, frames her story around Alcott\u2019s autobiographical heroine. But Amy emerges as the foil to Jo, the only sister who challenges her rigid views on freedom, feminism, and art, and the one who consequently propels Jo, kicking and screaming toward change.\n\nOf course, Amy\u2019s methods are frequently questionable, but they also go to the heart of revealing the invariably petty side of human emotions<\/a>. The scene where she, seething at being excluded from an outing with her elder sisters, callously burns Jo\u2019s beloved manuscript, has cemented her as a villain. Amy acts with the recklessness of a child<\/a> \u2013 which, for all her big words and prim manners, she still is. I\u2019m reminded of an occasion when I, a similarly snub-nosed eight-year-old, scribbled a moustache on my big sister\u2019s favourite Cabbage Patch doll in a fit of pique, only to find that the ink would not wash off.\n\n
Pugh brings to this unloveable Amy a defiance that resembles Jo\u2019s own attitude toward anyone who dares stand in her way<\/blockquote>\n\nMoreover, Pugh brings to this unloveable Amy a defiance that resembles Jo\u2019s own attitude toward anyone who dares stand in her way. In Amy\u2019s 12-year-old world, Jo is the gatekeeper refusing her entry into the realm of womanhood<\/a>, confining her to a life as the overlooked kid sister and making her a perpetual object of ridicule. Amy, we see, has a sensitive, artistic temperament just like Jo, with even less maturity to govern it. No wonder Gerwig herself loves<\/a> this much-maligned March (Which ambitious woman can\u2019t relate to Amy\u2019s nihilistic desire to be \u201cgreat or nothing\u201d?), recognising that her importance isn\u2019t only in her own mind.\n\nAnd as Little Women<\/em> shows more clearly than ever, Amy\u2019s existence is symptomatic of Jo\u2019s biggest flaw: Of all the sisters, Jo is the most judgmental of those who don\u2019t live up to her impossible standards \u2013 including herself. When Amy announces her intention of being a famous artist in the film\u2019s opening sequence, Jo scoffs that the same ambitious nature she displays sounds \u201ccrass\u201d when it comes from her younger sister. She can\u2019t seem to understand why Amy wants to grow up so badly when the idea is loathsome to Jo. On Meg\u2019s wedding<\/a> day, Jo, perennially terrified of change, pleads with her to run away together, prompting Meg to patiently explain that her dreams are not unimportant just because they don\u2019t check Jo\u2019s boxes. As usual, Jo is given the kind of gr.ace that she \u2013 and by extension, readers \u2014 rarely extend to Amy.\n\n

\"little_women\"\n

\n

In a family of pathologically generous individuals, Amy stands out for being slightly more materialistic than Meg, as sanctimonious as Jo, and far more self-absorbed than sweet, martyred Beth.<\/p>\n

Columbia Pictures<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\nPerhaps, it\u2019s this unvarnished commitment<\/a> to beliefs that makes Jo, a favourite of bookish girls. But in her adaptation of Little Women<\/em>, Gerwig finally gives Amy credit for having unabashed clarity about what she wants from life. While the rest of the Marches live in a state of noble idealism, Amy is rooted in reality. In the film, Amy swallows the bitter pill that her talent doesn\u2019t translate to genius and acknowledges in a speech to Laurie (Timothee Chalamet) \u2013 laden with restrained emotion and practicality \u2013 that she has no option but to marry well. Laurie\u2019s response extolling the virtues of love lays bare his privilege as a rich man. It doesn\u2019t take him long to see Amy but for what she really is: An accomplished woman<\/a> who knows her own mind and who is as formidable in her flouncy dresses as his tomboyish love, Jo. If Jo is determined not to have her story told for her, Amy is equally unapologetic about her hustle.\n\nFor the bevy or choir of Amys then, Little Women<\/em> is a fantastic vindication of what we\u2019ve known all along about our pet March sister. She\u2019s always been an ancestor of unlikable, enterprising women like Big Little Lies<\/em>\u2019 Renata Klein, who signify the transformation of what womanhood is expected to look like. Amy\u2019s brand of independent feminism, so often brushed aside in the face of headstrong, \u201cunladylike\u201d Jo, takes on a fresh relevance in an era where Amys have, at long last, fulfilled their destiny<\/a> and inherited the earth.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the bevy of Amy fans, Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women is a fantastic vindication of what we\u2019ve known all along about our pet March sister. Amy\u2019s brand of independent feminism takes on a fresh relevance in an era where the world can no longer afford to brush it aside.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":208,"featured_media":6190,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[10213,3948,10214,1121,4789,4421,735],"class_list":["post-6187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop-culture","tag-amy","tag-greta-gerwig","tag-jo","tag-little-women","tag-sisterhood","tag-womanhood","tag-women"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For the bevy of Amy fans, Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women is a fantastic vindication of what we\u2019ve known all along about our pet March sister. Amy\u2019s brand of independent feminism takes on a fresh relevance in an era where the world can no longer afford to brush it aside.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For the bevy of Amy fans, Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women is a fantastic vindication of what we\u2019ve known all along about our pet March sister. Amy\u2019s brand of independent feminism takes on a fresh relevance in an era where the world can no longer afford to brush it aside.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arr\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-05-19T06:59:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T16:33:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1580899438.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"850\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kahini Iyer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"How Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"For the bevy of Amy fans, Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women is a fantastic vindication of what we\u2019ve known all along about our pet March sister. Amy\u2019s brand of independent feminism takes on a fresh relevance in an era where the world can no longer afford to brush it aside.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kahini Iyer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?p=6187#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?p=6187\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kahini Iyer\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/dfa7873b3da2fc04ce9c2175364ca0e1\"},\"headline\":\"How Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-05-19T06:59:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-17T16:33:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?p=6187\"},\"wordCount\":912,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?p=6187#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1580899438.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Amy\",\"Greta Gerwig\",\"jo\",\"Little Women\",\"sisterhood\",\"womanhood\",\"Women\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Pop Culture\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?p=6187\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?p=6187\",\"name\":\"How Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?p=6187#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?p=6187#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1580899438.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-05-19T06:59:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-17T16:33:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/dfa7873b3da2fc04ce9c2175364ca0e1\"},\"description\":\"For the bevy of Amy fans, Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women is a fantastic vindication of what we\u2019ve known all along about our pet March sister. Amy\u2019s brand of independent feminism takes on a fresh relevance in an era where the world can no longer afford to brush it aside.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?p=6187#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?p=6187\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?p=6187#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1580899438.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1580899438.png\",\"width\":1520,\"height\":850},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?p=6187#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/\",\"name\":\"Arr\u00e9\",\"description\":\"In every person lies a creator and in every creator, an enterprise.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/dfa7873b3da2fc04ce9c2175364ca0e1\",\"name\":\"Kahini Iyer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/28f0aaa78fb3c2e6f74a6b9942c215b9e05c4f129048918912e608a6e3d60946?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/28f0aaa78fb3c2e6f74a6b9942c215b9e05c4f129048918912e608a6e3d60946?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/28f0aaa78fb3c2e6f74a6b9942c215b9e05c4f129048918912e608a6e3d60946?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kahini Iyer\"},\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/13.207.105.184\\\/?author=208\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March","description":"For the bevy of Amy fans, Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women is a fantastic vindication of what we\u2019ve known all along about our pet March sister. Amy\u2019s brand of independent feminism takes on a fresh relevance in an era where the world can no longer afford to brush it aside.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March","og_description":"For the bevy of Amy fans, Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women is a fantastic vindication of what we\u2019ve known all along about our pet March sister. Amy\u2019s brand of independent feminism takes on a fresh relevance in an era where the world can no longer afford to brush it aside.","og_url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187","og_site_name":"Arr\u00e9","article_published_time":"2016-05-19T06:59:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-17T16:33:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1520,"height":850,"url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1580899438.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Kahini Iyer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"How Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March","twitter_description":"For the bevy of Amy fans, Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women is a fantastic vindication of what we\u2019ve known all along about our pet March sister. Amy\u2019s brand of independent feminism takes on a fresh relevance in an era where the world can no longer afford to brush it aside.","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kahini Iyer","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187"},"author":{"name":"Kahini Iyer","@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/#\/schema\/person\/dfa7873b3da2fc04ce9c2175364ca0e1"},"headline":"How Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March","datePublished":"2016-05-19T06:59:52+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-17T16:33:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187"},"wordCount":912,"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1580899438.png","keywords":["Amy","Greta Gerwig","jo","Little Women","sisterhood","womanhood","Women"],"articleSection":["Pop Culture"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187","url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187","name":"How Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1580899438.png","datePublished":"2016-05-19T06:59:52+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-17T16:33:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/#\/schema\/person\/dfa7873b3da2fc04ce9c2175364ca0e1"},"description":"For the bevy of Amy fans, Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women is a fantastic vindication of what we\u2019ve known all along about our pet March sister. Amy\u2019s brand of independent feminism takes on a fresh relevance in an era where the world can no longer afford to brush it aside.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1580899438.png","contentUrl":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1580899438.png","width":1520,"height":850},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=6187#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Greta Gerwig\u2019s Little Women Reclaims the Brilliance of Amy March"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/#website","url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/","name":"Arr\u00e9","description":"In every person lies a creator and in every creator, an enterprise.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/#\/schema\/person\/dfa7873b3da2fc04ce9c2175364ca0e1","name":"Kahini Iyer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28f0aaa78fb3c2e6f74a6b9942c215b9e05c4f129048918912e608a6e3d60946?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28f0aaa78fb3c2e6f74a6b9942c215b9e05c4f129048918912e608a6e3d60946?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28f0aaa78fb3c2e6f74a6b9942c215b9e05c4f129048918912e608a6e3d60946?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kahini Iyer"},"url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?author=208"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1580899438.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/208"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6187"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6189,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6187\/revisions\/6189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}