A little bit more of Amy March
Ana María González PaniaguaShe/Her
Editorial Team Member
Amy March is much more than what a lot of people think.
No, she is not only the sister who burned Jo’s book. Or the one who got away easy. Or the one who stole Laurie away. She is the one who made mistakes and asked for forgiveness. The one who felt the family’s economic burden on her shoulders. The one who longed to know more about Beth’s condition. The one who was far when tragedy struck. And the one who loved and was dismissed for some time.
Amy March
I have always resonated with Amy because I see myself in her joy for beautiful things, overexcitement about playing a character in her sister’s play, search for improvement in her work, and capacity for love. While some may resonate with her as I do, many fans don’t like her. Or at least, I’ve heard that quite a lot recently. Honestly, I think she is a bit misunderstood. Not that I am misunderstood, I don’t resonate with that, but Amy is not the focal point of the story, and that makes us miss all her incredible qualities.
Amy has a harsh temper, she is impulsive, makes rash decisions, and sometimes hurts people she loves for that. I also see myself in that. I am impulsive too. I have a passionate aura that sometimes translates into being a lot. But that does not stop Amy or me from asking forgiveness or seeking to love more. I find it quite interesting to see her navigate her energy, because throughout the story she becomes more articulate about her emotions and desires. She learns not to be rash, but to be positively passionate about what she believes in and wants. I can see that in little moments, like in Greta Gerwig’s version (2019), where she asks Jo if she is not mad about marrying Laurie, or when she talks through her situation as a woman to Laurie in France. Here, she is mature, but further than that, she is empathetic to others and herself.
I love her deep admiration for Laurie, as she is constantly attentive of him throughout her life, even when young. That capacity to love, even after so much pain she must have felt when she was not his first choice, speaks volumes of her. She loves him for who he is, after so many errors and seeing so many flaws. But she is still aware of such flaws. She is not blinded by love, but empowered by it to make each other better. She learns from him, and he from her. That is something I praise and long for.
Amy is so wonderfully complex. She has her story, she has her pain, but she walks against her own current to become better. Hopefully, I can be like her someday.