Chapter 32
Love's Tender Troubles
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO TENDER TROUBLES “Jo, I’m anxious about Beth.” “Why, Mother, she has seemed unusually well since the babies came.” “It’s not her health that troubles me now, it’s her spirits. I’m sure there is something on her mind, and I want you to discover what it is.” “What makes you think so, Mother?” “She sits alone a good deal, and doesn’t talk to her father as much as she used. I found her crying over the babies the other day. When she sings, the songs are always sad ones, and now and then I see a look in her…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Rewrite the Conversation That Didn't Happen
Jo never actually talks to Beth about what's making her sad, or to Laurie about his feelings. Write the honest conversation Jo could have had with either Beth or Laurie instead of creating her elaborate escape plan. What questions would she need to ask? What might she learn that would surprise her?
Consider:
- •What assumptions is Jo making that a direct conversation could test?
- •How might the other person's actual feelings differ from Jo's interpretation?
- •What would Jo have to admit about her own feelings to have this conversation?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you made assumptions about what someone else needed or wanted, then acted on those assumptions without checking with them first. What happened? What would you do differently now?
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