Use details from little women answer the following question. be certain to support you opinion with specific examples. write approximately 100-200 words. why do you think jo agrees to marry professor bhaer but would not marry laurie? does it have to do with each man or with jo herself?

In the period of 1867 and 1868, Louisa May Alcott wrote the novel Little Women. If we base on the story, we can say that  the decision of the character Jo to marry Professor Bhaer has to do with herself.

If we base on the author of the novel, we can say that Jo marrying to Bhaer has to do with a decision of the author herself.

To support this opinion we focus on the personality of Jo as well as Louisa May Alcott, the features and characteristics that she gave to this specific character through out the plot.

Jo March being the second-oldest of four sisters, is the boyish one. She  loves literature, has a strong temper and a stubborn personality. Her family lives in poverty. In spite of that, they always help charities.

Her friend Laurie is a rich young man who lives opposite the Marches with his overprotective paternal grandfather. He is "the fortunate outsider", observing Mrs. March and the March sisters.

On the other hand, Professor Friedrich Bhaer, a middle-aged German immigrant, encourages Jo to become a serious writer instead of writing "sensation" stories for weekly tabloids. He gets involved in her life and encourages Jo to be a better person. Bhaer has a tender capacity for expressing his affection. He is also empathic as he understands Jo's life.

Jo finds in Bhaer a man who can share with her the burdens of life. They help and understand each other well.  

The character of Jo is autobiographic as Alcott inspired on herself to create it. Bhaer has the feminine attributes Alcott admired and hoped men could acquire in a rational, feminist world. That is why the author decided to marry her autobiographic character to Professor Bhaer.