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“Having no ornaments fine enough for this important occasion,” Alcott writes, “Amy looped her fleecy skirts with rosy clusters of azalea, and framed the white shoulders in delicate green vines.” Because the March girls can’t afford jewels and silks on their working class budget, they often adorn themselves with flowers. It seems that, in the world of Little Women at any rate, ideal beauty is natural, simple, and wholesome. The blooms that the March girls adorn themselves with therefore become symbolic of ideal beauty, as well as a commentary on the less ideal beauty valued by those with wealth.
Flowers Quotes in Little Women
The Little Women quotes below all refer to the symbol of Flowers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 2, Chapter 25
Quotes
Meg looked very like a rose herself, for all that was best and sweetest in heart and soul seemed to bloom into her face that day, making it fair and tender, with a charm more beautiful than beauty.
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Neither silk, lace, nor orange flowers would she have. “I don’t want a fashionable wedding, but only those about me whom I love, and to them I wish to look and be my familiar self.”
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Get the entire Little Women LitChart as a printable PDF.
Flowers Symbol Timeline in Little Women
The timeline below shows where the symbol Flowers appears in Little Women. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Chapter 6: Beth Finds the Palace Beautiful
...Mr. Laurence’s generosity that she resolves to make him a pair of slippers, embroidered with pansies, as a token of her appreciation. After giving him the slippers, though, Mr. Laurence’s reply...
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Part 1, Chapter 9: Meg Goes to Vanity Fair
...their splendid things. The Moffats treat Meg like a pet and take to calling her Daisy.
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...that looks shabby compared to Annie’s. As she prepares for the party, a box of roses is delivered. They’re from Laurie, accompanied by a note from Mrs. March. Meg uses the...
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Part 1, Chapter 18: Dark Days
...spreads throughout the house, and hope is renewed. Beth’s pet bird begins chirping again, and a half-blown rose is discovered outside, which are seen as good omens. Beth, meanwhile, is unconscious. The doctor...
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Dawn is breaking. Meg brings Jo the rose that they’d found in the garden. “I thought this would hardly be ready to lay...
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Part 2, Chapter 25: The First Wedding
It’s Meg’s wedding day, and the roses are out in full bloom at the March residence. Meg is attired in a simple...
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Part 2, Chapter 30: Consequences
...art table (for which Amy had prepared a number of beautiful handmade items) to the flower table (located near the back of the fair). Amy is hurt, and sweeps the artworks she...
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...table. Amy spends a long, disappointing day at the flower table – many of her flowers wilt, and she sells few things. After supper, however, the tide turns: Laurie sends in...
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Part 2, Chapter 37: New Impressions
...swaths of tulle “illusion,” which is inexpensive in Nice. She adorns the dress simply with vines and azalea . “If I only had a classical nose and mouth I should be perfectly happy,”...
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Amy sweeps into the ball and greets Laurie, who has brought her flowers. The ball is filled with minor aristocrats (including a Russian prince), and Amy is pleased...
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Part 2, Chapter 39: Lazy Laurence
...When they arrive, Amy comments that it’s a “regular honeymoon paradise,” given the abundance of roses and romantic nooks. A thorn pricks Laurie as he attempts to pluck a single red...
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Part 2, Chapter 40: The Valley of the Shadow
...Beth dies one day at the break of dawn. Sunlight streams onto Beth’s face, and snowdrops are blooming outside. Her family is glad to know that “Beth was well at last.”
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