《小妇人》：为什么Jo和Laurie没有在一起？

周末去看了《小妇人》 Little Women.

The movie was set in 1860s in Concord, New Hampshire, in the aftermath of the American Civil War. It follows the lives of four sisters, Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth.

（抱歉最近出差和工作耽误了节目更新，这周开始恢复更新，谢谢听友们的等待。）

节目的中英文全文可关注微信公众号Zoey八点英语 回复 小妇人 获取

故事发生在19世纪60年代美国南北战争期的Concord，New Hampshire州的首府。当时因为战争把男性都召上了战场，脱离了生产，越来越多的女性开始摆脱传统家庭束缚，投身社会劳动和政治。

当时看完电影只觉得对Jo和Laurie没在一起意难平。

（没看过小说原著，仅从电影剧情上聊）

Jo and Laurie met at a party. Jo had scorched her dress so she didn’t join the dancing party. Laurie didn’t laugh at her. They turned out dancing happily outside of the party room.

Jo和Laurie最开始认识是因为在一个舞会上，Jo烧焦了自己的裙子不好意思出去跳舞，而Laurie就陪着她很开心在屋子外面跳起了舞。

他们见面后Jo说的第一句话就为后面的故事埋下了伏笔。

Jo说的是：I can’t get over my disappointment in being a girl.

我真的很失望为什么我是一个女生。

当时的社会环境认为女性应该完全依附于男性。

出版商Mr. Dashwood就直接对投稿的Jo说:

If the main character is a girl, make sure she is married by the end. Or dead. Either way.

如果故事的主角是个女生,请确保她最后要么结婚了,要么死了。

So Jo at that time was very very afraid of being married. She said she supposed marriage has always been an economic proposition. It’s mercenary, and has nothing to do with romance.

当时的Jo是很恐惧婚姻的。她觉得婚姻是女性对男性的屈服，是功利主义。

在姐妹Meg结婚的时候Jo的反应也很激烈。

She said to Meg--We can leave right now. I can make money. I’ll sell stories. I’ll do anything…And you, you should be an actress, and you should have a life on the stage.

她觉得Meg应该成为一名舞台上闪闪发光的女演员，而不是走进婚姻。对那时候的Jo来说婚姻是对事业的抹杀，而她热爱自己的写作事业。

所以当时Meg结婚后，Laurie对Jo的深情表白遭到了残忍拒绝。

Laurie said to Jo,

I have loved you ever since I’ve known you, Jo. I couldn’t help it. And I tried to show it, and you wouldn’t let me, which is fine. But I must make you hear now, and give me an answer, because I cannot go on like this any longer! I gave up billiards [ˈbɪljərdz]. I gave up everything you didn’t like. I’m happy I did. It’s fine, and I waited, and I never complained, because I figured you’d love me, Jo. And I realize I’m not half good enough, and I’m not this great man.

他能感觉到Jo也是爱他的，想跟她在一起。但Jo却说：

You’re a great deal too good for me. And I’m so grateful to you, and I’m so proud of you. And I just , I don’t see why I can’t love you as you want me to.

我只是没办法以你希望我爱你的方式爱你。

Jo: Listen, you’ll find some lovely accomplished girl, who will love you and adore you. And she’s going to make a fine mistress [ˈmɪstrəs] for your fine house. But I wouldn’t, alright?

你会找到那个可爱的出色的崇拜你的女孩，会成为你豪宅的女主人。但我不会。

And we would quarrel, because we can’t help it, even now. I’d hate elegant society, you’d hate my scribbling [ˈskrɪblɪŋ]. And we would be unhappy…Teddy, I don’t believe I will ever marry. I’m happy as I am. And I love my liberty too well to be in any hurry to give it up.

我们会争吵，我不会喜欢上层社会的做派，你不会喜欢我乱写东西，我们在一起不会开心的。

我热爱自由，不认为自己会结婚。

Laurie却说：I think you will marry, Jo. I think you’ll find someone, and love them, and you will live and die for them, because that’s your way, and you will. And I’ll watch. 

Laurie最后这句“我会看着的”真是心酸。

其实Jo说的“I’d hate elegant society”不喜欢做作优雅的上流社会做派，从他们第一次在party屋子外面独自跳舞就可以看出，Laurie也不迎合这些虚伪的东西，这方面他们并没有不合适。只是Jo单纯地不想结婚。

她爱Laurie吗？我认为是爱的。

在Jo经历了Beth去世回家后，已经七年过去了。

Jo对她妈妈说：Perhaps I was too quick in turning him down, Laurie. 我当时拒绝Laurie拒绝得太快了。

Her mom asked her: Do you love him?

Jo said: If he asked me again I think I would say yes. Do you think he’ll ask me again?

如果Laurie再问一次是否爱他，Jo会说Yes。

妈妈还反问了一句 But do you love him?

Jo说I care more to be loved. I want to be loved.

“我更在意被爱。我想要被爱。”很多人听到这里觉得Jo只是受了打击为了被爱而回来找Laurie，但Jo后面解释了她对女性地位低下的无奈，这里她说的I want to be loved，我认为其实指的是I want to be loved, and respected.

Jo的下一段说的是：

You know, I just feel like, women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. And I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I’m so sick of it! But I’m so lonely!

女性也有想法、有灵魂、有野心、有天赋，而不只是美貌。Jo很烦大家都说爱情是女性的全部。她觉得很孤单。

这也回应了她之前不接受婚姻的理由，害怕自己的才华被婚姻埋没。

而后来Jo已经有了转变，因为她发现比起令人恐惧的结婚，她更害怕的，是失去Laurie。

Jo wrote a letter to Laurie seven years later after she returned home.

My dear Teddy,

I miss you more than I can express. I used to think that the worst fate was to be a wife. I was young and stupid. But now I have changed. The worst fate is to live my life without you in it. I was wrong to turn you down and run away to New York.

但很可惜，当时Laurie已经和Jo的妹妹Amy结婚了，Jo的信Laurie也没机会看到了。

Laurie明明也还爱着Jo。重聚的时候当Jo很开心跟他说Oh Teddy you’re back!

Laurie问：Are you glad to see me then?

Jo说：Yes!

Laurie淡淡说了一句：Oh I was worried.我想太多了。也就是Laurie以为这七年来Jo并不想见他。

到后来和Jo最后在一起的Friedrich教授出现后，Laurie反复问了三四遍，

Who’s this? Who are you? Can someone tell me who this is?

I’m Laurie. Who are you? --你是谁？Laurie并不想接受教授的出现。

再到把Jo送上马车追Feirdrich，Laurie依靠在扶梯很失落。

那Laurie爱Amy吗？也爱，但更多的是享受被爱吧。

他在告诉Jo自己结婚了的时候，对Jo说：

I‘ve always loved you. But the love I feel for Amy, it’s different.

You’re the only one that ever calls me that, Jo, “Teddy.” Amy calls me “My lord.”

Jo是唯一一个叫Laurie “Teddy”的人，就像一起的玩伴。但Amy叫他“My lord”我的殿下。

Laurie自幼失去父母，很缺爱。而Amy从最开始就默默爱Laurie，为了他不跟富人Fred结婚；用一句“I despise you”骂醒了失去Jo以后花天酒地的Laurie。等了七年Jo的Laurie也是累了吧，接受了“被爱”。

所幸Jo最后也找到了适合自己的Feirdrich教授——懂她对写作的热爱，最开始就匿名送了《莎士比亚三部曲》，作为评论家也能在写作上给Jo提供帮助。

It seems like they all have a happy ending. But I think it’s all about timing. Meet the right one, at the right time.看起来他们似乎都有了美好的结局，虽然有很多遗憾。其实就是对的时间，对的人，缺一不可。