Little Women tells a complex story of a coming-of-age tale as well as a love triangle between two sisters and the boy next door. Louisa May Alcott beautifully depicted the emotions people have in relationships, love, anger, hope, and hurt. The love triangle is a relatable story; one sister loves a man, but the man loves the other sister. She perfectly captures the complexities of love and the growth from adolescence to adulthood. 

I believe Laurie was never truly happy in marrying Amy although I do believe Louisa May Alcott made the right decision in having Laurie and Amy end up together, rather than Laurie and Jo. Jo March was Laurie’s first love. He was most himself and enjoyed his life when he was with Jo. Laurie loved her for years before he ever garnered enough courage to tell Jo he loved her. And Jo rejected him. Soon after, Laurie proposed to Amy because she was the safer option. At that point, Jo was prepared to say yes if Laurie proposed again. But she was too late. Laurie had already proposed to Amy and they had plans to get married. Laurie loved Jo with all his heart and Jo was only planning on saying yes if Laurie proposed again because she was lonely. It would have been a platonic marriage. Had Jo said yes and Laurie and her got married, Laurie would always want more and Jo would never love Laurie the way Laurie wanted her to love him. So in the end, they would have killed each other. Laurie’s safer option was Amy. While Amy was in love with Laurie her whole life, Laurie never really looked at her twice until he got rejected by Jo. I do believe Laurie did end up loving Amy, but he would always love Jo first. It is impossible for  Laurie to have gotten over Jo so quickly before proposing to Amy, especially after he told Jo he had loved her for years. Jo was Laurie’s true love. It was easier for Laurie to marry Amy since Amy was head-over-heels in love with him and he did care a lot about her, just not as much as he cared about Jo. 

Laurie was in love with Jo but Jo loved Laurie platonically. Amy was in love with Laurie but Laurie only looked at Amy once he got rejected by Jo. So, Laurie settled for Amy. It is difficult to not feel a little sympathy for Amy as the man she has always been in love with marries her, but his heart will always beat for her sister. However, in the end, it was for the best for Laurie and Amy to get married. It was a safe marriage.