Little Men

Mr. Bhaer and Mrs. Jo, who are also known as Fritz and Jo or Mother and Father Bhaer, are characters from the novel’s prequel, Little Women, in which Jo March becomes Mrs. Jo when she agrees to marry Professor Friedrich “Fritz” Bhaer. The two are attracted to each other’s intellect. In Little Women, Jo, the protagonist, is portrayed as transforming from a headstrong young girl to a gentle and wise mother through her union with Professor Bhaer. In Little Men, through her role at Plumfield, and motherhood, Mrs. Jo is shown to have taken the lessons of her own childhood to heart; she uses her experiences to guide her as a mother and teacher. For example, she decides to invite Nan to the school for the benefit of her niece Daisy, and because she recognizes Nan’s unique needs as similar to her own: “because I was such a naughty child myself that I know all about it. […] Those quick wits of hers would enjoy lessons if they were rightly directed […] I know how to manage her, for I remember how my blessed mother managed me” (98). Mrs. Jo is empathetic and kind, able to reflect on her own shortcomings and use them to help raise others.