Little Women
Read the following extract carefully, then answer the question below:
Laurie had vanished round the bend, Jo was just at the turn, and Amy, far behind, striking out toward the smoother ice in the middle of the river. For a minute Jo stood still with a strange feeling in her heart, then she resolved to go on, but something held and turned her round, just in time to see Amy throw up her hands and go down, with a sudden crash of rotten ice, the splash of water, and a cry that made Jo’s heart stand still with fear. She tried to call Laurie, but her voice was gone. She tried to rush forward, but her feet seemed to have no strength in them, and for a second, she could only stand motionless, staring with a terror-stricken face at the little blue hood above the black water.
Question: Before Amy falls, Jo "resolved to go on, but something held and turned her round." After Amy's fall, Jo attempts to act but "her voice was gone" and "her feet seemed to have no strength." What can you infer about Jo’s state of mind, both internally and physically, from these observations before and after the accident?
💡 Writing Tips
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Consider Jo's earlier resentment towards Amy and how that clashes with her 'strange feeling'. What does the word 'something' imply about this internal conflict? After the fall, think about how extreme stress and fear affect a person physically. The physical symptoms are clues to her extreme psychological state.
📝 Sample Answer
Before the accident, Jo's resolve "to go on, but something held and turned her round" reveals a deep internal conflict. Her initial intention likely stemmed from her lingering anger and frustration with Amy. However, the 'something' that intervenes suggests a powerful subconscious bond or premonition, an unarticulated instinct of sisterly love and concern overriding her conscious will to ignore Amy. This hints at her better nature beginning to assert itself. After Amy's fall, Jo's state of mind is one of extreme shock and terror, manifesting as physical paralysis. Her "voice was gone" and her "feet seemed to have no strength" demonstrate a body overwhelmed by an acute stress response. She is mentally screaming but physically unable to respond, indicating the sheer magnitude of the horror and the instantaneous impact of witnessing such a traumatic event unfold, momentarily overriding her capacity for rational thought or action.
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