My favorite book of all time, unequivocally, must be Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. Having picked it up sometime in the height of my journey into classical literature at the ripe age of 11, I have read and reread this marvelous piece of American literature multiple times since. Of course, my understanding of the book has grown as I have grown and it has provided both company and solace at many different intervals of my life. Recently, having lent the book to a friend, I decided to watch the 1994 film adaptation of the novel because I figured I could feign receiving a dose of sisterly love considering my own dear sister would rather be estranged from me in Illinois than hang out with me on long weekends (I mean this in jest; she just goes to college there and I miss her.)
Though the 1994 version lacks the appeal that only Timothee Chalamet can bring to a movie, or really anywhere that he decides to appear, the missing charm is made up for in abundance with the casting of Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, and a young Kirsten Dunst. Christian Bale portrays the beloved Theodore “Laurie” Lawrence and it’s entirely possible that had I been born a generation earlier, I might find myself swooning for his version compared to that of Timothee. The ambiance and color scheme of the movie rests on the inevitable comfort one feels when utilizing warm neutrals, darker shades of autumn, and deep reds and greens reminiscent of Christmases past. However, further investigation into the costume choices for Jo, upon whose laurels the premise of the story lies, reveals the intentional use of reds and blues throughout her character arc.
Ryder’s Jo, short for Josephine, is the second oldest and the wildest sister of the four little women. An aspiring writer, intellect, and justifiably envious of the behavioral allowances given to men as opposed to women of the time, Jo would rather spend her time using her imagination and creativity to further her mind than wear fancy dresses, go to dances, and flirt with men. Considering I picked up Little Women at the entrance to my adolescence and puberty, her struggle to fit in society despite being afforded the love and comfort of her home and friends resonated with me deeply. She struggles with a short temper, cynicism at societal requirements she deems trivial, but loves her family, especially the third sister Beth, without abandon, and engages them and Laurie in her own creative pursuits.
Throughout the first part of the movie, she is draped mostly in red. Untamed, passionate, and bold, she is often found cloaked in red either in outfit, jacket, or shawl for the first part of the movie. In the dance that she first formally meets Laurie, Jo has donned a crimson dress. In the days after Amy wrongs Jo, she goes ice skating and refuses to look after Amy, resulting in Amy falling into some icy water—in this scene too, she wears red.
The incorporation of blue into Jo’s wardrobe only begins after their father comes back home from the war when she sells her hair for $25 to pay for the train ticket. The first true sign of Jo’s ability to tame herself, she returns to the house wearing blue.
The rest of the movie features Jo wearing predominantly blue. She finds a stark difference in lifestyle and upbringing between her homely residence in Concord, Massachusetts compared with the hustling, fashionable New York City. In a new setting, she is forced to employ the discipline she once may have rejected to steel herself from the unknown dangers of the city. When she returns home to visit an ailing Beth, she is once again clothed in blue, this time a very pale blue, maybe to signify the transcendence of Beth’s soul. By the way, I really do not recommend watching Jo watch her favorite sister move ahead to heaven to alleviate the pain of missing one’s own sister, but I will say the acting from Ryder and Danes truly shows what it means to love a sister as much as your own life. When Professor Bhaer first kisses Jo at the opera, she is not wearing blue, she is wearing purple. A nod to the red that once signified her boldness, the purple is milder and more fitting of the love she is able to receive. Yet, in the final scene of the movie, when Jo and Bhaer are reunited, she is wearing blue — this time because the love is not novel and unexpected, but because it is constant, simple, and lovely.
Some days are days meant to be loud, outspoken, spontaneous, and red. Other days are meant to be patient, kind, accepting, and blue. Maybe my red is different from Jo’s red and is different from your red. Maybe our blues will evolve as we turn into the people we want to be. But every day is a day meant to be ourselves and even if there is no costume designer purposely choosing the shades of our lives, it’s important that we live them all out, from red to blue and everything in between.
The Doodling Duck is an Opinion culture column written and created by Pooja Rajadurai to discuss art as it relates to pop culture, trends, and students.
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