Attempt a character sketch of Jo which includes physical appearance.

Jo was the tomboy of the March family, smart and bookish and actively fighting against the norms of being a woman in her time period. She was tall and gangly and rather awkward, with her long, beautiful chestnut hair her only truly feminine feature, one which she gave up later in the story to get money they needed. She liked to act boyish, even saying so out loud. She liked skating and games and things that boys liked, and she even refers to herself as the man of the house since their father is away. She loves reading and writing and earns money for the family from her writing which was very unusual for a woman of that period. Jo is also the catalyst for some of the major events of the story. It’s through Jo’s non-standard behavior that the family’s relationship with Laurie begins and grows. Jo’s character is a very active, sometimes chaotic element in the story. Her character is also important because women were not portrayed this way in literature, so she is a break in the traditional depiction of women in literature.

Jo is described as a high-spirited character who acts like a tomboy. She hates the restrictions on girls and women at the time and longs to be with her father, who is helping soldiers during the Civil War. She is at times hot-tempered and bossy, and she likes to tell her sisters what to do and to organize their dramatic presentations. At the same time, she is capable of great love and devotion, such as to her parents and her sister Beth, and she detests her sister Meg's marriage, as it breaks up the family. The idea of marriage is at first hateful to her, as she does not like the limitations it would place on her, and she spends most of her time scribbling away and reading. She is a rather sloppy dresser who does not care about her clothes; the only physical trait she prizes is her chestnut hair, which she has cut off at one point to make money for her mother. As the book opens, Jo is fifteen, and she is described as thin and tall. She has gray eyes that are all-seeing and at times fierce, and she has a funny nose. She has long limbs that are always in motion, and she has a lot of energy.