Good Wives characters

Appears from the start

The second March sister and the family member most determined to earn an independent life. Jo begins the volume writing for money and resisting the expectation that every young woman should marry. Blunt, energetic, and fiercely attached to her sisters, she is trying to turn her imagination into serious work while deciding what kind of adulthood suits her.

Appears from the start

The eldest March sister, preparing to marry John Brooke after a long engagement. Meg wants a loving home more than wealth, though she remains sensitive to the comforts richer friends enjoy. Her new responsibilities test the domestic ideals she has imagined.

Appears from the start

The youngest March sister, poised and socially ambitious, with a serious interest in art. Amy has outgrown much of her childhood vanity but still hopes for refinement, travel, and a secure place in society. She approaches adulthood more practically than Jo does.

Appears from the start

The quiet, musical March sister. Beth remains happiest at home and finds purpose in small acts of care for her family. The illness she suffered as a girl has left her frail, a fact her sisters try not to confront directly.

Also known as Marmee

Appears from the start

The March sisters' mother and their most trusted adviser. Warm but candid, she encourages her daughters to govern their tempers, value useful work, and make moral choices for themselves rather than follow fashion.

Appears from the start

The March sisters' father, now home after his wartime service. A thoughtful clergyman and teacher, he shares his wife's quiet authority within the family and supports each daughter's effort to mature.

Also known as Teddy

Appears from the start

The March family's wealthy young neighbor and Jo's closest friend. Laurie is affectionate, impulsive, and uncertain about the future his grandfather has planned for him. His intimacy with the sisters makes him almost another member of their household.

Appears from the start

Meg's fiancé and Laurie's former tutor. John is conscientious and loving but has limited means, so the engaged couple look toward a modest home and a life built through work rather than inherited wealth.

Appears from the start

Laurie's wealthy and initially formidable grandfather. Mr Laurence is deeply fond of the March family, particularly Beth, and acts as a generous older friend even when he and Laurie differ over the young man's direction.

Appears from the start

A rich, demanding relative of the March family whose sharp judgments are balanced by practical concern. Aunt March employs Jo as a companion and uses money, advice, and the prospect of inheritance to influence the younger generation.

Also known as Professor Bhaer

First appears in chapter 10

A poor German scholar who lives at the New York boarding house where Jo stays. Middle-aged, untidy, and kind, he supports two orphaned nephews and earns what he can by teaching. His learning and unselfconscious generosity make him an unusual new friend for Jo.