“I wish it was easy for me to do little things to please people, as it is for you. I think of them, but it takes too much time to do them"

[Magda Pena]
“I wish it was easy for me to do little things to please people, as it is for you. I think of them, but it takes too much time to do them; so I wait for a chance to confer a big favor, and let the small ones slip; but they tell best in the end, I guess.” Pg. 285

This quote comes from Little Women Jo and Amy went on calls to peoples homes. Jo behaves badly according to Amy and embarrasses her at every house. Amy is very concerned with being “agreeable” to other people. Jo prefers to let little favors slide and do more important favors that really count.

Here Jo seems to be praising Amy for being able to please people. She tells Amy that she wishes she could do little things to please people. In reality Jo is slightly making her actions seem more honest and important than Amy’s. Jo doesn’t pretend to like someone and isn’t afraid to let people know. Jo is more willing to do larger favors and she believes that those favors are more important in the end because people appreciate them more. So in a way she is putting down Amy’s sort of hypocrisy because she is agreeable with people to look good in front of them and Amy believes that this is the only way she can please people because she is poor. Jo doesn’t allow her poverty to be something that stifles her personality like Amy.