Quote 1
"I don't see how you can write and act such splendid things, Jo. You're a regular Shakespeare!" exclaimed Beth, who firmly believed that her sisters were gifted with wonderful genius in all things. (1.58)
Beth's faith in Jo's writing tells us more about her love for her sister than it does about Jo's ability. In fact, Beth's over-the-top praise makes us think that, just maybe, Jo might not be that good a writer yet…
Quote 2
"I only mean to say that I have a feeling that it never was intended I should live long. I'm not like the rest of you. I never made any plans about what I'd do when I grew up. I never thought of being married, as you all did. I couldn't seem to imagine myself anything but stupid little Beth, trotting about at home, of no use anywhere but there." (36.24)
Beth's early death is strangely connected to the fact that she was never able to envision herself as a wife. For nineteenth-century women, marriage and adulthood are practically the same thing!
Quote 3
"You must take my place, Jo, and be everything to Father and Mother when I'm gone. They will turn to you, don't fail them, and if it's hard to work alone, remember that I don't forget you, and that you'll be happier in doing that than writing splendid books or seeing all the world, for love is the only thing that we can carry with us when we go, and it makes the end so easy."
"I'll try, Beth." And then and there Jo renounced her old ambition, pledged herself to a new and better one, acknowledging the poverty of other desires, and feeling the blessed solace of a belief in the immortality of love. (40.16-17)
Alcott doesn't allow Jo to balance her personal ambition as a writer with her desire to serve her family. Ironically, or maybe just strangely, Alcott herself balanced a public persona with a private one all her life, and did it really well.