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Highly opinionated and unafraid to speak her mind, Aunt March is the old, widowed aunt of the March girls. She is in possession of a substantial fortune after the death of her husband, Uncle March, and she often flaunts her money in an attempt to make things go her way. This tendency makes her a rather trying figure for the March family as a whole, but Jo finds herself bearing the brunt of Aunt March’s complaints when she waits on her each day. Both of them are spirited in their own way, especially when it comes to defending their individual worldviews. The tension that surfaces between Jo and Aunt March, however, is not enough to cause true strife within the family. Aunt March genuinely cares about the well-being of her nieces, although her strong, traditional values shape her understanding of what is best for them. As a result, she functions as the embodiment of high society’s strict rules and expectations for women, both at home and in public. Aunt March tells Meg, for example, that she will exclude her from her will if she chooses to marry Mr. Brooke. This stance reinforces the antiquated idea that women of a certain social standing must find a financially advantageous match. Aunt March also disapproves of the connection the girls have with the poor Hummels, emphasizing that they should only associate with people of their class. Of course, the Marches largely ignore her suggestions and pursue their own less-than-conventional way of life.
Despite the fact that Aunt March’s threats have little influence, her wealth helps to facilitate a number of major plot points throughout the novel. She finances Marmee’s trip to visit Mr. March after he has fallen ill, and she has the space and resources to take Amy in while Beth is sick with scarlet fever, even going so far as to provide her with high-quality art lessons. Amy’s arrival at Aunt March’s marks a shift in her life as well as Jo’s. Although Amy already had a desire to act and sound fancy, her time under Aunt March’s care further exacerbates these tendencies. She grows up to be the most proper of the four sisters, and this characterization is what leads another relative, Aunt Carrol, to ask Amy to accompany her to Europe rather than Jo. Amy’s trip to Europe proves to be particularly consequential as she falls in love with and marries Laurie. Jo also finds her happy ending thanks to Aunt March as she leaves her estate, Plumfield, to her when she dies. This large property allows Jo and Professor Bhaer to support themselves by opening a school for disadvantaged boys, an endeavor which they love despite knowing that Aunt March would surely disapprove.
