The Flawless and Beth?

At first pass, when sorting the characters of Little Women, one would be tempted to put Beth and Mrs. March in one category of flawless and the rest of the March sisters in the flawed category. According to Nina Baym’s book, Women’s Fiction, a female lead can take one of two forms “the flawless and the flawed. The flawless are those who already possess the emotional strength and stability to function effectively when adversity strikes. The flawed are those whose characters are defective, so that triumph in adversity becomes a matter of self-conquest as well as conquest of the other” (35-36).  Taking Baym’s definition into account I think that Beth quite fits into the second category of the flawed individual rather than the flawless. While Beth is often regarded as the most angelic, viceless sister. She does not have the vanities of Amy or Meg, nor does she have the rudderless boyish failings of Jo; yet, she does have some obvious flaws. She is too shy or anxious to even go to school with the other children or play the piano in Mr. Laurence’s house. She is the meek, shy, mild, demur sister perhaps the most unrealistic on purpose she very well fits the role of ‘proper’ little woman. Furthermore, her “triumph in adversity” really does become a matter of “self-conquest.” When Beth is overcome enough with emotion as to actually be able to talk to Mr. Laurence, after he has bought her a piano, that is just one of many examples of her overcoming her shyness in an act of self-conquest. Rather everything she does is an act of self-conquest first as I would not describe her as especially emotionally strong or stable enough to have an experience without overcoming her great fears. In fact, I would argue that she doesn’t really have enough character to be describes as emotionally strength and stability. I find her to be a sort of tape measure in the story someone that can be used for the other girls to be held up against. She does have the one distinguishing characteristic of liking music and playing piano, allowing her to form a bond with Mr. Laurence. However, I think the main role of Beth in the book is merely that of comparability and to add a realistic element of tragedy as she dies. Even in her death she is pretty angelic. She contracts her illness by being too faithful to the Hummel’s as Chapter 17 is aptly named “Little Faithful” in her honor. Furthermore, she tries her hardest not to be a burden to the family and only confesses her fears, thereby placing her worries on another, to Jo (who is humanized and balanced out by her meek younger sister). Thus, I rather feel that even if you can consider Beth to have enough defining characteristics to be a character, rather than a plot element I would argue that Beth is by Baym’s definition rather a flawed one.