PART TWO: CHAPTER THIRTY - NINE - Lazy Laurence Practice Quiz — Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: PART TWO: CHAPTER THIRTY - NINE - Lazy Laurence
How long does Laurie stay in Nice, and why does he remain longer than planned?
Laurie intends to stay a week but remains a month because he is tired of wandering alone and enjoys Amy's familiar, homelike presence.
Where do Amy and Laurie go on their carriage ride in Chapter 39?
They ride to Valrosa, a rose-covered villa on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean, where Amy plans to sketch.
What nickname have Amy and Flo given Laurie?
They call him "Lazy Laurence" because of his aimless idleness during his time abroad.
What secret does Amy discover about Laurie during their conversation at Valrosa?
She realizes that Laurie proposed to Jo and was rejected, which explains his bitter transformation and apathy.
What does Amy show Laurie at the end of their conversation to illustrate her point?
She shows him two contrasting sketches: one of his current lazy self lounging with a cigar, and one of his former vigorous self taming a horse.
How does the chapter end?
Laurie sends Amy a note the next morning signed "Telemachus," informing her he has left for his grandfather's, and Amy feels glad but admits she will miss him.
What does Amy reveal about her potential engagement to Fred Vaughn?
She admits she would "very likely" accept Fred if he proposed, saying she "could be" fond of him if she tried, valuing his wealth, gentlemanly manners, and social position.
How has Laurie changed since arriving in Europe, according to Amy?
Amy says he has grown "abominably lazy," enjoys gossip, wastes time on frivolous things, and is content to be petted by silly people rather than respected by wise ones.
What role does Amy take on in her relationship with Laurie in this chapter?
Amy acts as his moral mentor, confronting him about his laziness and urging him to do something purposeful with his life despite the pain of Jo's rejection.
Why has Amy decided to give up her ambition of being a great artist?
After seeing the masterworks in Rome, she concluded that she has talent but not genius, and she refuses to be a "common-place dauber."
How does Laurie react when Amy accidentally calls him "Teddy"?
He puts up his hand to stop her, saying "Don't, that's her name for me!" because Teddy is Jo's special name for him and hearing it is painful.
What does Laurie blame for his current state of misery?
He blames Jo, telling Amy "It's her fault though, and you may tell her so," claiming his failure to win Jo's love justifies his aimlessness.
What moral argument does Amy make about privilege and duty in Chapter 39?
Amy argues that having money, talent, position, health, and beauty creates an obligation to be useful, and that wasting those gifts on idleness is selfish.
How does the chapter explore the theme of talent versus genius?
Amy honestly admits she has talent but lacks genius, choosing to abandon art rather than be mediocre. This reflects the novel's theme that self-knowledge and honest ambition matter more than dreams.
What does Amy's lecture suggest about how one should handle heartbreak?
Amy insists that heartbreak is no excuse for self-destruction, telling Laurie to "love Jo all your days" if he chooses but not to let it "spoil" him or waste his gifts.
How does the chapter contrast different types of love?
It contrasts Jo's thorny, passionate rejection with Amy's gentler, more practical approach to love, suggesting that a calmer, more compatible partnership can be equally valuable.
What is foreshadowed when Amy tells Laurie to "try lower down, and pick those that have no thorns"?
The narrator explicitly states Laurie took the advice in jest but "a few months later he did it in earnest," foreshadowing his eventual romantic turn from Jo to Amy.
What literary allusion does Laurie make by signing his farewell note "Telemachus"?
He alludes to Homer's Odyssey, in which Telemachus is guided by Mentor (actually Athena in disguise), casting Amy as the wise counselor who set him on the right path.
How do Amy's two contrasting sketches function as a literary device?
They serve as visual metaphors and juxtaposition: the lazy present-day Laurie versus the vigorous past Laurie, making Amy's moral argument tangible and undeniable without words.
What does "Dolce far niente" mean, and why does Laurie suggest it as a title for Amy's sketch?
It is an Italian phrase meaning "the sweetness of doing nothing." Laurie suggests it because he is lounging lazily, but the phrase ironically captures the very idleness Amy criticizes.
What does "indolence" mean in the context of Amy's criticism of Laurie?
Indolence means habitual laziness or slothfulness. Amy corrects Laurie's claim of "natural depravity" by saying his real problem is "natural indolence."
What does "effigy" mean when Amy tells Laurie he looks like "the effigy of a young knight asleep on his tomb"?
An effigy is a sculpted likeness of a person, typically found on a tomb or monument. Amy uses it to describe Laurie's motionless, lifeless appearance.
What is the significance of Amy saying "Because, with every chance for being good, useful, and happy, you are faulty, lazy, and miserable"?
This is the core of Amy's lecture, structured as a parallel antithesis. It frames Laurie's failure not as a lack of resources but as a refusal to use the abundant gifts he already has.
What does Amy mean when she says "I want to be great, or nothing. I won't be a common-place dauber"?
Amy declares she would rather abandon art entirely than settle for mediocrity, revealing her all-or-nothing ambition and honest self-assessment that talent alone is insufficient without genius.