Jack and Jill

Introduction

Jack and Jill, is a children’s novel written by Louisa May Alcott in 1880. Initially appearing serially in Mary Mapes Dodge’s St. Nicholas Magazine, later Roberts Brothers published it. The tale tracks the ups and downs experienced by the children of Harmony Village throughout the year. Besides, the book focuses on the events following a disastrous tobogganing accident that involved Jack and Jill.

Plot

When Mrs. Pecq and her daughter Janey move to Harmony Village from Canada, Janey quickly becomes close friends with Jack Minot, their neighbor’s youngest son. They spend so much time together that the other kids in the village start calling them “Jack and Jill,” like the characters in the English nursery rhyme.

The story begins with the children enjoying themselves on a December afternoon after the season’s first significant snowfall, sliding up and down the hill with their sleds. But their peaceful time is disrupted when the two children have a severe accident due to a bet. Jill aimed to show her bravery to Joe, so she insisted on tackling a dangerous hill. Jack reluctantly agreed, and they had an exciting ride. Yet, after a few more rides, disaster struck when they collided with a fence. This accident left Jack with a head injury, and Jill could not move.

So, the other children rushed to assist. Jack appeared to have a broken leg, and Jill might have injured her back. Mr. Grant arrived on a sled, and they were carefully placed on it. Together, they all made their way back home, leaving behind a broken sled and Joe, who stayed to watch over it.

Moreover, the night following the accident was challenging for Jack and Jill. Jack experienced significant pain due to his broken leg and head wound. Dr. Whiting attempted to reassure him, but healing would need time.

Thus, Jill felt guilty for convincing Jack to attempt the risky slope. She was deeply concerned for his well-being and regretted her decision. Her mother offered comfort and tried to reduce her distress.

Then, Jack and Jill spent their time sleeping and enduring pain in the initial days. Also, they must accept that they won’t be able to attend school or engage in play for several months.

Licensing

Louisa May Alcott. Jack and Jill. Originally published in 1880. This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. Text from Wikisource: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Jack_and_Jill_(Alcott)
This digital edition is provided by Ebooks-net in 2024 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license. The full text of the license is available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.