# John Brooke — Little Women character guide

> John Brooke in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Brooke, John, Mr. Brooke, John Brooke

**First appearance:** 0004-part-i-iii-the-laurence-boy

## Snapshot

Laurie's quiet, honorable tutor who falls for Meg March, endures her coquettish testing, and waits with patient, untheatrical devotion.

## Who they are

A poor young man with no fortune and no theatrics, Brooke courts Meg under Aunt March's scandalized nose and against her threat to disinherit the girl. When Meg, flushed with Annie Moffat's lessons in coquetry, petulantly sends him away, he neither rages nor storms but stands looking at her 'so wistfully, so tenderly' that her heart relents. His steady, unromantic sincerity forces Meg—and the reader—to weigh love against money and pride, setting the marriage plot in motion.

## Relationships

### [Meg March](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_women_se/characters/meg_march)

_romantic_

John Brooke is Meg's suitor and later husband, their relationship built on steady, devoted love.

### [Meg March](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_women_se/characters/meg_march)

_romantic_

John Brooke is Meg's suitor and later husband, their relationship built on steady, devoted love.

### [Meg March](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_women_se/characters/meg_march)

_romantic_

John Brooke is Meg's suitor and later husband, their relationship built on steady, devoted love.

## In the story

### [Aunt March Settles the Question](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_women_se/chapters/part-i-xxiii-aunt-march-settles-the-question)

Overhears Meg's defense, proposes, and is accepted; begins planning their future.

### [Domestic Experiences](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_women_se/chapters/part-ii-xxviii-domestic-experiences)

Patient husband who discovers Meg's jelly disaster and later learns of her secret dress purchase, responding with forgiveness.

### [On the Shelf](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_women_se/chapters/part-ii-xxxviii-on-the-shelf)

Feels neglected and seeks comfort at the Scotts' home, but ultimately helps Meg find a better family routine and disciplines Demi.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_women_se/characters/john_brooke
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_women_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_women_se/characters