Amy is the youngest sister and baby of the family; she’s 12, when the story begins. Interested in art, she is described as a "regular snow-maiden,” with curly golden hair and blue eyes, "pale and slender" and "always carrying herself" like a proper young lady. She is the artist of the family. Often coddled, because she is the youngest, Amy can behave in a vain and self-centered way, though she does still love her family. She has the middle name Curtis, and is the only March sister to use her full name, rather than a diminutive.
Amy is chosen by her aunt to travel to Europe with her, instead of her sister, Jo. There, she matures and makes a decision, based on her limited artistic talent, how to direct her adult life. She encounters "Laurie" Laurence and his grandfather, during the extended visit. Amy is the least inclined of the sisters to sacrifice and self-denial. She behaves well, in upper-class society, and she is at ease, with herself. Critic Martha Saxton observes the author was never fully at ease with Amy's moral development, and her success, in life, seemed relatively accidental. However, Amy's morality does appear to develop, throughout her adolescence and early adulthood, and she can confidently and justly put Laurie in his place, when she believes he is wasting his life on pleasurable activities. Ultimately, Amy is shown to work very hard to gain what she wants and to make the most of her success, when she has it.
