Laughing at Adversity: Louisa May Alcott’s Short Story ‘Lost in a London Fog’

Two sisters find themselves lost in a London fog in short story by Louisa May Alcott. tkemot/Shutterstock

In “All Things Considered,” G.K. Chesterton says: “An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” When we feel lost or confused, we must not give in to despair. Rather, we must change our view and have hope even in the foggiest situations.

In her short story “Lost in a London Fog,” Louisa May Alcott tells of how two American sisters learn that getting lost in a London fog is more than just an unfortunate event. It is an adventure to be laughed at.

The two sisters, L and M (who are most likely Louisa May Alcott and her sister Abigail May Alcott Nieriker), are visiting friends in Shaftesbury Terrace and lose track of time. Caught up in discussion and gossip, they do not realize that it is 10:30 p.m., until the clock strikes.

Recognizing their improper situation, the two sisters send a maid to hail a cab. The maid comes back, saying that she ran to a different cabstand since all the other drivers had left.

Driving Blind

The cab driver arrives, and the sisters hop in and quickly tell him the address. He listens and then whips his white horse forward, charging into the foggy streets of London like a ghost carriage.

The streets are so foggy that the sisters can see only a short way ahead. Yet despite the limited visual, the driver pushes on at the fastest speed imaginable.

M enjoys the ride in the fog, but L wonders if they gave the driver the correct directions. They open the hatch and ask the driver if he knows their whereabouts. He replies: “I’m new come to London, mum, and ain’t used to these parts yet.” M laughs at their impossible situation, but L grows more agitated, for they should have reached their destination by now.

When they pass a police station, L tells the driver to stop and ask directions. However, the policeman’s directions don’t help the clueless driver.

Laughing at Adversity

Leaving the policeman, the driver speeds along. M soon sees the gravity of the situation, for it is almost midnight and they are all alone. She worries and implores L to find a hotel or a house to stay in. But L doubts that anyone will welcome two such desperate and dirty-looking women, as the mud from the cab’s wheels has been consistently flung into the carriage, so the sisters are now covered in mud.

Suddenly L begins to laugh, for “when every thing is tottering on the verge of annihilation” she usually feels “rather jolly.” And their situation grows more desperate as the fog grows thicker.

In this story, Alcott demonstrates, as Herman Melville says in “Moby Dick,” “I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing.” We must learn to laugh at the foggy as well as the clear moments in life.

When we laugh, we bring hope and joy to our surroundings. This hope helps bring comfort and light in the fog and dark. So whenever we are surrounded by fog and darkness and seem to be running in circles, let us look at the situation differently. With a new point of view and a hearty laugh, we can survive and thrive in adversity.