I like adventures, and I’m going to find some; I’m tired of being told that girls mustn’t run and climb and laugh out loud, as if joy were a crime, when all I want is to use the strength I have, and see where it will take me, and make something worth the trouble of being alive.
Jo’s manifesto is motion. Anaphora and hyperbole give her voice a drumbeat. The line critiques cramped gender scripts. In story, this energy will mature into service and art. The longer pull keeps the delight while adding purpose. Readers hear a permission slip to go and learn. Joy is not a crime.