In an article on Regina Barreca that the author found very insightful, an English and feministic theory professor at the University of Connecticut, stated that Little Women leaves behind the ideas of autonomy, creativity, freedom and community.
Little Women of Louisa May Alcott is one of the most cherished novels of American literature that has been entertaining readers for years. Set in the second half of the 19th century, the novel is based on the author’s childhood memories and her experiences with her three sisters and it tells the story of the childhood, life and coming of age of American girls through the images of four sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.
Background And Characters
The background of the novel Little Women is (most likely) Alcott’s home in Concord, Massachusetts during and after the Civil War which took place from 1861 to 1865. The primary characters of the story are the four March girls namely Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, their mother Marmee, and their neighbor Laurie or as Teddie.
In the beginning of the novel, Meg is the oldest sister, she is also the most attractive among her sisters and works as a governess during the day to help for the family needs. Jo is a fifteen year old girl who is stubborn, impatient and rather boyish in her behavior. Laurie’s sister also like her, but during the day she also assists her wealthy Aunt March with her work outside the home as a companion. The third daughter, Beth is a 13 year old. he is a delicate women, looking sick and weak, she is also a talented pianist. she is homeschooled; Amy the youngest is 12 years, she is a brat, loves art and the world and goes to school.
Marmee or Mrs. March is a virtuous and pious mother who wishes her daughters to be grateful for their privations and for their inability to satisfy their wants, while attending to the wants of the poorer community. Teddy or Laurie, was the orphan who lived with him. The fun-loving teenager was doing her tutelage at home by the young and handsome Mr. John Brooke.
Main Subject of Little Women
1. Women’s Independence and Freedom
Women’s independence is depicted by Jo as she does not depend on any man in the household. Jo also stated that women do not require chains and cannot rely on men or any other people. They are able to work and even provide for themselves and choose the kind of job they want to do.
2. Being true to principles
This is a positive characteristic that the March sisters got from their parents. Professor Bahre continues to develop this character in Jo when the latter scolds her for writing. Meg and Amy also comprehend that one should not try to be somebody else.
3. Art and Creativity
This theme is depicted through the element of writing in Jo, music in Beth, and art in Amy and also through the skits that all the four sisters participate in writing and acting.
4. Helping the community
The maternal compassion of Mrs. March is depicted at the outset of the novel when she assists German immigrants. Laurence also engaged in constructions and other charitable services that helped the community in one way or the other. Last but not the least, Jo also depicted this virtue when she planned to open a school for boys.
Message conveyed
Everyone should read Little Women, especially girls and young women because it is such a great book. Due to the well-organized flow of events and actions, the readers will be absolutely engaged in the story, feeling for the characters. You should not delay reading Little Women even for a second because of the lessons that are embedded in the book, the lessons on the value of work, how one should be kind to other people, how one should help one’s neighbors, how one should stick to one’s principles and how one should love one’s family.
Even though Little Women was sometimes called childish and oversaturated with the spirit of women’s emancipation at the time of its writing, one cannot help but admit that it is a great work filled with valuable lessons that the author was able to convey to the readers.
Biography of Louisa May Alcott
Alcott, Louisa May was born in Pennsylvania on 29th November 1832. Her father Amos Bronson Alcott was a failed poet and a reverend who privately schooled her until the age of 16. Alcott had her education from family friend such as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne on how to write.
When Louisa was a teenager, the Alcotts used to reside in Boston and Concord Massachusetts. Since 1850 to 1862, because of the family’s financial situation, Louisa May Alcott taught, sewed, tutored, cleaned houses and wrote to earn for the family.
Alcott started her writing career in the year 1851. In that year she wrote and published poems, short stories, and thrillers under the pseudonym Flora Fairfield. Hospial Sketches is another novel written by Alcott, which was published in 1863 after Alcott worked as a nurse in Washington D. C. During the Civil War. Louisa May Alcott started adopting her real name for the works published in the Atlantic Monthly and Lady’s Companion from the 1860s.
Little Women was first serialized in two volumes in 1868 and 1869 after a European trip in 1865. Besides, Louisa May Alcott has written other popular books such as Little Men published in 1871, Eight Cousins published in 1875, and Jo’s Boys published in 1886. All of these books are considered to be the sequels of her brilliant novel called Little Women. Louisa May Alcott never married and passed away in Boston on March 6, 1888.
