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'Little Women': A Classic for Young Adults

Little Women: A Classic for Young Adults 

- Soumya Mahalaxmikar

‘Little Women’–by Louisa May Alcott– is set against the backdrop of the American civil war and tells the tale of the March sisters and their journey through life. It is considered an American classic, is said to have been inspired by Alcott’s real life. The four sisters have been foregrounded as individuals with distinct personalities and flaws. It could also be considered as a didactic guide for young women of the time. Quite like the novel that the “little women” themselves live by, i.e ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ by John Bunyan. The sisters are shown to struggle between finding their own identity and living life according to societal obligations. Often dubbed as the main character of the novel- Jo or Josephine March- is perhaps the one that struggles the most given her personality and the conservative traditions of the time. “Fifteen-year-old Jo was very tall, thin, and brown, and reminded one of a colt, for she never seemed to know what to do with her long limbs, which were very much in her way. She had a decided mouth, a comical nose, and sharp, gray eyes, which appeared to see everything, and were by turns fierce, funny, or thoughtful.” (Alcott 4). This description essentially portrays Jo as the awkward teenager with a love for the outdoors. From this she is shown to blossom into a young woman who ultimately gives up her life as a writer and settles down with Mr Bhaer.

Her trouble with negotiating her identity between social expectations and personal freedom to grow through experience is even shown through the abbreviation of her name from Josephine to Jo (a relatively masculine name), and in fact I thought Jo was a boy for the first few chapters. Meg’s conformity to the 19th century female figure acts as a foil to Jo’s “boyish” mannerisms. Meg could also be described as materialistic while Jo is more sentimental. This contrast is further brought out through the chapter in which Meg takes Jo to Sallie Gardiner’s party where Meg assimilates easily while Jo retreats to a corner having a harder time to connect with people. Her brash and ambitious nature often clashes with Meg and their youngest sister, Amy. But she gets along with Beth, given Beth’s calm temperament. Beth’s conformity to the domestic sphere also allows Jo to get in touch with and comfortable with her own feminine side.

Jo’s passion is depicted through her love for writing and aspirations to achieve the freedom that her writing provides her with. Anger is one of her significant traits as she says “I am angry nearly every day of my life” (Alcott 90); we see her grappling with it when she fights with Amy over the burning of the manuscript. Her anger might imply the collective anger felt by women in the 19th century being relegated to the submissive and domestic sphere. Jo’s sacrificial side is brought out when she sells her hair in order to raise money for her mother’s trip to Washington D.C. This also implies how financial problems tend to mature children sooner than they need to.

Through such little incidents over the course of the book we see the March sisters grow and learn from their mistakes and their bond continues to remain strong despite all the personal hardships faced by each of them; be it Meg with her inferiority complex and materialistic tendencies or Jo with her anger issues. Their Marmee acts an important guiding light for them, helping them whenever they face moral dilemmas. While this eventually shifts as and when the women begin growing into their own lives, we do witness a happy ending with them celebrating ‘Marmee’s’ birthday.


Work cited:

Alcott, Louisa. “Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.” Project Gutenberg, 1 May 1996, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/514.


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