Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott - 800 Words

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, was published in 1868 and follows the lives, loves, and troubles of the four March sisters growing up during the American Civil War.1 The novel is loosely based on childhood experiences Alcott shared with her own sisters, Anna, May, and Elizabeth, who provided the hearts of the novel’s main characters.2 The March sisters illustrate the difficulties of girls growing up in a world that holds certain expectations of the female sex; the story details the journeys the girls make as they grow to be women in that world. Figures 1 and 2 in the Appendix are of Orchard House, the basis for the March family home, where the Alcotts lived. Little Women was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869; the†¦show more content†¦Alcott was often inspired by familiar elements in her writing: Anna, her married sister, was the model for Meg, the family beauty; Elizabeth, who died at twenty-three, was the basis for Beth; May, Alcott’s strong-willed sister, was portrayed as Amy; Louisa depicted herself as Jo, the stubborn, fiery main character.10 Alcott freely corresponded with readers who addressed her as â€Å"Miss March† or â€Å"Jo,† and did not correct them.11 Meg, sixteen at the beginning of the book, is the oldest March sister. She is referred to as the beauty of the family and runs the household when her mother is absent. Meg fulfills the expectations for women of the time; she is already a nearly perfect â€Å"little woman† from the start.12 Jo, the principal character, is fifteen at the opening of the book; she is a willful and strong young woman, struggling to subdue her forceful personality. Her failures render her a more realistic, charming character.13 Beth, thirteen when the novel starts, is described as shy, musical, and gentle; she is easily the shyest March sister and the peacemaker of the family.14 The main loss of the novel is Beth’s passing; her â€Å"self-sacrifice† is ultimately the greatest in the novel – she gives up her life knowing that it had only â€Å"private, domestic meaning.†15 Amy, the youngest March sister, is twelve when the story begins. She is the artist of the family, and is described as a â€Å"regular snow-maiden† with golden, curly hair and blue eyes, â€Å"pale and slender†Show MoreRelatedLittle Women By Louisa May Alcott1041 Words   |  5 PagesIn her novel Little Women, Louisa May Alcott delves into the social expectations placed on American women in the mid-nineteenth century. Alcott explores the different impacts of these expectations through the experiences of the four March sisters as they transition from childhood to adulthood. As she follows the life of the girls as they struggle to balance the new world of social elegancies with the morals ingrained in them by their mother, Alcott challenges these social expectations and highlightsRead MoreLittle Women, By Louisa May Alcott866 Words   |  4 PagesLouisa May Alcott was born and raised in Massachusetts from a financially struggling family, which will soon change due to Louisa’s writing talents. Louisa was homeschooled the majority of her childhood, which sparked h er writing career. Many of her life experiences influenced her writing but the main one, that got her started, was her father, Amos Bronson Alcott, a philosopher and teacher. As she grew older, she befriended abolitionists, she soon becomes a part of, which greatly influence her laterRead MoreLittle Women By Louisa May Alcott1680 Words   |  7 PagesLittle Women, a novel written in 1868 also known as the 19th century. 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MarmeeRead MoreEssay on Little Women by Louisa May Alcott674 Words   |  3 PagesBorn in Germantown, Pennsylvania, Louisa May Alcott is best known for her novel Little Women. She was educated by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margret Fuller, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, who were family friends, and also educated by her father. Her novel is always in the top ten of the most-read books next to the Bible. Little Women takes place during the 1860s in Concord, Massachusetts. The story begins with four young girls trying to understand the importance of not being selfish, and it follows the livesRead MoreLittle Women Or Meg By Louisa May Alcott966 Words   |  4 PagesLittle Women or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy by Louisa May Alcott is a coming-of-age story about four girls with all different personalities and different ways of going through the world. 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The life-like characters and their tales break some of the stereotypes and add to the strength of the plot that embeds the last few years of the Industrial Revolution and social customs and conflicts, such as the CivilRead MoreThe Value Of Sisterhood In Little Women, By Louisa May Alcott1325 Words   |  6 Pagespriority. Even though the novel Little Women and the poem Goblin Market are different in regards to their primary storyline, genre and writers, they do discuss a similar theme, the value of sisterhood, in a way that helps in the understanding the achievements that sisterhood can orchestrate. Little Women is an 1869 novel written by Louisa May Alcott that majors around four sisters who are living with only their mother as the American Civil War was underway (Alcott 3). The March girls, who are theRead MoreThe Theme Of Family In Little Women By Louisa May Alcott1027 Words   |  5 PagesSarah Percy Wilson Theme- family is most important English 05 October 2017 Classic Novel Analysis In the novel Little Women by: Louisa May Alcott, a common theme is expressed throughout. To the family in this story, each other is the only thing that matters, therefore, displaying the message family is the most important thing you can have in your life. The four sisters, Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy, belong to a very poor family inRead More The Importance of the Family in Louisa May Alcott Little Women864 Words   |  4 Pages Many times people are asked to think about what is important to them. A person may say their home, car, children, material items and some may even say family. In the book Little Women (1868-1869) written by Louisa May Alcott illustrates several family values. The story of the March family starts out during the civil war in New England. The family is left to survive on their own because their father went to protect his country. During the years of life the March children, Margaret (Meg), Josephine