Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Frederick Bhaer

A respected professor in Germany who becomes an impoverished language instructor in America. Mr. Bhaer lives in New York, where he meets Jo. He is kind and fatherly.

Aunt March

A rich widow and one of the March girls' aunts. Although crotchety and difficult, Aunt March loves her nieces and wants the best for them.

Mr. Laurence

Laurie's grandfather and the Marches' next-door neighbor. Mr. Laurence seems gruff, but he is loving and kind.

"I am angry nearly every day of my life."

Marmee makes this statement in Chapter 8 when she tells Jo that she too struggles with a quick temper. Throughout the novel, however, Marmee seems serene and composed, which suggests that the appearance of a docile woman may hide turmoil underneath. Marmee's admission makes Jo feel better, because she realizes that she is not the only one with a temper. At the same time, though, Marmee's words suggest that there is no hope for Jo—Marmee is still angry after forty years, and perhaps Jo will be too. Many feminist critics have noted this sentence as an expression of anger about nineteenth-century society's demand that women be domestic.

Theme: Poverty

There are many different kinds of poverty in Little Women. Most obvious is financial poverty, lacking money and material goods. Financial poverty comes in many strains, and the novel reminds us that even families that seem to have very little might be better off than those who are truly indigent. More serious than financial poverty, however, is spiritual poverty. Wealthy families and individuals sometimes lack the most important things in life - love, happiness, family togetherness, and morality. In the end, spiritual and material wealth are brought together in a variety of ways to create the happiest possible situations, but financial poverty remains bearable when necessary.

"Oh, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this!"

These words from Marmee conclude the novel, at the end of Chapter 47, and also sum up the novel's message. Through the four March sisters, Alcott presents many possible ways a woman can walk through life. Both the novel and Marmee finally decide that women must make some sacrifices for their families, in order to have the happiest life possible. Perhaps Alcott sometimes wished her life had turned out more traditionally and that she had married and had children. This ending is ambiguous at best, however, since the novel has called traditional values into question throughout.

Themes

Women & femininity The home Principles Literature & Writing Love Marriage Sacrifice Poverty Ambition

Theme: Principles

The girls in Little Women are raised to hold fast to their moral principles, listening to their own consciences before they pay attention to anything else. The principles in this novel are firmly based on Protestant Christianity, although the novel rarely makes explicit reference to the Bible or even to God. However, the novel makes an attempt to depict these principles as universal, so that disagreement with small details of doctrine doesn't get in the way of learning ethical lessons. Morality here is also connected with hard work, self-improvement, and the resourceful American spirit.

Meg March

The oldest March sister. Responsible and kind, Meg mothers her younger sisters. She has a small weakness for luxury and leisure, but the greater part of her is gentle, loving, and morally vigorous.

Jo March

The protagonist of the novel, and the second-oldest March sister. Jo, who wants to be a writer, is based on Louisa May Alcott herself, which makes the story semi-autobiographical. Jo has a temper and a quick tongue, although she works hard to control both. She is a tomboy, and reacts with impatience to the many limitations placed on women and girls. She hates romance in her real life, and wants nothing more than to hold her family together.

Laurie Laurence

The rich boy who lives next door to the Marches. Laurie, whose real name is Theodore Laurence, becomes like a son and brother to the Marches. He is charming, clever, and has a good heart.

Beth March

The third March daughter. Beth is very quiet and very virtuous, and she does nothing but try to please others. She adores music and plays the piano very well.

Amy March

The youngest March girl. Amy is an artist who adores visual beauty and has a weakness for pretty possessions. She is given to pouting, fits of temper, and vanity; but she does attempt to improve herself.

Mr. March

The March girls' father and Marmee's husband. He serves in the Union army as a chaplain. When he returns home, he continues acting as a minister to a nearby parish.

Marmee

The March girls' mother. Marmee is the moral role model for her girls. She counsels them through all of their problems and works hard but happily while her husband is at war.

Theme: Sacrifice

In Little Women, the ability to make sacrifices, both great and small, is an essential part of ethical behavior. Everyone must be able to show a certain degree of selflessness - doing without material comforts, letting go of pride, or giving up personal desires for the good of the family or community. Sacrifices might also be more extreme or serious; sisters must sacrifice their claim on their sisters, daughters must sacrifice their claim on their fathers, and lovers must sacrifice their claim on their beloveds when the situation requires. It's not surprising that sacrifice plays such an important role in a novel that, underneath it all, is structured around Christianity - a religion that centers around one great sacrifice.

Theme: The home

In Little Women, the home is more than a house where you sleep at night. The domestic sphere provides a moral center for men and women alike, and a comfortable home, full of love, is depicted as the basic unit of a stable society. As children grow up, they learn to contribute to the comfort and structure of the family home, which prepares them to develop homes of their own once they marry and "leave the nest." According to this view, joyless or unhappy homes are the root of most of the problems in the world.

Theme: Marriage

In Little Women, marriage is depicted as a wonderful and beneficial institution, the culmination of all the different kinds of love and domestic lessons that women - and men - learn in their youth. Although the novel suggests that men and women have different and distinct roles within the marriage, it also insists that marriage must be a partnership, with both spouses working together to create a home and raise a family. The best marriages are not necessarily the most obvious ones, and sometimes youthful passions have to give way to more practical or unusual pairings

"I'll try and be what he loves to call me, "a little woman," and not be rough and wild; but do my duty here instead of wanting to be somewhere else."

Jo speaks these words in Chapter 1 after hearing the letter from Mr. March, who is serving in the Civil War. Jo says that she would like to be doing something exciting, such as being in the Civil War like her father, instead of sitting at home. Jo points out that women cannot fight in the Civil War, and generally lead less adventurous lives than do men. In this statement, Jo also demonstrates a wish to make her father happy by acting stereotypically female. Jo struggles throughout the novel because she wants both to lead an adventurous, independent life and to help and please her family. In other words, the struggle for individual success conflicts with the duty and affection she feels for her family and with the domestic sphere that most women of the time accept. Mr. March's letter comes immediately after all the March girls say that they want more out of life than what they have. After hearing his letter, they each decide to be content with what they have, demonstrating that the renunciation of their material dreams is learned, rather than natural, behavior.

"I'd have a stable full of Arabian steeds, rooms piled with books, and I'd write out of a magic inkstand, so that my works should be as famous as Laurie's music. I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle—something heroic, or wonderful—that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I don't know what, but I'm on the watch for it, and mean to astonish you all, some day. I think I shall write books, and get rich and famous; that would suit me, so that is my favorite dream."

Jo speaks these words in Chapter 13 when the March girls and Laurie are discussing their dreams. In contrast to the typical dreams of her sisters, Jo's dream is startlingly big and confidently expressed. The horses Jo wants, and with which she is constantly compared, represent the wild freedom for which she yearns. Significantly, Jo does not mention a husband or children in her dream, but says she wants books and ink. This powerful statement reaches well beyond the confines of a woman's small living room and demands lasting fame and independence in a man's world. Jo's sentences are very direct and begin commandingly with the word "I." Jo also mentions the desire to have her work equal Laurie's. The pursuit of an art is represented as an idyllic field in which men's and women's work are considered equal. Also, Jo aligns going into a castle—getting married and having a house—with dying, for she wants to do something great before either event happens to her.

Summary

Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy March are four sisters living with their mother in New England. Their father is away serving as a chaplain in the Civil War, and the sisters struggle to support themselves and keep their household running despite the fact that the family recently lost its fortune. In the process, they become close friends with their wealthy neighbor, Theodore Laurence, known as "Laurie." As the girls grow older, each faces her own personal demons and moral challenges. Jo, our beloved protagonist, must tame her tomboyish ways and learn to be more ladylike while pursuing her ambition to be a great writer. Meg, the oldest, must put aside her love of wealth and finery in order to follow her heart. Beth, the shy one, must conquer her bashfulness, while Amy, the youngest, has to sacrifice her aristocratic pride. The girls are guided in their personal growth by their mother, "Marmee," and by their religious faith. The family's tight bonds are forever changed when Meg falls in love with John Brooke, Laurie's tutor. Meg and John marry and begin a home of their own, quickly populated by twins Daisy and Demi. Another marriage seems imminent when Laurie reveals to Jo that he has fallen in love with her, but she declares that she cannot care for him in the same way. Jo goes to New York as the governess for a family friend, Mrs. Kirke, experiencing the big city and trying her hand as a professional writer. Meanwhile, Amy travels through Europe with her wealthy Aunt Carroll and cousin Flo, nurturing her artistic talent. Separately, Laurie goes to Europe accompanied by his grandfather. He pursues his passion for music and tries to forget Jo. While in New York, Jo meets German expatriate Professor Bhaer, whose intellect and strong moral nature spark her interest. Across the Atlantic, Laurie and Amy discover that they lack the genius to be great artists, but that they make an excellent romantic pairing. When Beth, who has never been strong, dies young, the sorrow of their loss solidifies Amy's bond to Laurie. Back in the States, Jo returns home to care for her bereaved parents and learns to embrace her domestic side. All the loose ends are tied up as Jo and Professor Bhaer marry and start a boarding school for boys, while Amy and Laurie marry and use the Laurence family wealth to support struggling young artists. The Brooke, Bhaer, and Laurence households flourish, and the novel ends with a birthday party for Marmee, celebrating the extended March family connections and the progress of Jo's boarding school, Plumfield.

Theme: Women & Femininity

Little Women considers the place of women in society by presenting the portraits of several very different but equally praiseworthy women. As we read the novel, we experience their different interpretations of femininity, and we see a range of different possibilities for integrating women into society. Because the novel was written in the mid-nineteenth century, historical context places limits on what women can do. However, modern readers may be pleasantly surprised by the novel's tendency to push the boundaries of women's traditional roles. This book insists that women have a great deal to contribute, certainly to the home and domestic sphere, but also to literature, art, and an ethical society.

Theme: Literature & Writing

Little Women is a text about writing texts. The protagonist, herself an author, experiments with different genres and voices in order to find her own "truth" as a writer. Literature also provides inspiration, not only for childhood games, but also for adult lessons. Shakespeare is a particular touchstone for these characters, exemplifying both writerly talent and development of characters. The German Romantic poets and the American Transcendentalists are also sources of wisdom and interest, uniting Romantic ideas with social ideals. However, writing can also be dangerous in this novel; sensational or thrilling fiction divorces entertainment from ethics, and writing or reading texts of that kind can harm someone's character.

Theme: Love

Love is everywhere in Little Women, a novel about four marriageable sisters and their various friends. Often it is romantic love, either reciprocated or unrequited. But there are many other kinds of love that sustain the characters, and it's even suggested that they could substitute for romantic love if necessary. These other forms of love include the different bonds of family, especially parent to child and sisters to each other. They also include more abstract affections, such as the love of country (patriotism) or the love of God (religion). Love is able to sweeten almost any sour situation, from poverty to loss to loneliness, and nothing can compensate for the lack of love. Because the March girls have the strong foundation of their mother's love, they are able to make intelligent choices when faced with different prospects for romantic love. Little Women suggests that love between siblings, especially sisters, is more important than romantic love.

"Money is a needful and precious thing,—and, when well used, a noble thing,—but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for. I'd rather see you poor men's wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queens on thrones, without self- respect and peace."

Marmee speaks these words in Chapter 9, after Meg has returned from a two-week stay at the Moffats' home. Marmee tells Meg that she does not want any of her daughters to marry for material comforts, as was suggested by a guest at the Gardiners'. At a moment in history when women's futures hinged solely on their choice of a husband, Marmee's statement is very compassionate and unusual. After all, the other guests at the party easily assume that Meg must be intending to marry for money. Alcott does not completely sanction Marmee's statement. Little Women depicts marrying poor as a serious burden for a nineteenth-century woman to bear. One should not marry for money, but at the same time, quarrels and stress come about from marrying a poor man. Alcott does not depict romantic love without mentioning the practical reality of living with little money. The daughter of an improvident father, she knew firsthand the worry of having to depend on someone else for a living.

Theme: Ambition

Most of the characters in Little Women are ambitious - either they want to get rich, or they want to be famous, or they just want to see the world and have a good time. As they mature, each must learn to subordinate ambition to duty, or to shift his or her ambitions in different directions. Instead of seeking fulfillment outside the home, characters must redirect their ambitions into the domestic sphere. Characters with artistic talent must learn to distinguish between wanting to do brilliant work and actually being geniuses, and sometimes ambition has to give way to love and realism.