Alcott's Ideas Of Reform example essay topic

Within the nineteenth century, as America was but an adolescent in political, social, and economic development, Louisa May Alcott was woman with a passionate grasp on the necessity for reform; with a voice dedicated to the advancement of the American people as a cohesive society. Her platform for reform was seeded in an expansive array of social topics, some of which included domestic reform, alternative medicine and health, and the progression of the roles of women in society. Alcott's stance on the things she was so proactive about was, although often revolutionary, well defined, supported with factual information, and was conducive to upholding the values of a country defined by liberty, freedom, and the ambition to improve the quality of life for its people. These are the aspects that made her voice heard and made her propositions for reform so effective. Powered by the strength of her family values and the love she personally shared for her own family, Alcott was extremely interested in the well-being of the people she was close to. The roles she saw as important to fulfill in a household formed the basis for her beliefs that influenced her ideas about domestic reform.

She valued the importance of maintaining a healthy and comfortable lifestyle and illustrated this in her reform proposals for "food, drink, and dress". She says, "The person who decides what shall be the food and drink of a family, and the modes of its preparation, is the one who decides, to a greater or less extent, what shall be the health of the family", (p. 21). She takes great responsibility in how a family is fed and, in doing so, her proposals are that much more credible. Alcott stresses the importance of what and how to eat and supports her ideas by detailing the process in which the body digests and uses the fuel it is fed. She suggests that meals should be well balanced between protein and vegetables and eaten twice a day with five hours in between for digestion and rest. She also addresses the idea of "healthful drink" and says that "pure water is perfectly healthful and supplies all the liquid needed by the body" (p. 23) She emphasizes the importance of feeding and hydrating the body with natural resources and points out that alcohol and drugs, such as opium, have nothing but negative effects on the body and within the home.

Such ideas were expressed by Alcott not only in reform articles, but also in more literary works such as Jimmy's Lecture from a press leaflet saying, "Half the sin and sorrow in the world come from rum. Men waste their money, neglect their families, break their wives' hearts, and set a bad example to their children". (p. 31) Ideas of reform expressed in this form reiterate Alcott's domestically aimed intentions. She also briefly touches on her feelings about young girls wearing corsets solely for the hope of fitting into society's standards for fashion. She not only points out the danger such restrictive accessories in nineteenth century dress place on a growing girl's physical development, but she also address the issue that girls were expected to do something that was potentially harmful solely to suit society's expectations.

It is clear that Alcott is vehemently opposed to such standards and is a strong believer in instilling a well entrenched sense of self-worth as girls develop into women saying in a short story she wrote, An Old-Fashioned Girl, "I don't want [a girl] to be loved for [her] clothes, but for herself", (p. 33) Alcott's domestic theories and hopes for reform were based in her family values and the idea that daily lives should be focused on what is the best and healthiest for every member in the family on both a physical and social level. Staying true to her beliefs of truth and goodness, Alcott also has reform ideas dealing with alternative medicine and healing. Similar to the ideas she has about healthy eating and lifestyle, Alcott is a believer in natural cures and the power of mind over matter in the healing process. She discusses the role of the doctor in relation to the patient and stresses the necessity of having an intimate association with the patient and the means by which the patient is cured.

This includes proposing a cure that works with elements that extend beyond medication and works with an appropriate bedside manner and the concept of a spiritual cure as well. She also speaks out against so-called "cures" that are unhelpful and simply marketed to appeal to those in need. She sites the "mind cure" as one such example. Alcott is careful to explore the concept and its methods thoroughly before passing a judgment on it.

Despite investigating it with an opened mind, Alcott was appalled at how the result so greatly contrasted what was originally promised and comments in a woman's journal saying, "If [the mind cure] be a delusion, as some of us believe, let those who practice it beware how they coin money out of the suffering of fellow-creatures, and blindly lessen faith in God and man by promising what they cannot perform", (p. 55) The very fact that such a solution as the "mind cure" is proposed to the those suffering feeds off of the essence of what Alcott believes is imperative in having a viable cure, in order to take advantage of those who are vulnerable. It is in this nature that Alcott proposes medicine be viewed. That it is a practice that encompasses the entire health of a person and is aided by a physician who champions truth, honesty, and compassion. Alcott's ideas of reform extend beyond those within the home and individual to target such revolutionary issues as woman's rights as well. She attacks the issues involving the rolls of women in the home and in society by maintaining the same fervor and conviction she had with less heated topics. With a concentration on women's economic roles in society, Alcott deals with the concept of equal opportunity, equal pay, and equal contribution between men and women.

Her reform platform concentrates on the importance of developing an opinion of each individual woman based not on her gender, but on her performance. She says, "Let woman find her own limitations, and if, as is so confidently asserted, nature has defined her sphere, she will be guided accordingly", (p. 152) She opposes heatedly against the assumptions made of women and emphasizes the necessity of offering fair training alongside the training of men for women as well as compensation for a woman's work based not on a salary defined by her gender, but based on the quality of her work. She suggests that with the equality of women and men in the work place, society will evolve with the notion of a "partnership" - a concept that allows greater versatility and efficiency in American economy. Alcott is a champion of human equality. She does not claim, not even suggests, that there is a superior gender. She instead rallies for fairness and uniformity among labor pay and opportunities.

The reforms that Louisa May Alcott advocates so fervently were for the good of the American people as a whole. She focused her voice not to support one side against another, but to unify the country's developing society under principles health, morality, and equality. Her proactive role in the reform issues of the nineteenth century and her suggestion of a greater future made her not only an effective activist, but also a powerful role model, and a respected leader.