Individual Member Of Alcott's Family example essay topic

In the nineteenth century, women were given few rights. They were looked down on upon men and were expected to be feminine. It is hard to understand a woman's point of view unless they are the women themselves. It was rare for a woman to "express their feelings and their spiritual and inner thoughts more fully than they would today (Harris and Fitzgerald, 23)". Each woman goes through a series of phases in which men never have to be tormented by or suffer through. Louisa May Alcott draws from her own life experiences in Little Women to examine the traditional role of women in the 1800's.

Alcott's father became a huge impact in her life. Amos Bronson, Louisa May Alcott's father, was a teacher and a transcendentalist; therefore his virtuous beliefs caused him to be strict among his family members. Due to the fact that Bronson was a teacher, Louisa May Alcott was tutored by him until she became sixteen. "Louisa seemed to see her life as one of struggle between her own will and submission to her fathers (web)". He "believes that Louisa was demonic resulted in part from his definition of himself as angelic (web)". Because of her father, she wrote novels in which critics considered "gothic."Alcott's thrillers examine the darker side of human nature and criticize the Victorian ideal of femininity as unrealistic and false (web)".

Alcott fears to disappoint her father and not be able to live up to his expectations. She tries hard to be what her father wants her to be and this caused her father to effect her writings, inner feelings and thoughts. Louisa May Alcott expresses all of her thoughts and feelings through Josephine March in Little Women. It is obvious that she displays her non-feminine side just by the name Josephine or as known as Jo. Jo is described as "gentlemanly" (Alcott, 4) and "boyish" (Alcott, 4) because of her actions and her behavior. As in the novel, Jo "struggles against anger and sexual stereotypes (web)", just like Alcott in real life.

Despite her boyish actions, she is also feminine when she meets Fred and falls in love with him. Also, Jo's character, personality and occupation are based on Alcott life. For an example, both Alcott and Jo write amazing stories for a living in order to support the family. The thoughts and feelings of Alcott are articulated in many different ways through Jo. Louisa May Alcott's works demonstrate moral actions, which are carried on through the March family.

The March family represents morality because of their generosity towards the needy. They are not rich or wealthy, yet they are willing to share their goods with others. Each member of the family has their own individual problems and Alcott "demonstrates to the reader what is right moral action by posing a situation with believable characters trying to puzzle out the answers for themselves (MacDonald, 15)". Her works seemed to be filled with life and joy, especially when it is being represented by Beth.

She is always peaceful and tranquil. Also, Louisa always mentions God and how he's going to fix everything. Before the death of Beth, she said she will "leave everything to God and nature (Alcott, 350)."Alcott constantly inculcates moral and religious values, although she does not pres any narrow sectarian interests on her readers as many other authors of the time did. But God is definitely a character in this book (MacDonald, 19)". Because of Marmee's great disciplines and teachings, the March girls learned how to be independent. Besides the girl's honorable qualities, they are somewhat selfish and think for themselves.

Meg is selfish for buying a fifty-dollar silk, but later she became "overwhelmed with remorse at her own selfishness (web) " and decides to use the money for a new overcoat for her husband (web)". Amy is also selfish in a way. She burned Jo's book because she was jealous that she went to see The Seven Castles with Laurie. Jo, the narrator, is selfish too because "she does not want Laurie as a sweetheart; she wants to adopt both him and his air of freedom and elegant comfort (web)". Despite their selfishness, they are altruistic toward others and "loved their neighbor better than themselves (Alcott, 16)". The moral actions in the book are supposed to be guides or role models for young readers.

Little Women having to deal with women versus men explains Alcott's thoughts about society in the nineteenth century. An example would be the March family ironically consisting of only female members and no male members. Even the slave, Hanna, is a female. Alcott's work deals with the "boundaries between masculine and feminine, and questions about gender, impersonation, and power (web)". In Alcott's Little Women, women tend to be strong and define the word individualism. On the other hand, men were described in the story as people who need women.

Laurie's desperation of being in the March family lead him to propose to Josephine and when she rejects his offer, he then proposed to Amy. Regardless of how dominant the women characters are in the story, Alcott created Jo boy-like because she thinks that a "masculine society with such boyish high spirits will be admired and envied by young women, who beg to be told of them (Harris and Fitzgerald, 24)". In the novel, it may appear that women are the dominant characters, but in real life women revolve around men. Louisa May Alcott's Little Women "relates to appearance versus reality (web)". The book relates so much to her life that it gave it a sense of reality. Alcott wrote a series of apocryphal stories to conceal the reality of her life.

For example, in reality, she desires to be a male, but she is not even allowed to express her boyish behaviors because of her austere father. Also, another sense of reality is created in the book is through the describing of each individual member of Alcott's family. The March girls started off being childish and innocent, then they gradually grew up and became young women. Laurie and Jo first became close friends, and then Laurie fell in love with Jo and proposes.

The reality of how women were during that time frame was also depicted in the novel. They were mostly housewives and the young girls, who stay home instead of going to school. From her descriptions, what appears in the novels may be fiction, but it is also reality. It is clear that Louisa May Alcott draws from her own life experiences in Little Women to examine the traditional role of women in the 1800's. First, she relates to how her father had an impact on her story. He wants her to live up to his demands, but she refuses because that is not what she wants.

She wants to be herself, tomboyish. Also, Alcott portrays herself through Josephine March. Her expression and thoughts are vividly described and evaluated. Louisa's works demonstrates moral actions, which are carried on through the March family. Marmee is the mother of the March girls, who support and raised them into young adults. She teaches them the wrong from the right.

In addition, Little Women deals with men versus women, which are thoughts about society in the nineteenth century. Alcott writes the children's novel as if the women were dominant and that men need women to live. Finally, Louisa May Alcott's Little Women "relates to appearance versus reality". She uses her novel as a source to understand and also to hide from the reality of her life. It also gives the reader the knowledge of how women were different from men. From the book, it is apparent that the women during that time period were mainly housewives and were self-educated.

They primarily depend on men or other people and they are not treated equally as men. Little Women is a children's novel, which is written to teach them morality, the outlook of the world, and most importantly to become young adults.