Roads The Four March Girls Amy example essay topic

Spenser Thomas Per 312 December 04 Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, Pocket Books -Simon and Schuster Inc., 578 pages, 1868 Book Theme: In the arduous journey from childhood to adulthood, a young woman is faced with two things that need great attention and balance - the progress of her individual social standing, and the welfare of her immediate family. Main Conflict: The book does not really follow the traditional single plot line characteristic of many stories (especially during the time it was written). Alcott illustrated the roads the four March girls Amy, Beth, Jo, and Meg take in their lives as they become young women. The storyline includes many mini-conflicts, such as Jo's writing, or Beth's illness, or Laurie's inclination to love Jo despite Amy's affections. Generally speaking, the one overlying conflict stands as the girls' growth - the journey they took, and the intermediate obstacles they conquered to get to where they were. The Plot: The girls resolve to focus not on themselves, but on their immediate family's needs, much thanks to an inspirational letter from Mr. March during the Civil War.

Eventually, the girls grow and begin to follow their own aspirations in hopes of accomplishing their dreams. Soon enough, Meg and Beth both come back to carry for their families, and Beth also dies of scarlet fever. Amy and Jo continue on in their own artistry, but soon conform to society's idea of womanhood and also marry their respective partners. At the end of the book, the girls are reunited once again, as a family, just as they always have been. My Opinion: This book would " ve followed a very difficult plot line if the characters weren't so distinguishable. How Louisa May Alcott emphasizes on certain aspect of each March girl that sets them apart from the other three is quite intriguing.

For the most part, this book seemed more directed at a feminine audience. You'd have thought I could figure that out from the title, but I chose the book because of its reputation. Although it was slow and gradual (after all, the story followed the life of these little women), getting through the book was like growing up with the March girls. I like that Jo was a fiery tomboy, that Beth was shy and reserved, that Meg was all-knowing and wise, and that Amy was naive and proud.

It was even more enjoyable to see them grow into adults that contradicted some of their former ways. Jo for instance, exhibited great change, especially when she burned her old sensationalist stories in Mr. Bhaer's fire. This symbolic event included a step away from Jo's old behavior and towards the life of the woman she was meant to be. I did a little research on the books themes to get some ideas on what Alcott was trying to convey in Little Women.

What I found was a little discouraging. Initially, Alcott's priority was to show how young women (more specifically from that time period) had to face two premier choices. Many had to choose between staying and caring for their immediate family, or to move on and pursue their life's interests. Now although the four March girls moved on to better things, and for the most part, accomplished much of their dreams, they still ended up fulfilling the image of a woman and her role within the family. Even though none of the girls complained about their position as the "wife" as things settled down, I missed their old adventures and their struggles in trying to prove themselves to society. Going back to Jo's life, she started of as a refusing rebel, who didn't like the idea of conforming to society's idea of a woman.

As she grew, however, she eventually conformed to become an ideal woman. At least at the end all of the March girls are well-to-do and actually quite content with their happily ever after.