A Reflection on Louisa May Alcott's Book Little Women

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” (Louisa May Alcott, Little Women). It is a quote from character Amy March in Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel Little Women. I first fell in love with Little Women, when I read it with my mom in elementary school. I then had to read it again for an assignment in high school and I recently reread the novel before the most recent movie adaptation in December. Little Women is one of my favorite books of all time and I hope that this speech will give you a greater understanding of what has allowed this story to stand the test of time. It was published in 1868 and 150 years later this book continues to be a cultural phenomenon. 

Little Women was revered and earned exceeding popularity as it appealed to the masses by following the lives of four young sisters through a realistic and loosely biographical lens. Unlike many of the wild and sensationalist stories circulating at this time, Little Women follows rather ordinary events, but digs into relatable and timeless themes. The book begins with the four sisters, Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth, in their teen years and follows them all the way into adulthood. While some argue the book is slow and unspectacular, as a reader you will quickly fall in love with the at times tense, but deeply honest relationships between the sisters. The book explores the trials that many adolescents face like love, jealousy, conforming to society, and finding your own identity. Perhaps the reason that Little Women does not feel like another silly story is because it is based off of the real life of Louisa May Alcott. Each of the sisters in the novel is based off of one of Alcott’s own sisters and the character Jo is actually based off of Alcott herself. One of the theme’s that I feel made the book so realistic was that at the end of the story each of the girl’s lives turned out quite differently than you would have expected. Many of them had to sacrifice some of their childhood ideals or dreams, but each of them ultimately found a sense of contentment in their own life. As a reader, I have always sympathized with the character Jo, who felt constrained by the expectations placed on her and felt an overwhelming sense of yearning to make something of herself. Knowing that the book was based on Alcott’s own feelings about her life allowed me to relate to the character to an even greater extent. Little Women was groundbreaking, because it reflects the everyday struggles of growing up and Louisa May Alcott allowed her own personal experiences to be felt by every reader. Not only was this book astonishing for its realistic style, but it is notable for its early feminist themes.

Little Women was a revolutionary novel that began to recount and unravel the expectations placed on women and gave them an honest voice that they often had not possessed within literature. Little Women was ahead of its time in the way that it challenged the common notions and ideals of what a woman should be. Little Women was one of the first largely popular novels to focus solely on the lives of young girls. In September of 2018, Alice George of the Smithsonian Magazine quotes Louisa May Alcott herself in saying that the idea of writing a girl’s book was “stifling” to her, as she never got along well with many girls. Little Women was popularized, not just as a story for girls, but as a classic for the whole family. I think it is interesting that even today many men would balk at the idea of reading a novel following four girls, although women are expected to read dozens of books focused on men and don’t give it a second thought. While some critics today feel that Alcott was not bold enough in her feminist stances, she still took strong steps in the right direction for women given the time period. Alcott wrote the books in two parts and as quoted in 2015 by Meredith Mann with the New York Public Library, Alcott’s own letters stated she refused to “marry Jo to Laurie to please anyone;” however, ultimately Jo ends up getting married, which now disappoints many. While this may not be the statement Alcott originally intended to make, she does keep Jo from to marrying for money and has her marry a man who she feels challenges her intellectually, which was unheard of at this time. Alcott also expresses many feminist ideas through the voices of the girls throughout the novel. Louisa May Alcott herself did what Jo could not do, she remained unmarried and devoted her life to her work, which was a daring feminist act in itself. I believe seeing the successes, failures, pains and pressures to conform that both Louisa May Alcott and Jo faced shows the true plight of women. The power in Little Women is not lost because the characters do not make perfectly progressive choices, rather the power of the story is found in hearing the honest accounts of the choices women had to make during this time period.

In conclusion, Little Women is a story that has forever impacted my life and I hope you have gained a greater understanding of why Little Women isn’t just a book for little girls. Alcott uses a plain story based on her life to speak truths and explore topics that millions can relate to even today. Louisa May Alcott’s honest and brave writing have made Little Women into a classic and I hope you got a glimpse into the beautiful tale that has allowed it to earn a spot in the hearts of many Americans.