One of the most groundbreaking novels of its time, with a strong representation of feminism, Little Women, written by Louisa May Alcott, became a smash hit in the 19th century. This book was decades ahead of its time, still holding many lessons and ideas that society can still learn from today. This book held great insight into the world, showing the individuality and complexity that each female figure holds. This was an important message to the public when it was released, considering the societal norms of women being looked down upon and objectified by their looks.
The four sisters that the narrative surrounds: Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth, are each unique through their traits and desires. It turns out that each of these characters, as well as their parents, were based on Alcott’s real family. The beautiful and play-performing Meg March was inspired by Anna Alcott, the eldest sister; the forever shy and sweet Beth March’s origins stemmed from Beth Alcott, who also passed away at a young age; talented artist Amy March originated from May Alcott; then the one and only, bold and active Jo March arose from Louisa May Alcott herself.
The four young girls had a genteel upbringing with limited wealth and resources around them. Father March, based on Alcott’s real father, was often away, serving as a chaplain during the Civil War. Though Louisa May Alcott was the only member of her family to serve any role in the war, as a nurse, Bronson Alcott was a vocal and passionate abolitionist who cared for the Alcott family alongside Abby May Alcott, the strong mother figure who inspired the creation of the softhearted Marmee March.
The March family, in representation of the Alcotts, were a standout in comparison to others in this time, as they were not afraid to be their authentic selves. The focus of the story is how females are just as worthy and powerful as the men of society. Through the power of writing, Jo March tries to prove her value and impact that she hopes to have on the world, to hopefully display the significance and equal importance women have compared to men, despite the barriers and standards that try to keep them in their place as “housewives,” or “beautiful beings.” Jo having the courage to act out and redefine what being a woman means, shows that they can be and act in any which way they have the desire to.
In addition to the beautiful statement Jo makes in her wild existence, it is also proven that one can still be notable and strong in their traditional feminine desires. Sister Meg is also just as brave and powerful as Jo in wanting to settle with a poor man she loves and start a family. Meg is still willing to work and fight for what she wants despite her Aunt March’s high encouragement for the girls to marry rich. Sister Amy also held the same dreams of getting married like Meg, eventually getting engaged to Laurie, the grandson of the neighbor next door. Aunt March was also not very fond of Laurie despite his wealth. Aunt March wanted Amy to remain a polite and proper young lady, and Laurie’s recklessness brought out the very opposite of that in her. However, even with the chance Amy had to be with Fred Vaughn, who was a much more proper, and even more wealthy young man, Amy boldly followed her heart and married Laurie.
Despite Meg and Amy’s longing to each get married, that does not mean that they are any less feminist than Jo, and just because Jo had remained extremely persistent on not getting married, does not make her any less of a woman either. Though Jo ends up getting married at the end of the book, Alcott’s original intentions for Jo in the story were for her to never get married. Before the book was officially published, Alcott’s publishers insisted that Jo get married in the end, or the book would be “unsaleable.” This one sacrifice in the story was only made so it could be shared with the millions that ended up purchasing it, but thankfully, once the movie remake fell into the hands of screenwriter Gretta Gerwig, this detail in the publishing process was called out in the Little Women (2019) movie. Gerwig’s approach to this took advantage of Jo being the fictional portrayal of Alcott, having a scene where Jo is forced by her publisher to have her protagonist get married in the book she wrote about her life. This story of Jo’s is based on the March’s, just like how Louisa May’s story is based on the Alcott’s. Even with the change that had to be made to the story at the end, in the movie, Jo remains unmarried and gets her book put out there as she had always hoped for.
It is incredible how much love and appreciation this classic got, and how much the times have changed since the book was published that there was the opportunity for this story to get the ending it deserved. Now, there are countless novels and impacts made by strong and independent women. Women hold the rights of being able to vote, own property, and enter any field of employment with an equal wage as their male colleagues. Whether like motherly Meg, heartstrong Jo, crafty Amy, or beloved Beth, every female deserves to be respected and treated as equally as everyone else. Women have come a long way since the 19th century, when Alcott decided to put out this message with the power of her novel. However, there is still an ongoing fight occuring today regarding women’s rights, as they are still discriminated against daily in circumstances dealing with employment, property ownership, education and healthcare access, as well as domestic and sexual violence. We now have today’s feminists fighting in favor or bringing these factors down to a limit. Louisa May Alcott would say that much has been improved since her time, but hopefully it won’t take another two centuries for today’s issues regarding gender equality to be solved.
