Little Women

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knfstar
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Re: Little Women

Post by knfstar »

I have loved this book ever since I read it as a child. But during college, I came across many people who considered the plot of the novel distinctly anti-feminist. Any thoughts? While Alcott is considered an early feminist for her portrayal of strong female characters, does the eventual fate of Jo becoming a wife in her hometown indicate an abandonment of her original goals and a resignation to traditional values? Or were all those people at my college just a little nuts?
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debbie smith
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Post by debbie smith »

Sounds like they are reading it in the context of today's standards. In Alcott's time Jo was a rebel. One of the things I love about it is that it shows females in all aspects. From the rebel (Jo) to the withdrawn (Beth) Alcott showed how they reacted to each conflict and how being who they are is ok, no matter what social expectations are.
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QueenCat
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Post by QueenCat »

Absolutely, one of my favorites. There are several discussion threads you might want to consider:
A woman's role in society
Sisters as friends
Death of a loved one
The absent parent
Helping others

I was delighted to see that you would be using a great book to share with your 'girls'. I hope you have a great time of discussion.
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Post by Norma_Rudolph »

One of the first "chapter" books I ever read. I loved it and zoomed right into Joe's Boys which was not quite as good but still worth the read. Even after all these years Little Women is dear to my heart. I watch the movie every year at Christmas too.
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Post by joriemae »

Honestly, I only loved the first part of the book and the only the part that I reread always. It's because I still can't get over the fact that Jo didn't end up with Laurie. Even so, it's still one of my favorite books.
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Post by anomalocaris »

knfstar wrote: While Alcott is considered an early feminist for her portrayal of strong female characters, does the eventual fate of Jo becoming a wife in her hometown indicate an abandonment of her original goals and a resignation to traditional values? Or were all those people at my college just a little nuts?
I think you have to consider a book in the context of the time it was written. Alcott needed to sell her work. She couldn't just go to Amazon and self publish it, and expect to make money from it. Therefore, whatever she put out there had to be palatable to publishers. She couldn't speak too openly about feminism or she wouldn't be able to sell her work. What she could do is write a book about a household full of strong women with opinions of their own, just as capable of morality, bravery and sacrifice as any man.

In fact, most of the men in the story are at some level incapable of taking care of themselves without women. The father is wounded in the war -- helpless, until his wife comes to care for him. When we meet Laurie, he's a frail little princess, pining away in his tower until Jo storms the castle to rescue him. Later, he falls in love with Jo, and when she won't have him, he falls apart, leaving Jo unsure what to do with his histrionics -- again a role reversal. So he crawls to Amy, who essentially says he's a silly girl and won't have him until he grows up. Behr is Jo's equal in intellect and unconventionality, but again, appears somewhat of a child when we first meet him. There are two exceptions of course. Meg's suitor, John, who serves as both a nod to conventionality and a statement that women need not marry for money and to be taken care of, but should be true partners to their husbands and share equally in the burdens of the household. Then there's the patriarch, Mr. March -- the dragon Jo needs to defeat in order to rescue Laurie, who, once conquered becomes the family's defender -- yet always at their service. Never controlling them.

Jo does marry, but spurns the suitor who is not her intellectual equal and wants her to take a conventional role. She ultimately embraces the suitor who loves her for her strength and intellect and will not force her into that conventional role. In fact, it is Jo who comes into the marriage with property and a plan, and Behr who comes into it, essentially in Jo's employ.

All of these things look pretty tame to us now, but that's because people like Louisa May Alcott paved the way. In any political movement, you have to accomplish things in increments. You start with a small step. One that society might be induced to make. Then you expand on it. Try to force society to take too big a leap at once and you're liable to face a backlash that will set the movement back 30 years.
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Post by Elizabeth Rogers 47 »

Little Women and Little Men also were among the first hardcover books I read as a child. My older sisters had them already on the bedroom bookshelf, and I was a reader very early. Used to hide under the sheets with a flashlight many nights. The books were very entertaining, and as I look back, I feel that I learned some social history through much of the fiction I read. I also think of them when I spend any time in Concord, Massachusetts. I found all the characters endearing.
One thing I found mysterious: What exactly did Beth die from?
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Post by anomalocaris »

Damage to her heart, resulting from her episode with scarlet fever as a child,
You can't put a rope around the neck of an idea.
--Vol. Bobby Sands
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Post by tlolney »

This book is one of my falling-apart-because-I-read-it-so-much books. It is very easy to become attached to the characters although I will have to agree that it does get a little preachy. However, anytime there is strife in one of the girls' life, it pulls on your own heartstrings. Louisa May Alcott did a wonderful job of helping the reader to feel as though they too were going through the struggles of the March girls. I cannot wait until my daughter gets older so that I can read this book with her.
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Post by LittleWilma »

I never read Little Women because I just couldn't get into reading Alcott. I have seen two versions of the movie and that was enough to help me write a decent book report all those years ago.
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Post by stoppoppingtheP »

I liked this book. Not loved, just liked.

One thing that I didn't like at the end was, of course, that Jo didn't get married to Laurie, her 'best friend', but rather her youngest sister did. this somehow reminds me of Harry Potter and Ron, and the fact that Hermione got married to Ron instead of Harry. I know it's a weird analogy, but I just thought that often it is not who we are rooting for that gets together, but rather, someone close to them.
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tlolney
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Post by tlolney »

stoppoppingtheP wrote:I liked this book. Not loved, just liked.

One thing that I didn't like at the end was, of course, that Jo didn't get married to Laurie, her 'best friend', but rather her youngest sister did. this somehow reminds me of Harry Potter and Ron, and the fact that Hermione got married to Ron instead of Harry. I know it's a weird analogy, but I just thought that often it is not who we are rooting for that gets together, but rather, someone close to them.
I understand what you mean. It is quite a surprise in both cases that the ones you root for don't get together in the end.
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Post by Lovely_Ink »

I read this book as a young girl and it was dated even then. I did love the story and remember wanting to be like Jo. I think it would be interesting for girls today to read it and then compare it to a similar story today or perhaps modernize it by discussing what would happen if certain characters were affectedby today's modernizations (email over letters, tv over books, cars over carriages, etc.)
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Post by manasareddy »

I was gifted this book on my birth day by my friends. I won't say I loved the book but it was enjoyable. The 4 sisters though not very rich are happy and are ready to share what they have. I liked the scene in which they share their Christmas lunch with a poor family. Jo's character is one we modern girls are able to relate to, as she's smart and always competes with Lauren (showing both men & women are equal). I was also disappointed when Jo rejected Lauren, but that also shows that Jo was a strong minded gal who knows difference between friendship & love. The other characters I liked in the book is the gals mother, Lauren's grandfather. The book ends with showing the lives of the little women with their husbands and children. Even in the end Jo is the only gal who has a job(she starts her own sort of hostel).
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Post by runs-with-scissors »

One of my favorite books of all time. I have honestly read this book around 20 times. The characters are in depth and anyone can relate to them. You get so involved with every charcter and so emotionally connected (especially to Beth). Anytime I need to let some emotion out, I turn to this book. Each and everytime I read Little Women it's like coming home.
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