Analysis of Women Role´s in Louisa May Alcott´s Little Women

Throughout most of the 19th century, feminine behavior was expected from every respectable woman. However Lousia May Alcott’s novel â€Å"Little Women† displays interesting qualities from her characters that represent aberrance and independence; Alcott challenged conventional beliefs about how women should behave in the 1800s. Similar to Alcott herself, the main character was determined to become a writer â€Å"despite the fact that popular portrayals of working women during the era often pictured them as socially deviant† and was considered unfit to become a motherly figure (Alcott, Louisa May). She wrote Little Women as a â€Å"‘moral paper for children,’† allowing any young reader to relate to at least one of the March Girls: Meg, Jo, Beth, or Amy (In the Garret). In her innovative novel Little Women, Alcott expresses her controversial views concerning traditional roles of women through the temperamental protagonist, Jo, who represents inde pendence and morality for girls in the late 1800s. Traditional roles of women in America during the 1860s were significantly different than they are today. Around the Civil War era, most women were expected to be homemakers above anything else. They spent much of their days cooking, sewing, or cleaning, and if they failed to create a cheerful, cozy home environment, they were looked down upon because it was considered unacceptable according to society’s standards. ( Literature and Its Times.†) In addition to housework, mothers encouraged theirShow MoreRelatedLittle Women By Louisa Alcott1260 Words   |  6 PagesLittle Women by Louisa Alcott Little Women can be viewed as a classic book or girl’s book. It was written after the Civil War after the author received endless demand from the young female readers. Initially they were published as two books where Chapters 1 to 23 where issues back in 1868 under Little Women title, however, after becoming a highly sensational success, Chapters 24 to 47 were published in 1869 under the title Good Wives Louisa (1869). Louisa May Alcott’s personal life is demonstratedRead MoreLittle Women During The Civil War Essay1962 Words   |  8 PagesLittle Women Little Women was set approximately between 1861 and 1876, during and after the Civil War. This time period is especially significant as many of the men of the household were off fighting, leaving the women behind to support and raise families. The role of the women in the 19th century was very established; there was clear definition as to what was acceptable behaviour for a woman. Women were considered physically weaker yet morally superior to men, this was interpreted as that they wereRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pagesencyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search In literary criticism, a Bildungsroman (German pronunciation: [ˈbÉ ªldÊŠÅ‹s.Ê oËÅ'maË n]; German: novel of formation, education, culture),[a] novel of formation, novel of education,[2] or coming-of-age story (though it may also be known as a subset of the coming-of-age story) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood (coming of age),[3] in which character change is extremely important.[4][5] Contents