Little Women's Enduring Rejection of Cultural Expectations
Almost two centuries since the publication of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott's novel still remains a favorite for today's young readers due to the enduring relatability of its characters and the situations they find themselves in. Through these characters and their conflicts, Alcott is able to deliver the powerful theme of individuality, which brazenly defied the cultural norms of its own time and even calls into question those of today. Little Women assures young readers (especially girls) that when it comes to matters of love, self-actualization, and friendship, they should always act in their own self-interest, not what they feel society expects of them.
One of the first examples of Little Women's theme of individuality is Meg's decision to marry John Brooke. In the beginning chapters of the novel, Meg is characterized as a person longing for wealth and comfort in her future married life. As an adolescent it is clear that she is fully immersed in the unrealistic and exclusionary expectations of her culture. As she matures, however, her adherence to cultural norms begins to slacken. Eventually, when she is presented with a marriage proposal from John Brooke, a poor but loving man, her desires as an individual are finally able to overcome her perceived obligations to her culture. She agrees to marry John despite his poverty, and even more importantly, despite the objections of Aunt March who is defending the status quo: "So you intend to marry a man without money, position, or business...?" (262). Meg replies "I'm not afraid of being poor, for I've been happy so far, and I know that I shall be with him because he loves me" (262). Depictions of a woman making independent decisions like this shows why this book was so ahead of its time and remains so relevant in our own.
In the next example, Alcott promotes the same spirit of individuality in exactly the opposite way: this time with a proposal rejection. Specifically, Jo's rejection of Laurie's declaration of love to her. According to the social expectations of the time, Jo should have immediately accepted Laurie's marriage proposal due to his wealth, kindness, and looks, but instead she turns him down: "I wish you wouldn't take it so hard. I can't help it; you know it's impossible for people to make themselves love other people if they don't" (399). This choice was a flat-out renunciation of the expectation of the time that women were destined to become mothers and housewives and that their self-worth didn't stretch much farther than the husband they had. Alcott throws this convention out of the window when she allows Jo to act as an individual and reject Laurie, maintaining her identity as an independent woman who will only marry when she deems it desirable to herself, not when she feels obligated to based on the impulsive whims of a man. This was a radical choice for the time period by Alcott, but it has ultimately proved to be one of the main reasons that Little Women has remained so relevant to modern readers. Instead of fading into obscurity that is always inevitable with agreeableness, Alcott crafted a narrative that confronts the status-quo and emboldens young readers to rise above the expectations of others and become their own self-validating individual.
Each girl’s individual journey to find love adds to the uniqueness of Little Women and is what has made the novel so timeless. In the examples given, Meg sacrifices a prosperous life for the true love she finds in Mr. Brooke. Jo, on the other hand, navigates the difference between platonic love and romantic love. Although both girls reject the expectations of their society, there is an important distinction between these expectations and those of the family, both of which could be considered cultural.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the entire novel, Mrs. March gives the girls several lessons on what true love is and her own expectations for her daughters. She lists these explicitly in the novel. In Chapter 9, Mrs. March tells Meg and the others that she’d “rather see you poor men’s wives if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queens on thrones, without self-respect and peace” (104). At this point, Mrs. March sets the expectation within her family for what a good husband and marriage should be. Meg then goes on to meet this expectation and marry John Brooke, a poor man, for love and not status.
Later, Jo rejects Laurie when he confesses his love to her. This happens near the end of the book after Jo discusses the matter with her mother. Mrs. March tells Jo that she is glad Jo only sees him as a friend, as they are too much alike and too stubborn to be in a marriage, which requires patience (338). Although Laurie is relentless and pleads, Jo stays strong and rejects him time and time again.
Although the girls make decisions that may have been radical for the time, their individuality comes from that of their mothers. Moreover, while they may reject societal expectations, they follow familial expectations without question. This discussion leads me to reconsider Mrs. March's role and how her beliefs defy society and shaped the significance of Little Women, perhaps even more so than the actions of the girls.