As someone who grew up watching the movie and finally reading the book, I would stick to the popular opinion that the book was better than the film. From Meg’s character development to Jo’s maturity into womanhood, I have found the book to show lessons that any child could not reach. During my reading, I wondered what the target age for this book was when it first came out. I always thought it was a children’s novel, but some of the morals, such as when Marmee in chapter 4 tells a story of some of the life lessons she’s learned, such as “one discovered that money couldn’t keep the shame and sorrow out of rich people’s house; another that, though she was poor, she was a great deal happier, with her youth…” (Alcott, 47). However, I think this is what makes it a classic - the way the story can pertain to different audiences and age groups. I feel as if the intent of Louisa May Alcott when writing this book was not for it to be a children’s moral story but for her to reflect on her life through the eyes of the characters she wrote.
At the end of the story, I also started thinking of hypothetical situations and what-ifs. What if Jo and Laurie got married? What if Beth never passed away? What if Mr. March never left to fight in the war? To the latter question, I was very conflicted. At first, as a character, I did not think Mr. March played a key role in the story compared to Marmee. But when delving more into the question, I realized that his character is as important, and his actions when he left for the war can equate to Marmee’s actions towards the girls. In fact, when looking back, it seems as if this specific story would not have begun without his letter to the girls at home. Mr. March states, “ ‘...when I come back to them I may be fonder and prouder than ever of my little women’ “ (Alcott, 14). This last part of the letter seems to inspire the girls to become better women and fix their flaws. As Marmee explains later in the chapter, “Now, my little pilgrims, suppose you begin again, not in play, but in earnest, and see how far you can get before father comes home” (Alcott, 15), to which the girls respond enthusiastically, hoping to make their father proud.
I have grown fond of Amy from the recent chapter readings, even though I was an Amy hater before reading. I think her character development is the best of all of the girls, and I am very disappointed in Jo’s ending. I wish she didn’t get married, as it seemed out of character for her.
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ReplyDeleteI had not yet considered that Mr. March's role in Little Women was as large as you've stated here- I also had only thought of his role as being supporting and minimal compared to the rest of the characters’. However, you bring up an interesting point: his letter to his family is a large catalyst in their individual journeys that share similarities with Christian’s in Pilgrim’s Progress. For example, Jo says that she will “try and be what he loves to call [her], ‘a little woman’’ (Alcott, 14). Throughout the story,and especially by the end of the novel, readers are clearly able to see her growth and success in accomplishing this. I originally viewed Mr. March as a sort of moral compass and guide for the girls but nothing more. While this is partially true, he most certainly has a larger role than just this, such as his frequent encouragement of their journeys, both while away at the war and when he returns home. Furthermore, although it is not explicitly stated or mentioned, he seems to share a great deal of personality traits with Jo: both are avid thinkers and intellectuals, placing a higher importance on these values than the common person. While Mr. March’s role in Little Women and Good Wives may not be as prominent as some, he no doubt carries a great weight in the development of his daughters’ lives.
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