"Little Women" was an interesting novel that has been extremely influential throughout previous generations, and our generation today. The four sisters in this book all represent the various aspects and qualities of a woman, and her role in society. However, instead of simply being a guidebook for how women should act, Alcott instead chooses to introduce the reader to different characters. After the audience immediately develops an emotional attachment to their struggles and successes, it is easy to gauge the message Alcott was attempting to send to her audience at the time.
The juxtaposition between Jo and Beth shows the spectrum of appropriate women at that time period. Both Beth and Jo are very likable characters. Beth is perfect on paper; every parent's dream in a sense. Jo, on the other hand, tests the boundaries. Alcott makes Jo very likable, but she is a also a bit of a tomboy. The novel insinuates that despite her differences, Jo is still a great person, and a successful woman. Despite the fact that the novel is a clear guide by which women should strive to follow, Alcott does try to send home the message that it is the morality and heart of a woman that matters most.
Unfortunately, I believe this guidebook for women is outdated. Society has vastly changed, as none of Jo's actions now would be really seen as that unusual. It has a very traditional sense of culture attached to it, and I think this book would now be considered anachronistic. Despite being considered a classic, the novel is definitely more read for entertainment purposes as opposed to a guidebook, which was Alcott's intention. There are still some sects of society that would embrace the traditional sense of womenhood that the book promotes. However, I think it is still a little much to think that this book still has the power to effectively change the roles of women in today's society.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree with Zach's claim that the belief that Little Women still has influence in today's society is not accurate. I think that as a young girl in contemporary times, it is not apparent that the book was written with the purpose of being a guide for young girls on how to perform proper gender roles in society. I believe that girls today also have such a greater influence and role in society than they did when Alcott wrote the novel. Thus, women are no longer given prescribed roles that they have to fulfill; today, it is acceptable for a woman to be childless, a mother, the economic breadwinner of a family, or a housewife. In fact, I think there is a greater stigma today of housewives than of working women, a reversal of the role of women during Alcott's period.
ReplyDeleteEven though Little Women may seem outdated I believe it serves a larger purpose for this course. Many people emphasize on the dramatic differences between women's roles in Little Women and today's time. However, there are many "ladylike" aspects that are present in today's society that have been discussed in Little Women. I do agree that the roles have changed but I do not believe that society's views on "ladylike" manners has changed that much. People still expect women to act a certain way that is similiar to the way women acted in Little Women. This may imply that this shared conception of ladylike mannerism has been instilled in American culture.
ReplyDelete