Free Essays on Little Women

Little Women In 1868, Louisa May Alcott wrote the book Little Women in "response to a publisher's request for a 'girl's book'". Louisa wrote this book by calling upon her own memories of her childhood and putting them down on paper. This is the story of four young girls, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March, and how they endure all the trouble and hardships that come along during their lives. They are raised by their mother and by their father, and many interesting characters pop up along the way, such as Laurie, their good-natured next-door neighbor; Laurie later falls in love with Jo but ends up marrying Amy. In the beginning of the story they are all fairly young, the youngest being twelve years old, and their mother, whom they call Marmee, is left to guide them while their father is away fighting in the war. As they grow and mature, they learn many hard lessons about life. For instance, there was the time when Amy, the youngest, suffered her first punishment in school. She carries that anger, humility, and embarrassment with her for the rest of her life. There were also more serious lessons to be learned, like when one of the sisters, Beth, dies. By the end of the book, they really have turned from little women into real women. Jo was the second oldest of the four sisters. Her birth name was Josephine, but she always thought that it sounded too feminine, so she shortened it to Jo. Clearly, Jo was one of the main characters of the story because many of the events centered on her and the audience learned more about who she was. She was a tomboy at heart and hated all the prim and proper ways of the ladies in those days. Jo was very blunt in her speaking and always said exactly what was on her mind. However, most people felt right at ease speaking with her because she had a way of making them feel comfortable, despite her frankness. Jo was the one who first had enough courage to go over to the frightening house next door and t... Free Essays on Little Women Free Essays on Little Women Little Women In 1868, Louisa May Alcott wrote the book Little Women in "response to a publisher's request for a 'girl's book'". Louisa wrote this book by calling upon her own memories of her childhood and putting them down on paper. This is the story of four young girls, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March, and how they endure all the trouble and hardships that come along during their lives. They are raised by their mother and by their father, and many interesting characters pop up along the way, such as Laurie, their good-natured next-door neighbor; Laurie later falls in love with Jo but ends up marrying Amy. In the beginning of the story they are all fairly young, the youngest being twelve years old, and their mother, whom they call Marmee, is left to guide them while their father is away fighting in the war. As they grow and mature, they learn many hard lessons about life. For instance, there was the time when Amy, the youngest, suffered her first punishment in school. She carries that anger, humility, and embarrassment with her for the rest of her life. There were also more serious lessons to be learned, like when one of the sisters, Beth, dies. By the end of the book, they really have turned from little women into real women. Jo was the second oldest of the four sisters. Her birth name was Josephine, but she always thought that it sounded too feminine, so she shortened it to Jo. Clearly, Jo was one of the main characters of the story because many of the events centered on her and the audience learned more about who she was. She was a tomboy at heart and hated all the prim and proper ways of the ladies in those days. Jo was very blunt in her speaking and always said exactly what was on her mind. However, most people felt right at ease speaking with her because she had a way of making them feel comfortable, despite her frankness. Jo was the one who first had enough courage to go over to the frightening house next door and t... Free Essays on Little Women Little Women is a coming of age story of four sisters in Civil War New England. Together they face hardships and poverty all the while trying to reach their Castles in the Air. More than that however, Little Women is a morality tale. Each chapter not only contains the lives and adventures of the four sisters, but lessons on how to be a good person, and how to achieve happiness in life. These values are centered upon God, family, and love. Though money, people, hair, and childhood dreams come and go, Marmee’s wisdom about happiness never seems to falter. The dreams of the writer, artist, and pianist in the family all fall behind the happiness they find in their respective households. In some respects, Little Women is also a child-rearing guidebook. When Marmee’s harvesting time came, she had three happy well-rounded children and a fourth with God. Each lesson she taught was not just told to them, but demonstrated, and enforced with kindness and with love. She inspired her girls to be the best they could be, and did not try to change them even if they were as awkward and tomboyish as Jo. Most importantly, she let them make the choices for their life and did not sway their decisions once the girls made them. Little Women today remains a classic because it shows that every young person goes through trials and decision points. Death’s of loved ones, family crisis’s, and the mending of broken hearts are something all young people go through and are acturatly portrayed in Alcott’s novel. Most importantly, readers today remain inspired by Jo’s commitment to her writing, Meg’s devotion to her family, and Beth’s willingness to help the ones she loves....