In 1868, Louisa May Alcott was asked by her publisher, Thomas Niles, to write a book appealing to the young girls of 19th century America (Cheever 2). Alcott begrudgingly accepted this request and, within weeks, created one of the most praised books in the whole of the American literary canon (James 29). Beloved the world over, the book poses one of its greatest questions through its provocative title: what does it mean to be a “little woman?” The question is left up to the reader to answer, but what did Little Women mean to Alcott, herself? I believe that Alcott intended for the term “little” to be viewed in a very negative light. In her eyes, each character's eventual ascent to womanhood destroys much of their original individuality.
In the novel, the term first appears in a letter sent to the March girls by their father, who is currently serving in the American Civil War. He instructs the girls to “do their duty faithfully, fight their bosom enemies bravely, and conquer themselves (Alcott, Little Women 13).” He wishes that upon his return home, he can be proud of his “little women.” The March girls react in a very heartbroken manner, convincing themselves that they are “selfish” and deciding that they must work to “be what he loves to call [them], ‘a little woman’ (Alcott, Little Women 13).” This early portion of the story launches Little Women’s main conflict, that of masking one’s inner feelings and desires in order to better conform to womanly standards imposed by society. Many people have taken this internal struggle that comes with a girl's transition to womanhood, to be the meaning behind Little Woman’s title. This reading however, appears contradictory to Alcott's own writings and personal views.
While writing the novel, Alcott mused in her journal: “I plod away, though I don’t enjoy this sort of thing. Never liked girls or knew many, except my sisters; but our queer plays and experiences may prove interesting, though I doubt it (Louisa May Alcott: Her Life, 198).” From the start of her rushed writing process, she herself brought forth a very pessimistic view that hints at some deeper underpinnings within the overall narrative. This couples well with Alcott's uncommon feminist views, which are depicted in her novella Behind A Mask, in which a governess charms all of the men in a household and ends up using them as she pleases (Alcott). As described in “'Little Women': Alcott's Civil War” by Judith Fetterley, this story showcases “the amount of rage and intelligence Alcott had to suppress in order to attain her 'true style' [in] Little Women (370).”
Alcott's protest against the maternal lifestyle is strongly shown in the character of Beth, the most womanly March girl. For example, upon receipt of the aforementioned letter, Beth alone remains silent and returns almost immediately to her knitting, a womanly work. The rest of the girls, in a childlike contrast, feel ashamed and break into tears. Beth also develops a serious relationship with the senior character Mr. Lawrence. While her sisters are developing their character through youthful conflict Beth instead occupies her time with Mr. Lawrence—often in his study (an adult space). In a sense, Beth is the most domesticated of the March girls. So domesticated, in fact, that Fetterly describes her as “the perfect little woman (379).” Beth later decides to help care for the Hummels' sick baby, and by doing so she contracts scarlet fever. This nearly fatal bout with the fever severely weakens her constitution and eventually leads to her death. Beth's willingness to take care of another family's child, the most maternal action a woman can take, is rewarded by Alcott in the form of ultimate punishment.
Alcott's domesticity can also be seen in Jo's character arc. Jo starts off the story as a very strong-willed and stubborn, showing off traits that are the opposite of a traditional woman. After hearing her father's aforementioned request, Jo thinks that “keeping her temper at home was a much harder task than facing a rebel or two down South (Alcott, Little Women 13).” It is very important to note that Jo's character very carefully mirrors Alcott's own spirited youth. Throughout the story, Jo begins to lose her more beloved traits and slowly becomes a “little woman” of her own. One of the largest turning points in Jo's life details Laurie, her close companion, asking for her hand in marriage (Alcott, Little Women 380). Despite Laurie arguably being Jo's most relatable friend and confidant, she rejects his proposal (380). She is later fully cemented as a “little woman” by her marriage to the more traditional male, Friedrich Bhaer. Some readers and critics have gone as far to describe “the suppression of Jo's anger as the oppression of her individualism (Watanabe 705).”
The meaning of “little” is something for each reader to decide, but it seems Alcott herself did not intend the word to have the positive meaning many audiences attach to it today. Alcott makes full use of her characters to express her thoughts on traditional womanhood by showing each character's deteriorating individuality. From her feminist background, to her rushed publication deadline, to the character development of the March girls, I see “little” as a demeaning term in Alcott's own eyes. The girls do achieve what they desire—ideal womanhood by traditional American standards—but by achieving their perfect ideal, each character loses her individuality in order to conform to the demanding traditional standards of womanhood. The protagonists are not truly women in Alcott's eye, they have given up their power in order to conform to a stringent society that (she believes) oppresses women. In their domesticating game of Pilgrim's Progress, these girls have become less than true women. As Alcott sees it: they have become “little” women.
Works Cited
Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. Pennsylvania: Franklin Library, 1982. Print.
Louisa May Alcott: Her Life, Letters, and Journals. Ed. Ednah Dow Cheney. Boston: Roberts Bros., 1889. Internet Archive. The Internet Archive, 13 Sept. 2006. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
Behind A Mask; or A Woman's Power. n.p. Project Gutenberg. Web. 28 Mar. 2016
Cheever, Susan. Louisa May Alcott: A Personal Biography. Detroit: Thorndike, 2011. Print.
Fetterley, Judith. ""Little Women": Alcott's Civil War." Feminist Studies Summer 5.2 (1979): 369-83. JSTOR [JSTOR]. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.
James, Edward T. Notable American Women. Vol. II. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Pr., 1971. Print.
Watanabe, Kazuko. "Reading 'Little Women', Reading Motherhood in Japan." Feminist Studies
25.3 (1999): 698-709. JSTOR [JSTOR]. Web.