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The portrayal of women in literature
The portrayal of women in literature
Gender in literature
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Little Women
1247 Words3 Pages
Title: Little Women
Number of Pages: 562
Original Copyright Date: 1868
Date Completed: February 23, 2000
Author: Louisa May Alcott
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Plot Summary: Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy are the March sisters. Their father is off to war and they rely on their mother, Marmee, to see them through the hard times of the Civil War. In the first part of this book the reader is introduced to the characters. Meg is the sensible one, Jo is the tomboy , Beth is the sweet one, and Amy is the artistic and feminine one. The girls are all generous and even give their own Christmas dinner to a poor family. Meg has her first dance and brings Jo along. At the dance we meet Laurie, the mysterious grandson of the Old Mr. Laurence living next-door. His real name it Theodore, but he prefers Laurie because he was teased in school by the girls. The girls all spend a lot of time at the Laurences home, all excepting Beth. Because she is afraid of Old Mr. Laurence, she stays away. Mr. Laurence asks if he could have Beth over to play for him. When she does, it creates a lasting bond between them. Old Mr. Laurence loves her playing so much that he gives her a small piano that had belonged to his deceased granddaughter.
The girls have a secret club called the Pickwick Club in which each of the girls undertakes a separate identity. Amy is punished at school for having pickled limes in the classroom and Marmee decides to school her at home. One night Laurie invites the older girls to come see a play at his house and Amy wants to come along. Jo puts her off and leaves with an attitude. When Jo returns, her precious diary has been burned spitefully by Amy. Jo holds a grudge but it is all resolved when Amy is almost lost in an accident on the ice. It is hard for Jo to handle that her sister has a boyfriend. When she and Laurie exchange secrets, it is revealed that Mr. Brooke, Laurie's tutor and friend, has been given one of Meg's gloves. One thing the movie leaves out is a camping trip that the girls take with Laurie where they talk about their dream castles and Meg tells Laurie to go to college and respect his grandfather's wishes.
One day a letter arrives telling the girls that their father has taken ill and Marmee desperately wants to be at his side, but doesn't have the means to do so financially. Jo knows that her fat...
... middle of paper ...
...em.
Jo - Jo is headstrong and boyish. Almost the complete opposite of Meg. She doesn't care for anything conventional or feminine. She keeps an unruly appearance and is very much a tomboy.
Beth - Beth is the only character that had hardly any faults. She was a peacemaker. She was gentle, loving, suppotive and the sweetest character, though Jo is my favorite. She was so sweet that it stands to reason that she would be that one to die.
Amy - Amy is prim and proper and always lady-like. She doesn't care much for love and romance like Jo, she cares more for the financially advantagious match. She is the tattle-tale of the group.
Laurie - Laurie has a temper but is none the less a good man. He is a big brother to the girls and he watches out for them. He loves a good laugh and is very fun-loving.
Marmee - Marmee is a feminist and it rubas off on her daughters. She is so sweet and such a perfect mom that she is endearing.
Conflict: The main conflict of the story is simply growing up. Insode each of the girls is a desire to grow up and a desire to keep things the same. They know that when they grow up things will inevitably change and that scares them. The struggle is within each of them
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