Louisa May Alcott: Little Women in a Man's World

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Louisa May Alcott shows a great deal of herself throughout the novel, Little Women. She shows many parallelisms between the fictional character Jo and Louisa May Alcott. The novel is an example of their similar personalities, appearances, and life experiences. Louisa was very dramatic and comical throughout her life time. Jo March is the perfect character for Louisa to portray. She exemplifies how life was during the 19th century in America. Through the characters of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott illustrates her struggle as a woman writer in a male dominated society.
Jo March, the protagonist of Little Women, has a similar childhood to Louisa May Alcott. “Jo is the perfect part for Louisa to play” (Carter). Louisa uses these resemblances as a foundation to show her aspirations as a writer. The family characteristics, the setting of the novel, and the attitudes and desires of both Jo and Louisa are rather parallel. First of all, Louisa lived in Concord, Massachusetts with her parents and three sisters, like her protagonist Jo and her family. She began writing at a young age and wrote in a journal daily. She used this journal to depict her childhood experiences, which she later used to create stories and novels. Several of these adventures from Louisa’s childhood are continued in the novel, Little Women. Because of their supportive families, both women started writing at an early age. “Alcott illustrates Christian virtues, especially unselfishness, fortitude, faith, and charity, in the context of family and friendships” (Morrow). They share a passion for literature and writing, and struggle to help their families overcome poverty.
Little Women has similar characters and themes that can be seen throughout Louisa’s life. “Many of ...

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...Distribution Inc., 2004. Print.
Carter, Smart, Betty. “Women and Girls." Weekly Standard. 28 Feb. 2005: 36. eLibrary. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.
Cheney, Ednah D. “Louisa May Alcott: Her Life, Letters, and Journals.” Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1889.
Matteson, John. "Little Woman: The Devilish, Dutiful Daughter Louisa May Alcott." Humanities. 01 Nov. 2009: 10. eLibrary. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
Morrow, Laurie. "The Philosopher's Daughter." World & I 5(2002):240. eLibrary. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
Mullen, Alexandra. "Father/Daughter Match: Bronson and Louisa May Alcott." Hudson Review 1(2009):159. eLibrary. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
Price, Leah. "American Girl." New York Times Book Review. 12 Dec. 2010: 21. eLibrary. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
Vincent, Zu. "The Tiny Key: Unlocking the Father/Child Relationship in Young Adult Fiction." ALAN Review 3(2008):36. eLibrary. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

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