THEMES
Little Women has many themes throughout the novel. This book was originally written for girls of the nineteenth century, and Louisa May Alcott was trying to teach lessons to these girls as she wrote the novel. The March sisters are excellent role models for girls growing up in the nineteeth century. The themes of the novel include the role of women, love, sacrifice, and overcoming obstacles.
Little Women has many themes throughout the novel. This book was originally written for girls of the nineteenth century, and Louisa May Alcott was trying to teach lessons to these girls as she wrote the novel. The March sisters are excellent role models for girls growing up in the nineteeth century. The themes of the novel include the role of women, love, sacrifice, and overcoming obstacles.
Role of Women
The main role of women in nineteenth century America was to be good housewives. They were supposed to cook, clean, and tend to the children. They were also supposed to teach their daughters how to be good housewives. Women would usually grow up, get married, and go off to live with their husbands. The role of women in Little Women is seen throughout the entire novel. Marmee is in charge of teaching her daughters everything that they need to know to become a good housewife. Marmee also has to cook, clean, and tend to her four daughters. Along with the role that Marmee plays as a typical woman in the nineteenth century her daughters contribute to the role of women as well. By the end of the novel, all the living daughters get married and go to live with their husbands becoming housewives in their new homes.
The main role of women in nineteenth century America was to be good housewives. They were supposed to cook, clean, and tend to the children. They were also supposed to teach their daughters how to be good housewives. Women would usually grow up, get married, and go off to live with their husbands. The role of women in Little Women is seen throughout the entire novel. Marmee is in charge of teaching her daughters everything that they need to know to become a good housewife. Marmee also has to cook, clean, and tend to her four daughters. Along with the role that Marmee plays as a typical woman in the nineteenth century her daughters contribute to the role of women as well. By the end of the novel, all the living daughters get married and go to live with their husbands becoming housewives in their new homes.
SacrificeThe ability for the characters in Little Women to make sacrifices is important whether the sacrifices are big or small. When people make sacrifices it shows that they are selfless. It is important to be selfless and make sacrifices for the benefit of other people. One example of sacrifice in the novel is when the March sisters give their Christmas breakfast to the poorer Hummels. This was a very selfless act, and the Hummels probably needed the food more than the March sisters did. Another example of sacrifice was when Jo sold her hair to help pay for Marmee's trip to Washington. Marmee needed to go to Washington in order to take care of Mr. March, and Jo's sacrifice of selling her hair helped Marmee to be able to pay the expenses to go take care of Mr. March in Washington.
"Not far away from here lies a poor woman with a little newborn baby. Six children are huddled into one bed to keep from freezing, for they have no fire. There is nothing to eat over there, and the oldest boy came to tell me they were suffering hunger and cold. My girls, will you give them your breakfast as a Christmas present?" |
Overcoming ObstaclesOvercoming obstacles is an important thing in the novel. Overcoming obstacles allows the characters to persevere through tough times in their life. One big obstacle in the novel is the March family not having their father home all the time. Mr. March, the father, is off fighting in the Civil War. As a result, the family has to compensate for their father not being around all the time. The March women have to figure out how to run the household without having a man in he house. Without a man in the house it means more work for the woman of the house. Marmee has to learn how to act like the father of the house as well as the mother of the house without her husband around. She has to learn how to provide for the family and do the chores that her husband use to do all while caring for her children. The March daughters also have to help out around the house by doing their respectful chores and helping to keep the house running.
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Love
In Little Women, love is everywhere. Throughout the novel we see the love that all of the characters have for each other. We see a lot of love among the March family. The family shares a lot of love for each other as well as for friends. In the end of the novel all of the March daughters end up falling in love and getting married. The March daughters also share a lot of love for each other, and they are very close to each other. You really get a sense of how much the March family loves each other when Jo talks about not wanting to get married because she fears that her family will be separated and she won't be as close to her sisters anymore. Not only is there love between characters in the novel, but there is also love for the country and love for God. Love for the country is mostly seen by Mr. March who leaves home to go fight in the Civil War. Love for God is seen through multiple characters, especially the March family, who are very religious and have a strong love for God. Love is a prominent theme throughout the novel.
"Once upon a time, there were four girls, who had enough to eat and drink and wear, a good many comforts and pleasures, kind friends and parents who loved them dearly..."
In Little Women, love is everywhere. Throughout the novel we see the love that all of the characters have for each other. We see a lot of love among the March family. The family shares a lot of love for each other as well as for friends. In the end of the novel all of the March daughters end up falling in love and getting married. The March daughters also share a lot of love for each other, and they are very close to each other. You really get a sense of how much the March family loves each other when Jo talks about not wanting to get married because she fears that her family will be separated and she won't be as close to her sisters anymore. Not only is there love between characters in the novel, but there is also love for the country and love for God. Love for the country is mostly seen by Mr. March who leaves home to go fight in the Civil War. Love for God is seen through multiple characters, especially the March family, who are very religious and have a strong love for God. Love is a prominent theme throughout the novel.
"Once upon a time, there were four girls, who had enough to eat and drink and wear, a good many comforts and pleasures, kind friends and parents who loved them dearly..."