Little Women

The story of Little Women is one that I have enjoyed for much of my life. My sister and I have watched the movie version with Winona Ryder so many times that I could quote the majority of the movie still to this day! However well I thought that I knew the story from knowing the movie version by heart, does not compare to the love I have for it now after reading the novel. I also thought it even more intriguing after researching the author a little more in depth. Louisa May Alcott, the author, actually loosely based her main character of Jo March on herself. The character of Jo is interesting to me because of the way she feels an outsider in her own world. It is almost as if she must have been adopted into the family. This sense of separation from what is expected of a girl in her station and what is considered proper is plainly seen in the text through the descriptions of her actions and her thoughts on her life. All of the sisters suffer from an extreme amount of longing for better things and wishing for more, expect Beth, who I would consider as Jo's opposite. Beth never complains and always seems to behave in the correct way and be the perfect, polite, though shy, girl that was the ideal then. Jo having married the mysterious professor in the end is the only truly visible difference between her character and Louisa's personal life. Louisa never married but seemed determined not to ever marry, having multiple offers over her lifetime. It is a wonderful tale about a typical middle class family of the time and I definitely think that all of the discreet morals in the story still heavily apply today. I would recommend this story to anyone!