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The success of Little Women pointed Alcott the direction and she successively wrote An Old Fashioned Girl, Little Boy, Work: A Story of Experience. These works reflect her early tremendous efforts to help family overcome economic difficulties. At the same time, she was also actively involved in the election campaign. After the start of the American Civil War, as an active abolitionist, she became a volunteer nurse, working in a hospital in poor sanitary conditions. But unluckily, she caught a bad cold and was sent home, her health thereby greatly affected. In her later years, she wrote novels ignoring whether it could be published or not. On March 6, 1888, in Boston, Alcott passed away at the age of 56.
Little Women is a family ethical novel which is based on the four sisters’ daily lives in an ordinary family during the American Civil War. Mrs. March’s educational philosophy won the recognition of readers.
In Little Women, Mr. March joins in the Union Army and the four sisters grow up in their mother’s education. There are both similarities and great differences between the four sisters’ characters. The common denominator is that they all live in a harmonious family and they both have parents’ consideration. The difference is that Meg is a good wife, mother as well as housekeeping. Jo is the protagonist of the book, cheerful, open-minded, and with a strong self-esteem and she works to support family. Beth is introversive, good at piano but infirm, and dies early of illness. Amy pays attention to behavior, and she loves painting, sculpture, and has aesthetic ability, but she is vain in her childhood. The four sisters, though their ideals and destinies are different, self-reliance is their common characteristic in the way of Mrs. March’s family education.
Critics at home and abroad are all interested in Little Women. They analyze the novel from the perspectives of puritanism, feminism, and realism, etc. Some explore it from cultural perspective combining it with the author’s life, and some analyze the novel to reveal the unique literature charm. It is well- known that family is the most important place of children in elementary education and has a very important role in improving the children’s subsequent behavior and intellectual development. Parents’ words and deeds have a tremendous impact on children. Mother’s influence is unique and can’t be replaced by the other family members. When a child is born, it is natural for mother to become the first director of the children’s life. So mother is one of the most important teachers in children’s life. In this novel, Mrs. March not only provides her daughters a free family environment, but also sets an example by giving them the correct outlook on life, marriage, and lets them understand the concept of responsibilities and obligations of life. Although life is full of twists and turns, nothing will prevent them from approaching their goals. Mrs. March’s family education has been regarded as a model of American family education and also has a non-negligible impact on modern American family education.
Chapter One Mrs. March’s Efforts to Create a Free Family Environment
1.1 Mrs. March’s Good Example
Family environment is an atmosphere which is formed by the family members’ daily life. It is the foundation in family education, and it plays a direct role in children. Children’s life styles and habits are all learned from family. Children’s behaviors start copying parents, which means that parents are their models. Children are directly influenced by parents’ diet, style of dress, codes of language and so on. They simulate their parents’ behaviors and interests when they grow up. This shows that parents’ basic activity mode has a strong influence on children. The family environment March four sisters are in is free and comfortable. The way of Mrs. March’s family education is different from that of traditional families. The four sisters accept much love and grow in a family environment which is good for their personality shaping.