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4.2.2 Amy in the Eyes of Aunt March 15
4.3 Amy’s Growth and Change . . 15
Ⅴ.The Common qualities of the Little Women. . 15
5.1 The Value of Self-reliance 20
5.2 The Love for the Family. 20
5.3 The Loyalty of Love. 21
Ⅵ.Conclusion 21
Bibliography 22
Acknowledgements 23
I. Introduction
Louisa May Alcott is one of these greatest nineteenth-century American female writers. Little Women is one of the most famous works of her. The novel has made the bestseller list since it published in 1868. It attracts readers generation by generation. Set in the American civil war, the novel presents March sisters’ progress of growing up, which describes the life of the poor March during the civil war in its first part and presents that the four sisters are seeking independence and self-improvement achieving happy ending in the second part.
The critical response to Little Women between 1868 and 1869 was as favorable as the readers’ response, and Alcott was among the most popular children’s authors to be taken seriously by literary critics. A review in Nation declared Little Women an “agreeable” story that appeals to juvenile readers as well as adult readers. In fact, Alcott’s contemporaries and modern critics agree that the novel is remarkable for its reality and depth, compared with the too-sweet, overly didactic stories available to children at that time. Besides, “Jane Gabin in Reference Guide to American Literature deemed Little Women “markedly superior to other books of its genre” because of its unobtrusive “sermonizing” and its well-rounded characters. She added that the villains and the heroes were clearly identified in other books of that time, but in Alcott’ s book, even the heroes have flaws and make mistakes. (DiaoWeiyang 4) So the characters are real and natural.
However, not all critics appreciate the novel. “Biographer Martha Saxton viewed Little Women as a sell-out for Alcott, who, according to Saxton, had great talent, yet squandered it on a book that was preachy and sentimental.” (DiaoWeiyang 4)
Critics are keeping on debating the lasting qualities of Little Women. There is no doubt that the novel as a whole has an enduring attraction. In spite of its setting in a time and place which is unfamiliar to modern readers, the novel continues to communicate with children and adults in a certain way.
The significance of the novel is that four females in the novel are different from each other. Everyone has her own characteristic: the tomboy——Jo, the good wife and mum——Meg, the little angel——Beth, the little lady——Amy. So it provides abundant material of female images for later writers. And it gives readers much valuable advice on women: being self-made and independent; consistently learning something from life or others to improve themselves; adopting a positive attitude to life; setting up the right outlook on life; understanding what they really want is.
Ⅱ.Tomboy——Jo
Jo is the second child of the March. She is very tall, thin, and brown, who has a decided mouth, a comical nose and sharp, gray eyes, which appear to see everything and are by turns fierce, funny, or thoughtful. “Her long, thick hair is her one beauty but it is usually bundled into a net, to be out of her way.” (Louisa May Alcott 6) .That is Jo.
2.1 Jo’s Characteristics and Outlooks on Life
As for girls at that time, Jo is a distinctive girl. She is not “the angel in the house” who is pious, obedient, depending on men and devoting all herself to the family. On the contrary, she is independent so that she has been one of breadwinners since Mr. March went bankrupt, by looking after Aunt March, writing articles, and working as a private teacher; compared with other females, she is rebellious, longing for freedom like boys, thus she hates to be a affected lady and pays no attention to what she worn, her manners and language as long as she feels comfortable, regardless of how others think about her; besides writing becomes an effective way to express her feelings and thoughts; what’s more, she is so naive, frank, honest, brave, friendly, full of strange and interesting ideas that she never flatters anyone who is rich or important, so others would like to make friends with her and talk with her, however, it is for that reason that she loses the opportunity to go abroad; in addition, she is responsible. Being a man during Mr. March is away, she tries to take good care of the family. Many advantages as she possesses, Jo is a little selfish and has a dreadful temper that makes her almost lose her little sister Amy.