Womanhood and Marriage in 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott

Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, University of Erfurt (Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: 19th Centruy Children's Classics, language: English, abstract: This paper aims to investigate the ideals of society in the nineteenth century regarding womanhood and marriage. Then, the author shows where these concepts can be found in the lessons Marmee gives on how to be a woman, a wife and a mother. Being classified as a 'Bildungsroman' by some scholars, 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott offers lessons on womanhood, motherhood, and marriage not only to plentiful readers throughout generations, but first and foremost to the March sisters, Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth. Marmee, the matriarch of the family, teaches her four daughters how to behave as a young woman, how to care for others, and how to completely give up themselves for others, especially their husbands and families. Even though some of her views might seem surprisingly modern and sometimes even feminist, she is a woman of her day and encourages her daughters to abide by society's rules.