A Book Review- The Little Women (Part 1)
Louisa May Alcott’s 150-Year-Old Masterpiece
“A poor, bare, miserable room it was, with broken windows, no fire, ragged bedclothes, a sick mother, wailing baby, and a group of pale, hungry children cuddled under one old quilt, trying to keep warm.”
— Lousia May Alcott
(Scroll down a bit if you want to skip the review part and read the personal notes)
Her ‘Little Women’ are diverse and well defined in personality and aspirations, her world is as detailed as our own, her story equally realistic, her sentences are filled with images and the somber tone of the novel is clearly evident from the above line picked up straight from the book.
Alcott’s story begins on Christmas Eve but the foundations seem to stem from years before, probably from her own childhood days. We are gradually but subtly introduced to the main characters in the first act of the narrative. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy are four contrasting teenage siblings who live with their mother, Mrs. March struggling to make the ends meet, while their father is away fighting in the war. The setting is perfectly ‘illustrated’ and the ambitions of the characters are made clear right at the start.
Jo’s character in specific shines, for she gets to ‘grumble’ the opening lines of the book. Described as a tomboy who loves writing, she is clearly seen as a personal reflection of Alcott herself throughout the story. Meg is the beautiful elder sister while Beth and Amy are the younger ones. The former loves music while the latter loves art. As the story progresses, we follow the siblings’ everyday life, and how they grow up to be from all the hardships and differences.
The pacing is slow but for someone who cherishes the finer details, it is perfect.
After Christmas came the New year’s eve where we follow the mishaps and interesting interactions. We are also introduced to the character Laurie who strikes off good chemistry with Jo. We are given a bit of the backstory as and when required, like about Laurie’s family, and their connection to the March family. The entire relation and the build-up of the bond between them and eventually their families form the core aspect around which major parts of the story revolve around. It sets up the rich-poor awkwardness and dynamics as Laurie hails from a rich household unlike the March’s.
Several central themes of the story like family bonding, poverty, and women empowerment are depicted in the first few chapters which I felt lay a solid foundation for the later part of the story.
Numerous pages simply portray the daily life of the March family. Throughout this ordinary tale filled with extraordinary narration, you see several incredible monologues that seem to directly speak to you. For example, check out this line-
“There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind.”
This is sheer brilliance in the narration. Alcott wasn’t just writing a story. She was conveying an idea, an emotion, and a sense of resolution to empower her readers with her lines.
Each chapter is like an arc of its own focusing on certain characters and foreshadowing upcoming consequences. For example, we have a chapter exploring Beth’s relation with Mr. Laurence and how he sees his lost granddaughter in her, and we have another chapter that explores Amy’s school life.
Most chapters start off on a distinct day like ‘one April day’, ‘one Saturday morning’, ‘one snowy afternoon’, ‘one warm September afternoon’ and so on. Alcott seems to have explicitly mentioned such phrases at the start of most chapters. This reflects the episodic nature of the story and gives a good idea of the flow of time. All these different incidents are elegantly weaved into a single correlated masterpiece.
Since the beginning, the author foreshadows a tension of conflict between the sisters although they are depicted as one happy family. Soon, these seeds sprout as the story advances but through conflict is how the characters realize their flaws and learn their greatest lessons. One such significant incident is depicted between Jo and Amy. Mrs. March serves as the backbone for the sisters chanting words of wisdom each time they go past a certain hurdle.
Alcott pushes further in adding realism to the story by having nicknames, inside references, family chitchat, and other finer elements that naturally exist in real life. She also repeatedly explores the differences between the rich and the poor and how the poor perceive their lifestyle and habits.
The novel has its fair share of significant life-changing moments. One such moment was when the March family receive the news that their father was ill. This is further followed by Jo cutting her hair to raise some money. There is a dramatic change of tone at this point in the story with Mrs. March leaving to aid her husband and Beth falling ill. These incidents stand out to appeal to the audience because they feel so relatable and could happen to anyone at some point in time. Alcott perfectly connects with her readers in this aspect.
It was shown that Beth gets better later as the mother finally comes back home leading to a happier state post the succession of some dark days. Amy has her own little character arc during the time she spent with Aunt March.
As the tensions pass by, a family drama surrounding love and marriage of poor man Mr. Brooke (Laurie’s Tutor) and the elder sister Meg takes off. Alcott tries to showcase how different family members react to this situation, or rather, one could say, how she reacts to it via her character Jo. Meg ultimately accepts his proposal reflecting on significant character development as she always envied the riches. Towards the end, tomboy Jo is shown to have embraced the feminine side of her after her ordeal with Laurie.
In terms of giving importance to all her characters, the author leaves no stone unturned. Even the servant of March’s family, Hannah gets to shine at some moments.
Alcott herself uses phrases, “Like sunshine after a storm” implying she has clear control of where she is taking her story forward, a happy ending, leaving a small doubt if it will really be?
The beginning of the novel directly relates to the ending. That’s what makes the opening lines, the most significant lines of the story. ‘Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,’ as Jo would say. The story (part 1) comes to an end on Christmas day. A year has passed by. Now, all the sisters have presents but the true gift they get is their father finally returning home. In the end, as in the beginning, we find the family cherishing each other’s presence.
The novel moves to its final chapter with Alcott highlighting the significant changes in personalities her ‘little women’ have undergone through the eyes of Mr. March. It concludes with a beautiful scene bought to life in the author’s seamless lines depicting the March family. Alcott appears to be very well aware of how influential her work could be and directly throws in at the very end that there will ever be a sequel to this only if it is received well by her readers.
To summarise, this is a very women-centric novel clearly reflecting the period when it was written but at the same time, presenting ideas way ahead of that era. Alcott’s writing is influential, inspirational, nostalgic, and relatable. She depicts the everyday tasks of women as heroic and her characters defy traditional outlook multiple times. Jo is a poster child of a modern-day independent woman. On whole, it is a fulfilling story of every other middle-class family in economic and political hardships. The author has definitely succeeded in conveying her philosophy. Her story is essentially a guide to dealing with the difficulties of life for young women growing up in a coming of age society.
My Personal Notes
Back when I was in middle school, I remember a distinct English lesson that left a lasting impression. From the bits and pieces I can recollect, it was a coming of age story of four sisters dealing with their everyday life. That specific chapter covered the storyline where one of the sisters’ sold her hair to raise money to help her mother. Only days later, I would come to know that it was actually an adaptation from a novel titled, “Little Women”. Since then, I wanted to read the full story but life happened and that yearning to know withered with time, lost in the deepest chasms of my memory, but then I found my way back!
Was this an enriching experience as a reader?
My answer would be an absolute ‘Yes’. Without a doubt.
But there were a few shortcomings I personally felt. Living in the modern day when science fiction, contemporary romance, and supernatural elements dominate the tastes of young adults, this particular story felt a bit disconnected. Considering the fact that it was written over 150 years ago, and the story being directed towards women, it may have been an eventual effect. My next trouble was the characters. There were many specific characters, each one of them well detailed. While Alcott managed them very will giving all of them, their moments to shine, the presence of too many characters in a single act can be a little confusing.
Coming to the language, I would give this piece of work a 9/10. Alcott maintained the grandeur in her sentences throughout and the dynamic mood she sets up at the beginning definitely sustained.
My personal favorite from the entire novel are the beautiful monologues that Alcott uses throughout. More than the story, I liked the language. I’d probably re-read parts of it for the beauty of them.
However, at some places, it does appear tiring, especially in the conversations. This is quickly displaced by the elegant sentences that follow. The chapter-wise episodic nature is perfectly structured to be read as even standalone stories and cherish the vibrant expression of the author.
Almost every single line is overflowing with passion, the choice of words, the portrayal of characters, and the eloquence of emotions, all of this just makes me wonder how is it even possible for someone to write so elegantly with a simple yet appealing tone. This is surely one of those books where you know it is going to be a classic masterpiece at first glance. It delivers so well that I feel as if I am there, in that house along with the characters.
That’s about it from my end, I guess. To wind up in one phrase, it is a truly beautiful read.
If you have come this far and actually read all that I have to say, I truly appreciate your time. Pardon if I have bored you anywhere.
If you haven’t read ‘Little Women’ yet, I hope I inspired you enough to read it. It is totally worth it. You can get a copy of the e-book for free here-
#HappyReading
