Study notes: Little Women
Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March grow up in New England while their father is away with the Union army. They are not rich. They put on plays, fight, make up, and try to be better in ways that sometimes sound like a sermon and sometimes sound like a real sister. Jo wants to write and hates the narrow path offered to girls. Alcott wrote a family novel that still argues, quietly, about work, money, and what a girl is allowed to want.
Themes
Ambition and family loyalty. Gentleness is not the same as having no temper. Money changes choices without being the whole story.
People to follow
Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy, Marmee, Laurie, and Mr. March.
Talk about
- Which sister’s want do you understand best?
- Where is the book fair to Jo, and where does it box her in?
- What does the family do when someone is ill?
Public-domain text.