Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868)

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐ A simple and timeless story about the endless love of family, the value of hard work, and the trials and tribulations of growing up. This is a wholesome, principled novel that I would absolutely read to kids not only because it's a beautiful story, but also because of the values it preaches. Today's children may struggle with motivation and applying themselves- not so with the March Family! All four daughters participate in some form of daily work and still come home to pull their weight in chores. As with any child, this does not come without complaining and sisterly bickering, however, they all quickly realize there are more important things that thinking only of oneself. To show a young person this story has a lot of value. Highly recommend for story time with children or for adults who appreciate the nostalgia of growing up. Who knows, you just might find yourself appreciating and emulating the simple, meaningful lifestyle of the March Family too.

SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Little Women tackles some upstanding themes that, despite being written over 150 years ago, I believe people would do well to consider today. Let's dive right in, dear reader.

Themes:

Selflessness and Kindness:

From the beginning, the selflessness of the children struck me. Alcott opens her novel up with the four girls discussing gifts for Christmas, despite being a family of little means. They begin sharing what they all decided to get their mother for Christmas to show their appreciation for her. The gifts are humble, but the fact that the girls spent the total of what little they had on someone else without a second thought really struck me. How often do we come across children who think of someone else before their own expectations of toys? Very seldom, I'd offer.

Quickly taking the theme of selflessness a step further, the March family catches wind of another, poorer family down the road with no heat, no food, and far too many mouths to feed. Despite having little for their own Christmas meal, the family happily brings their holiday treats to feed the neighbors in need. In line with selflessness, is the theme of general kindness. Beth goes out of her way to care for her invalid dolls, spends time with Mr. Lawrence playing the piano for him, and Jo goes as far as selling her locks of hair to help make their father more comfortable in the hospital. Kindness, we see, is always repaid in spades.

Now, before you assume, as I did in the beginning, "this is unrealistic. People, let alone children, don't do all this without at least a little grumbling." Yet, I thought Alcott did a good job of showing us the internal conflict the young girls had before making their choices. Sometimes they'd need a little encouragement, inspiration, or even to make a mistake first before coming to the realization that there was a better choice that involved others over themselves. I appreciated this humanizing quality- even the kindest among us may breifly stop to consider before giving something of value up.

We see time after time, the opportunity to be kind or selfless is raised, and time after time, the girls respond in kind. Alcott shows not only the benefit to others that their selflessness produces, but always highlights how wonderful all the girls feel helping others. I think her message here is one we could all use a gentle reminder for- selflessness benefits the giver just as much, if not more, than the recipient.

Vanity:

I found it interesting that vanity was called in to question in several instances throughout the story. We see it in Amy, in an almost laughable sense when she laments about the shape of her noes, and again when she's highly motivated to be good, simply to earn their wealthy aunt's turquoise ring.

We also see it explored in Meg, during the chapter where she goes to a friend's party. The girls off-handedly make her feel self-conscious by commenting that she had only the one dress, and offer to loan her one and dress her up in the latest fashions. Meg is feeling quite good about herself, and quite bad about her family's finances after suddenly receiving all the party's attention. That is, until she overhears a comment alluding to the fact that she was being made a fool of. Suddenly, her need to fit in and feel pretty gives way to shame for her vanity and a resolve to be grateful for the love her family possesses instead. Not a bad conclusion to draw.

Later on, we again see the damaging effects of vanity from the visiting Englishwoman, Miss Kate, who has no shortage of distaste for the social standing of a governess and a tutor- professions that Meg and Mr. Brooks find value and fulfillment in. Vanity is shown to be a double-edged sword- not only does it hurt those it cuts down, but it also makes the wielder seem contemptuous.

Value in Hard Work:

I really enjoyed the chapter where the girls are on break, and everyone endeavors to do absolutely nothing. Sound familiar? Don't we all make the same claims when we finally get a break? However, this doesn't end up as peaceful and relaxing as they girls think it will once the chores start piling up, bickering begins, and the restless energy makes for an uncomfortable situation. Instead of swooping in to solve the problems, Mrs. March decides this will be a valuable lesson in the value of hard work, so she does nothing too. Soon, the girls begin to see that while all work and no play is tiresome, all play and no work is unfulfilling and irritating. I think that's something we can take from this book even today- lots of times we complain about our household upkeep and the daily requirements of living a clean and productive life, however there's satisfaction in having a sink free of dirty dishes, laundry that's not piled up but put away, and clean surfaces free of random clutter and dust. Reading this chapter made me realize that I too can find satisfaction and fulfillment in the productivity of keeping your space well-maintained. It was a valuable lesson for the modern world.

Resilience:

Despite their happy childhood, the girls face a lot of sadness and grief in their life at the same time. Their father is away at war, then wounded and laid up in a hospital, recovery uncertain. Shortly after, sweet Beth falls victim to Scarlett fever after tending to a neighbor's sick baby. Instead of breaking down and succumbing to their worry and grief, Mrs. March and housekeeper Hannah set the example for the children girls to stay positive, keep busy, and contribute to help those who need it in any way possible. This is a much more effective outlet we can apply today. It's harder to wallow and worry when you are focusing on others. I've found that to be true, and I believe the March family gives us a good example of its practical application.

Final Thoughts

My only complaint with the way the book is written is the dialogue and grammar. It's sometimes a little hard to tell who's speaking or what's going on with the commas and I found myself having to reread a few areas for clarity. However, it's an old book, we can give it a little grace. I say that only as a word of caution if reading aloud to children, don't get discouraged if you find yourself being thrown off every now and then.

I thought this story was lovely and has wonderful lessons and perspectives. In a world where "put yourself first, disregard everyone else" has become a mantra for many, I think this book is a good reminder of the joy and fulfillment that being kind, selfless, resilient, and hard-working can bring. In whatever you do, with whoever you meet, you should always think of being kind to people. Especially when they don't deserve it. I hope you enjoy this book, and I hope it stays relevant for another 150 years to come.

What are your thoughts? How did you grow up seeing this novel? Was their family unrealistic in their morality or a model we could all strive for? Tell me in the comments!