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

Marmee’s Lessons Put into Historical Context

Term Paper , 2021 , 18 Pages , Grade: 1,0

English Language and Literature Studies - Literature

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.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

2 Historical Background
2.1 Womanhood
2.2 Marriage and Motherhood

3 Marmee’s Lessons
3.1 Lessons on Womanhood
3.2 Lessons on Marriage and Domesticity

4 Conclusion

5 Works Cited

• College: University of Erfurt (Anglistik und Amerikanistik)
• Course: 19th Centruy Children's Classics
• Grade: 1,0
• Publication Year: 2021
• Pages: 18
• Catalog Number: V1126263
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346485908
• ISBN (Book): 9783346485915
• Language: English
• Tags: Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, Womanhood, Marriage, Marmee, Historical context