The Female Struggle to Fit into Society in Little Women Essay

The Female Struggle to Fit into Society in Little Women The Victorian Era hailed many prolific authors, which were mostly male. A woman who wanted to be a writer at this time was not respected and would have been accused of being whimsical and flighty. However, women such as Louisa May Alcott redefined the norms and followed her heart with her pen by writing Little Women. The novel follows the lives of the four March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March – detailing their passage from childhood to womanhood trying to find their place in society. Even though so much has changed in the last fifty years, gender roles still take a huge toll in society. Unfortunately, breaking down gender roles is not easy; as women are still†¦show more content†¦Anna Alcott was the model for Meg March. Both these characters shared common life events. They both married a man called â€Å"John† and both gave birth to twins. They were both the eldest in the family. Louisa’s little sister, May, was the model for Amy. They were both graceful and poised at a young age and very materialistic. The youngest of the Alcott girls, Elizabeth was the model for Beth in the novel. Not only did they share the same namesake as the youngest March character Beth; they both shared a childhood death due to scarlet fever. They both died at a very young age. Evidently, Alcott was the model for Jo. They were both tempestuous and of wild nature. They were both females living in the Victorian Era who defied the norms of their times. At the age of fifteen, she wrote in her diary, â€Å"I will do something by and by. Don’t care what, teach, sew, act, write anything to help the family and I’ll be rich and famous and happy before I die, see if I won’t† (Laire 10). Women of that time did not normally focus on getting jobs; they left it to their male counterparts to bring home the income. Alcott and her sister both took on t eaching jobs, though her dream was to become an actress. By the age of twenty, she knew her real talent was to write. To please the readers, she quickly understood the reading market and started experimenting with different writing styles. This gave herShow MoreRelatedSociety s Pressure And Promote A Perfect Body Type For Women1179 Words   |  5 PagesBody Type for Women For centuries, the perfect body for women in society has played a significant role. It is an ongoing issue around the world that is a battle between the forces. Everywhere from television, magazines, cosmetics, gym, diet supplements, nevertheless opinions of family and friends. Every day most women struggle with the idea of society, not viewing them as a beautiful person or sex symbols. While others engage in achieving this goal to fit into society. Society has groomed manyRead MoreAnalysis Of Louisa May Alcotts Little Women1720 Words   |  7 Pagesis ‘Little Women’. 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