The Book Review of Little Women
Little Women, created by American writer Louisa May Alcott, is one of the most famous books all over the world, which is considered to be a great depiction of good human nature. Set during the American Civil War, the novel tells the story of four sisters growing up in an ordinary family in New England in the 19th century. With female characters as the main characters, the novel focuses on female consciousness and emphasizes the concepts of personal dignity and self-reliance. At the same time, through the depiction of several protagonists, it promotes the beautiful qualities of human beings.
Louisa May Alcott, born on December 29th 1832 in Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was influenced profoundly by her father, who worked as a teacher and writer. Under her father’s influence, Louisa had developed an interest in writing at a young age. However, on account of her father’s pursuit of dreams, they lived a tough life. In order to make ends meet, Louisa worked when she was very young, while she never gave up writing no matter how hard life was. Finally, in 1868, when a publisher suggested her writing a "book for girls," she wrote Little Women from her childhood memories.
The main characters of Little Women are four girls, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy in the March family, whose father went to the front during the American Civil War, so girls lived with their mother and an old maid. Due to the war, the income of March family reduced greatly, and they live on a shoestring. Although they were not materially rich, their spiritual world is incomparably rich.
The four girls were all virtuous, passionate and honest, while there were some differences among them. Meg was a beautiful elegant noble girl, whose destiny to marry a nobleman. However, after she met John, she fell in love with him and married him even though he couldn’t buy a house. Jo, whose dream was to be a writer, was very talented, rational and independent. She yearned for freedom, dared to fight against prejudice, and had been pursuing her dream, longing for a new life. Beth was a tender and considerate girl. She loved playing piano but she never asked her parents to buy her a piano. Luckily, her neighbor, Mr. Laurence, gave her his cherished piano to realize her dream. Amy, the youngest girl in the family, was a little capricious when she was young, but with growing up, she gradually became mature and independent. And she eventually realized her value in painting. In addition to what I stated above, another woman I want to talk to is their mother. There is no doubt that without this enlightened and sagacious mother, there would be no such excellent four girls. It’s the mother who encouraged them to be themselves and to chase their dreams bravely.
The success of Little Women lies in its ability to properly deal with the social contradictions at that time and to describe the family as a part of the society, thus avoiding the pompous features of the novel. At the same time, the author effectively integrates various characters in the society into the family environment, so as to better reflect the author's unique views on the novel.
First, the author mainly describes the family life at the bottom of the society. But instead of describing the difficulties caused by life, the author focuses on describing how these little people at the bottom of the society can comfort each other in these difficulties. In this way, people with a rich life can gradually feel the misery of people's life, get further comfort, and hope to realize the protagonist's growth and redemption via this way.
What’s more, the author of the novel paid great attention to describe the details of the life of the underclass, especially their emotions. Through the main characters’ behaviors and emotions, we can easily appreciate the ideas the author wanted to convey and have a better understanding of the whole story.
In a nutshell, Little Women is worthy to savor and I believe that if you read it, you will love it immediately. Besides, the characters depicted in the novel are vivid and fascinating, which can encourage us to be brave when we encounter problems. And the persistence and pursuit of the dreams depicted in the novel can inspire us as well. Just as the author wrote, I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.
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