Louisa May Alcott’s concern for women extends beyond her stories of family and relationships to an interest in philanthropy, abolitionism, and other aspects of the reform movements that flourished during her era. As she grew in her concern for social issues she became more active in her support of political rights for women. Later in life, Alcott became an advocate of women's suffrage and was part of a group of female authors during the U. S. Gilded Age to address women's issues in a modern and candid manner. She used her literary works to instruct readers on the nature of democracy, simplicity, and affection. Alcott also created stories that convey a strong and picturesque image of life in the United States during the late nineteenth century. …show more content…
Belle Morgan is a good-hearted untraditional young woman who desires to dominate over her emotions and not be seen as submissive. She effectively attracts the attention of Harry Lennox yet she is resolved to not return his affections. Alcott does a magnificent job of creating a romantic tension between Harry Lennox and Belle Morgan by designing a courtship that does not follow the traditions of the time period. Instead of attending the tea parties designed for meeting suitors Belle prefers to visit the sick. As a result Harry felt obligated to accompany her in visiting the sick in order to get to know …show more content…
She is content to play nurse to the sick while her father locates a substitute to send to war in her place. Instead she concentrates on satisfying her desire to enter the war by knitting army socks, towels and a comfort bag for her replacement. Belle is convinced that courage makes a man ready and glad to live or die for a principle. She wants to impress upon him the need to be the type of man that would be willing to go and fight for her and his country. Ultimately, she uses her charm to influence Harry to enter the war, something which she later
The literature of the nineteenth century cataloged the social, economical and political changes during its period. Through it many new concerns and ideologies were proposed and made their journeys through intellectual spheres that have endured and kept their relevance in our own period today. The literature, sometimes quite overtly, introduced the issues arising with the changes in society specifically due to the industrial revolution. In this mixture of new ideas was the question of women's labor and functions among this rapidly changing society. American authors as well as Victorian authors, like George Gissing and Mabel Wotton, explored these issues somewhat explicitly during this period. In America, Louisa May Alcott and Charlotte Perkins Gilman expressed these issues in short stories with strong implications of the dangers of unfulfilled or unsatisfying labor available to women.
Throughout history, women have struggled with, and fought against, oppression. They have been held back and weighed down by the sexist ideas of a male dominated society which has controlled cultural, economic and political ideas and structures. During the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s women became more vocal and rebuked sexism and the role that had been defined for them. Fighting with the powerful written word, women sought a voice, equality amongst men and an identity outside of their family. In many literary writings, especially by women, during the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s, we see symbols of oppression and the search for gender equality in society.
In the beginning of the movie, Gaston is introduced as the perfect guy in the village. Girls sing, “Look there he goes, isn’t he dreamy? Monsieur Gaston, oh he’s so cute.” Gaston has his heart set on Belle and does all he can to convince her to marry him. Gaston believes that Belle would be a great wife based purely on her beauty, but Belle is not as shallow as Gaston and she follows her intuition and doesn’t marry him because she doesn’t care about appearances, but more about their inner beauty. “One tendency unites them all..”(Emerson 77), says Emerson. Every other girl in the village would have done anything to to be with him, wh...
Beauty and the Beast centers on Belle who is desired by handsome but egocentric Gaston. Belle’s father, disappears on a journey to a local fair and becomes captive of the Beast. Belle bravely offers herself as an alternative hostage and Beast accepts. As his prisoner, Belle befriends Beast’s household of Enchanted Objects, all talking, walking furniture and kitchen utensils. Belle learns about how the Beast and his staff are all the victims of a witch’s curse that has transformed them. They fall in love during her hostage. In the end, Bella’s love reverses the spell on the Beast.
From the beginning Belle’s characteristics reveals anti-social behaviors perhaps even a personality disorder. Belle keeps to herself reading alone and hardly any interaction with the villagers
“Dorothy Parker was one of the most influential women writers of her era.” (Bengstsson) When Dorothy was growing up, women’s rights was a galvanizing issue of the day. Working women went on strike for months and the suffrage movement was advocating voting rights for women. In October of 1917, thousands of women marched in a New York City suffrage parade. In June of 1919, Congress passed the 15th amendment, which (finally) granted women the right to vote. “This was the world into which Parker was born into, and from which she drew her inspiration.” (Contemporary Literary Criticism) In her male dominated world, women fell into the shadows of a restrictive society that expected them to be passive and obedient, prohibiting them from being independent.
She once found a hidden slave in her oven, and instead of turning him into the authorities, she taught him to read and write (Nancy Porter Productions). The Underground Railroad helped show Louisa that everyone should be equal, which is why she was also a suffragette. She wrote and talked about women’s suffrage and why women are just as important as men (Raga). She believed in this so much that she was the first woman to be registered to vote in Concord, Massachusetts (Hannah). In her book An Old-Fashioned Girl, Alcott wrote “Women have been called queens a long time, but the kingdom given them [is not] worth ruling” (Alcott). Louisa May Alcott thought that even though women have been told they are beautiful and deserve everything, what they are given is not worth their time. These ideas made Alcott a good role model for people everywhere, helping them believe that they are worth it and everyone is equal. She wrote about these themes in her books, making a lasting impact on the
Many times people are asked to think about what is important to them. A person may say their home, car, children, material items and some may even say family. In the book Little Women (1868-1869) written by Louisa May Alcott illustrates several family values. The story of the March family starts out during the civil war in New England. The family is left to survive on their own because their father went to protect his country. During the years of life the March children, Margaret (Meg), Josephine (Jo), Beth and Amy, had to face the fact that they were very poor, and couldn't have everything that they fancied. As the family stayed home and awaited the return of their father they received "fatherly" support from an old neighbor Mr. Laurence. Mr. Laurence was a wealth man, who came across as cranky, only to be latter found out to be a loving caring man with a large heart. As the March family continues through the hard times of life they continue strong because they are blessed with family. The theme of Little Women is that family is a very important part of a person's life, anything is possible with support from the family.
Louisa May Alcott is an American poet born on November 29, 1832 in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Her education came from her father until she turned sixteen. In addition to her father’s academic guidance, she was taught by family friends Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. From 1850 to 1862, she helped support her family through working various job positions such as teacher and domestic servant. During this time, she had been publishing literature of all sorts under the name Flora Fairfield, and later A.M. Barnard. The Civil War account Hospital Sketches, written in 1863, affirmed her desire to pursue writing seriously. After this, she wrote under her real name for several magazines and even become editor of one. She authored many books, but none as well-known as Little Women. The success of this ...
The story Little Women takes place at a time when women were taking on uncustomary roles like physical laborer, family protector and provider, and military volunteer while their husbands served during the Civil War. Keeping within the boundaries of the time, Louisa May Alcott uses herself and her own three sisters to create this classical novel from personal experiences. Each sister is different. They each set goals and dreams for their selves whether it goes along with their contemporary society or not. With the assistance of their mother, friends and experiences, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy struggle between their personal expectations and society’s expectations as they plan for their future and choose their destinies.
“Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age ill bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success” (Alcott). The wise words of an All-American author who lived a boundless life. From journal and diary entries to novels, short stories, and poems Louisa Alcott had great success and published many books in her lifetime.
“Girls wear jeans and cut their hair short and wear shirts and boots because it is okay to be a boy; for a girl it is like promotion. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, according to you, because secretly you believe that being a girl is degrading” (McEwan 55-56). Throughout the history of literature women have been viewed as inferior to men, but as time has progressed the idealistic views of how women perceive themselves has changed. In earlier literature women took the role of being the “housewife” or the household caretaker for the family while the men provided for the family. Women were hardly mentioned in the workforce and always held a spot under their husband’s wing. Women were viewed as a calm and caring character in many stories, poems, and novels in the early time period of literature. During the early time period of literature, women who opposed the common role were often times put to shame or viewed as rebels. As literature progresses through the decades and centuries, very little, but noticeable change begins to appear in perspective to the common role of women. Women were more often seen as a main character in a story setting as the literary period advanced. Around the nineteenth century women were beginning to break away from the social norms of society. Society had created a subservient role for women, which did not allow women to stand up for what they believe in. As the role of women in literature evolves, so does their views on the workforce environment and their own independence. Throughout the history of the world, British, and American literature, women have evolved to become more independent, self-reliant, and have learned to emphasize their self-worth.
Feminism today remains prominent because even while women’s rights are very strong, women are still fighting for equality every day. In the time of Anne Bradstreet, women had few rights and they were seen as inferior to men. Anne lived among the puritans whom ruled her everyday life. Although it was against the puritan code for women to receive an education, Bradstreet’s father, Thomas Dudley, loved his daughter dearly and made sure that she was well educated which shows in her works. Anne Bradstreet’s literature became well known only because her family published her works under a male name. This was done because writing poetry was a serious offense to the puritans since poetry was considered creative and the only creating that was done was by God. In the works of Anne Bradstreet, she conveys a feminist attitude, and could very well be one of the first American Feminists.
Hurston portrays women as independent and capable of infinite possibilities. Many aspects contribute to how an author, male or female, portrays his or her female characters. Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Wharton, and Hurston all illustrate their own perception of women based upon personal experience and social acuity of their particular era. The portrayal of women in American Literature is based solely upon an author’s personal opinion and interpretation and does not necessarily symbolize the true spirit and quintessence of women as one. Bibliography:..
Throughout literature’s history, female authors have been widely recognized for their groundbreaking and eye-opening accounts of what it means to be a woman in society. In most cases of early literature, women are portrayed as weak and unintelligent characters who rely solely on their male counterparts. Also during this time period, it would be shocking to have women characters in some stories, especially since their purpose is only secondary to that of the male protagonist. But, in the late 17th to early 18th century, a crop of courageous women began publishing their works, beginning the literary feminist movement. Together, Aphra Behn, Charlotte Smith, Fanny Burney, and Mary Wollstonecraft challenge the status quo of what it means to be a woman during the time of the Restoration Era and give authors and essayists of the modern day, such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a platform to become powerful, influential writers of the future.