The Use of "Little Women"

Through out the novel there are many references to the title that show how the March sisters grow and the reference to ‘little women’ changes. I found it interesting to track the different meanings behind the title. The first two references are about the performed acts that are expected of the girls. First they are supposed to do their duties while their father was at war so that he would be proud of them when he returned (page 8), and the second refers to Meg and Jo taking care of their sisters “with the maternal instinct of little women.” (page 41) Instead of focusing solely on tasks it becomes centered on how one should act to be perceived as a ‘little woman’ implying that one must behave a certain way to be one. Laurie says that “sensible little women” do as they are told by their families in reference to Amy going to Aunt Marches (page 179) and she is described as behaving “like a capital little woman” because she stops complaining about uncontrollable circumstances. These references allow us to see how the girls are progressing and what is deemed acceptable behavior for ‘little women’. At the end of Book One Alcott uses the omniscient perspective to say that the story will continue depending “upon the reception” of Little Women. (page 235)

The second book focuses on marriage and the title is used to show how the sisters are growing up and better understanding society’s expectations. Instead of only referring to general behaviors there is a transition to deeper implications throughout the rest of the book. Three of the five remaining references refer to Meg and her married life. The first instance, “for the little woman fussed”, is about how Meg wants to make everything perfect for John has a positive tone (page 273), but she then turns frivolous in her spending and is referred to as a “foolish little woman”. (page 280) On page 389 the gender role of a woman is implied by the title referring to a mother’s duty to her children. These examples reflect of the gender roles in marriage as the term ‘little women’ moves from being about how the girls’ actions impact themselves to impacting their new families as well.

Towards the end of the novel Laurie describes Amy as a “captivating little woman”. (page 444) This is the first time that the phrase has been used to show pride for the action of one of the girls without having an implication/moral lesson for how they should act in that situation.  The very last reference comes on page 456 as Laurie is talking about the ‘little women’ collectively and how they are all needed to keep balance in the family. Overall the phrase ‘little women’ follows the girls throughout the stages of their lives and evolves from being an ideal to strive towards to something they have achieved and cannot be without. It turns from a phrase used to remind the March sisters how they should act to being a term that shows how important they are to those they love.