Oh, hello. Welcome to our home. I’m Jo March and I’m here to share with you a little about the story you are going to read.
As you may know, it is entitled Little Women. It’s a story about my family─well, more specifically, about me and my three sisters: Meg, who is the oldest; Beth, who is a couple of years younger than me; and the baby of the family, Amy. Our story is based on the true-life story of the author, Louisa May Alcott, who also had three sisters.
Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29, 1832. Like me, she was the second daughter in a family of four girls. Louisa grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, USA.
From a young age, Louisa loved to write. She wrote poetry and even several thrillers, believe it or not. She was also an avid reader, fueling her imagination with works from Shakespeare to Charlotte Bronte.
As you read Little Women, you may see a strong resemblance between my character and Louisa. In fact, according to Louisa, she did indeed base my character on herself, while her real sisters─Anna, Lizzie, and May─are depicted by Meg, Beth, and Amy respectively.
Little Women was published in 1868. The story is set during the American Civil War.
Father is away at war, not as a soldier, but as a chaplain. He is a very thoughtful, kind man, who instills in us, his daughters, a strong sense of morals and family values. At one time Father used to be very rich but now, after the war, our family is struggling financially.
Mother is the most loving, caring person in the world. She is not perfect, but she makes every effort to help us girls learn life’s important lessons, as well as treasure the moments we share together as a family.
My sister Meg is a lovely person who has a strong sense of responsibility and looks after her younger sisters. Meg does have her faults, though, and one of them is vanity. She longs to have fashionable, pretty things, as most girls do. But what can one do if family finances don’t permit such treats?
Next comes me. As I mentioned, the author Louisa and I share many traits. I am also a writer and I love to read. I’m not pretty like Meg or gentle like Beth, but I have a very strong personality, as my family will tell you.
My biggest weak point is my short temper and I often lose control of it. It gets me into many arguments and sometimes causes mishaps. But I’m loyal and true to my family and friends. I will do anything for them. I’m a bit of a tomboy, which means I act like a boy. In fact, I’ll admit I sometimes wish I were a boy. This kind of thinking also gets me into trouble.
Beth is my darling little sister. I have a soft spot for her as she is the most gentle and shy creature you will ever come across. Like Mother, Beth is very caring and she holds nothing back when it comes to helping others. Beth never complains or upsets people and she would rather do something herself than be a bother to others. She loves music. Her voice is as angelic as her personality.
Finally, there’s Amy, the youngest of our clan. I suppose Amy and I are the pair of sisters who argue the most. Just between you and me, she irritates me so. However, I admit Amy does have her good traits. One of them is her beauty. She is like a porcelain doll. When she smiles at you, you forget all your troubles. She is also a very talented artist.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she became a famous painter one day. One of Amy’s weaknesses is her selfishness. She’s the youngest so I can understand this somewhat. But this characteristic gets her into several scrapes, which Amy thankfully learns from.
So now you know a little about my family and something about Louisa May Alcott. As I mentioned before, our family lived during the American Civil War. Life at that time was quite different from what it is like for you today.
For example, look at my clothes.
Not only did we have to wear these long dresses, but when a woman went out, she was expected to wear gloves and carry a parasol.
Given that I’m a tomboy, can you imagine how difficult it was for me to wear such things? My sisters had to remind me every time I wasn’t dressed in a "ladylike" way.
At this time, women were expected to behave in a certain manner as well. For most women, their purpose in life consisted of finding a marriage mate and having children. I resisted such notions and got myself into a lot of trouble for it. But I, like Louisa, am a firm believer that women should have their independence.
Another thing you might find unusual is our way of life. It was common in our time to have servants and housekeepers. My family, as well as Louisa Alcott, hated the idea of slavery. We would never regard our beloved Hannah as a slave. She is trusted and loved and is a great help to our family.
Something else you may find peculiar is how the young men and women interact. In my day, society was much more conservative. It was not considered proper for young people to date or go out unless they intended to marry. It’s true that many married at a young age, but we had strict rules that allowed or did not allow certain behaviors.
Time is constantly changing and that can’t be helped. Fashions, manners, customs, and traditions change, too. Some things, however, are timeless: learning how to grow up, learning how to deal with family issues, learning to love and respect others, and of course─most important of all─learning who you are.
Little Women is a story about just those things. Even though it was written more than a hundred years ago, I hope that you will find lessons you can learn from and apply in your life today.