This paper aims to investigate the ideals of society in the nineteenth century regarding womanhood and marriage. Then, the author shows where these concepts can be found in the lessons Marmee gives on how to be a woman, a wife and a mother.
Being classified as a “Bildungsroman” by some scholars, “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott offers lessons on womanhood, motherhood, and marriage not only to plentiful readers throughout generations, but first and foremost to the March sisters, Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth. Marmee, the matriarch of the family, teaches her four daughters how to behave as a young woman, how to care for others, and how to completely give up themselves for others, especially their husbands and families. Even though some of her views might seem surprisingly modern and sometimes even feminist, she is a woman of her day and encourages her daughters to abide by society’s rules.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Historical Background
2.1 Womanhood
2.2 Marriage and Motherhood
3 Marmee’s Lessons
3.1 Lessons on Womanhood
3.2 Lessons on Marriage and Domesticity
4 Conclusion
5 Works Cited
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This paper aims to examine nineteenth-century societal ideals regarding womanhood and marriage and to analyze how these concepts are reflected in the moral lessons provided by the character Marmee to her daughters in Louisa May Alcott’s novel, Little Women.
- The influence of nineteenth-century gender norms on the characters
- Marmee's role as the moral compass and transmitter of societal values
- The internal struggle of the March sisters between personal independence and social expectations
- The concept of "redemptive womanhood" and "true womanhood"
- The literary portrayal of marriage as a necessity for women's social survival
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Lessons on Marriage and Domesticity
Arguably the most prominent topic on which Marmee teaches her girls is marriage. As explained before, getting married was an important part of socialization in nineteenth-century America, so it comes as no surprise that in one of the most iconic passages of the book, the mother declares:
I want my daughters to be beautiful, accomplished, and good; to be admired, loved, and respected, to have a happy youth, to be well and wisely married, and to lead useful, pleasant lives, with as little care and sorrow to try them as God sees fit to send. To be loved and chosen by a good man is the best and sweetest thing which can happen to a woman; . . . My dear girls, I am ambitious for you, but not to have you make a dash in the world, – marry rich men merely because they are rich, or have splendid houses, which are not homes, because love is wanting. Money is a needful and precious thing, – and, when well used, a noble thing, – but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for. I’d rather see you poor men’s wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queens on thrones, without self-respect and peace. . . .
Right, Jo; better be happy old maids than unhappy wives. (LW 167-68; ch. 9)
What at first seems like a loving and simple wish for her daughters, is in fact packed with ambiguous messages. First of all, she wants her daughters to be “beautiful, accomplished, and good”, three traits that are obviously inspired by the social expectations of her era; she wants them to be “proper”. She further emphasizes that they should be “well and wisely married”, another expectation of society, for, as explained before, a woman without a husband is nothing (Matus 60). She tells them that a man’s love is the best thing that can happen to them, but, as Fetterley puts it, “she might as well have said it is the only thing that can happen. There are no other viable options” (34). This view, however, might be a little too narrow, as Marmee adds a few lines later that she would prefer the girls stayed single and happy rather than married and unhappy. Their happiness seems to be her highest ambition and for that she even gives them
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the success and cultural significance of Little Women and outlines the paper's goal of investigating how Marmee’s lessons reflect nineteenth-century societal ideals regarding women.
2 Historical Background: This section details the nineteenth-century "doctrine of separate spheres" and the prevailing social expectations for women, including the roles of the "Angel in the Home" and the importance of marriage.
3 Marmee’s Lessons: This chapter analyzes Marmee's role as a teacher, focusing on how she internalizes and passes on societal values regarding morality, self-sacrifice, and the domestic sphere to her daughters.
3.1 Lessons on Womanhood: This section discusses the specific teachings on self-control, submissiveness, and the suppression of anger as necessary traits for becoming a "proper" woman.
3.2 Lessons on Marriage and Domesticity: This section explores the central role of marriage in the novel, analyzing the tension between Marmee’s desire for her daughters' happiness and the limited societal options for women.
4 Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes how, despite appearing supportive, Marmee’s guidance reinforces traditional gender roles, ultimately transforming the independent March sisters into wives and mothers.
5 Works Cited: This section lists the academic sources and editions used for the literary analysis.
Keywords
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, Marmee, nineteenth-century literature, gender roles, separate spheres, marriage, domesticity, true womanhood, self-sacrifice, bildungsroman, independence, Victorian norms, motherhood, morality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines how Marmee, the mother in Little Women, imparts nineteenth-century societal norms and moral expectations regarding womanhood and marriage to her four daughters.
What central themes are explored in the text?
Key themes include the "doctrine of separate spheres," the concept of "true womanhood," the tension between personal independence and societal expectations, and the necessity of marriage for women in the nineteenth century.
What is the primary research question?
The research investigates nineteenth-century societal ideals regarding women and how these concepts manifest in the specific lessons Marmee teaches her children.
Which methodology is applied in this analysis?
The paper employs a literary and historical analysis, utilizing scholarly interpretations of Alcott’s text in the context of nineteenth-century social history.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body analyzes the historical context of gender roles, Marmee’s teachings on womanhood—specifically regarding self-sacrifice and emotional control—and her complex views on marriage as the ultimate goal for her daughters.
Which keywords define this work?
Essential keywords include Little Women, gender roles, separate spheres, true womanhood, self-sacrifice, and domesticity.
How does the author interpret Marmee's influence on her daughters?
The author argues that while Marmee is portrayed as a loving mother, her lessons ultimately serve to limit the girls' individuality by conforming them to societal expectations of submissive wives and mothers.
Why is the death of Beth significant in this context?
Beth’s death is interpreted as a manifestation of the exhaustion caused by the intense pressure to live as a "perfect little woman" and suppress one's own needs.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anonym (Autor:in), 2021, Womanhood and Marriage in "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1126263
