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LW 1868 The book covers the narrative span of one year (Christmas). In this width of time, the individual characters, dreams, and maturation of each of the four sisters are analyzed. This period is lived almost like a game, like a bet made with the mother to improve temperament and fight their "inner enemies". Amy, Beth, Jo, Amy are 4 different individuals each with their own flaws but also with their own creativity and passions. They help and support each other. When girls make a mistake, Marmee always gives them a moral lesson, which effectively closes almost every chapter as if it were the novel fixed pattern. We should note that at the first moment of difficulty, they sought the mother. Later, the letters (chapter, same name) become a form of communication with the mother, expressing the heartbreak of being far away from her. For this ‘moral guide role’, the mother represents for me the real protagonist of the novel. March sisters are balanced by her, and she is holding the reins. This detail is very important: the whole novel is inspired by the book The Pilgrim's Progress by Bunyan, which sees the growth of each person as an allegory of the journey of a pilgrim who, with his burden on his shoulders (one's character, with its strengths and weaknesses) passes from the City of Perdition, our reality, to the Celestial City, with the achievement of one's goals and the completion of our maturation. It is a key passage of the novel often set aside from certain transpositions. Moreover, are important (novel pedagogical function) the strong transcendentalist thinking and innovative educational ideas of Amos Alcott. As an educator, he pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, focusing on a conversational style, and avoiding traditional punishment. Jo, for instance, would like to open a school or be a soldier. Alcott stated that the novel is simple and true because we have all experienced it. The author transposed herself and her sisters' stories. Alcott's family is sympathetic because they lived the experience of poverty and therefore solidarity is shown in the novel. The transcendentalists themselves were seen as heretics because they said that everyone had an inner dignity. I like to point out that the book is set, as MD in the first chapters, in New England: historically the beating heart of America. The mirror of how America was evolving, and many things were changing. Shealy's essay deals with the tightening of citizenship laws after Irish emigration due to Peronospora. Despite conservative efforts, racism and snobbery towards foreign emigration, America was going to become today's melting pot. Was the era of patriarchy in which minorities were women too. Women were ‘angel of the hearth’ and could not lead the life they had dreamed of. Social stratification is important and underlineds, as Meg criticizes Moffat's snobbish behaviour. They speak a few words of French, and knowing another language seems to put them on a level of superiority. Vellucci said that children's literature develops where gender becomes a literary genre. On the one hand, boys were introduced to ‘the things of the world’, while girls were protected from any danger that could undermine their innocence. A publisher (Niles) asked Alcott for stories of typical American girls from typical American families. Girls were seen as individuals who had to play a certain role in the community by assuming adult and responsible attitudes at the onset of puberty. On the other side were the boy's books like Tom Sawyer. The rebellious boy wants to break the canons of the classic boy from a good family. What was the ‘teaching’ that these books were supposed to offer girls? They had to read books to help them assume the role of the angel of the hearth. Girls were portrayed as eternally childish; not ready to face life yet. We can underline the influence of evangelical providential thinking in the pre-war period (and post). For the themes involved, Little Women became a standard of a certain type of literature. The narration is realistic, with laughable parts that give rise to an unusual liveliness. Jo pursues her writing style as a heroine fighting for freedom. As a naturalistic novel about girlhood, What Katy Did by Coolidge filled a void. By drawing on her childhood memories, Coolidge enhanced the realism of her novel. Jo inspires the character of Katy. These types of tales are justified by the intent of utility and education in moral duties. Vellucci criticizes this by saying that by not allowing them to be corrupted by the outside world, you are preserving them from experiences that can ‘shape’ them. H. James criticizes these works by saying that they were unsuitable for a female audience. Young women had to be protected and had to be described with maturity, a critical capacity of those with higher education. James criticized Alcott by saying that she was unsuitable for dealing with human problems and great passions. Sara-Jo: similar because they both want their economic independence and not get married for a dowry. They are seeking selfless, true love while maintaining their independence. So, do not depend on a man, but make it on their own. In Little Women, however, as the title says, they stop ‘growing’. Yezierska, in contrast, turns Sara into a mature woman who has to deal with life's responsibilities: bills, rent, college, and work. Both Jo and Sara seem to hit the ground running and then, unfortunately, especially Jo has to stratify in those roles that society has reserved for her. Referring to the concept of horizontal heroine: from independent and active, she transforms into a dependent and respectful creature of conventions in her magnificent stillness. The ending of Little Women (2nd part) cannot be considered a happy ending because Jo will be under their husband. Jo: She is an avid reader and loves to write. She has a strong character, and she would like to go to war together with his father. Instead, she has to play the female role of time, and this is not right for her. A tomboy is defined. She hates marriage because she knows that this will break the familiar harmony. Her role in the book depicts the struggle between her demands for freedom and the situation in the 19th century. It is a clear transposition of the figure of Louisa Alcott. Her relationship with her sister Beth, who is her counterpart, helps her reconcile with her femininity. Instead, there are some contrasts with the other sisters, whom she also loves. Laurie, with their feminine name and manners, seems to complement Jo. She has a job as a lady-in-waiting, which is rare for a former member of the upper class. Laurie: March's rich neighbour. Initially moody and always at home, he becomes an affable and jovial person when he meets the girls. His grandfather would like him to be a merchant. He, on the contrary, wants to be a composer or maybe have adventures while travelling. He becomes very close friends with Jo whom he falls in love with but, unfortunately, is a one-sided love. Their temperaments are too similar since both of them have a touchy temper. It is the founding male element of the novel, which is practically all female. Laurie's main role is to show how the March girls have a redeeming influence. The young wealthy Laurie is in danger of falling into the same behaviour that 19th-century society classified as "going to the bad" - gambling, taking a mistress, drinking, or engaging in other "dissolute" activities. The influence of the March girls' friendship, and the desire to keep them cheerful, allow him to absorb their moral principles. All these factors work together to keep him on track. A critic, quoting Thoreau, said that there is a need to build castles in the air (chapter/same name), first dreaming and then building the foundations beneath them. Jo, Laurie, and Amy have built their castles but are prevented by their gender roles in building their foundations. Laurie is oppressed by her grandfather's patriarchy. Here lies the transcendental, embracing one's being regardless of 19th-century fixed roles. Laurie decides to leave the female role of music (Beth) to pursue her grandfather's dreams. We can see the same in Sir Claude re-embracing certain conventions.