Little Women, Feminism, and Womanhood (A Bunch of Rambling Thoughts)

Little Women is a book close to many people's hearts, my own included. I've often found comfort and wisdom in it's pages, finding new things every time I read it. Last time I cried like three times while reading it. (If you look at the cover image, you'll see how worn my copy is.)

Over the years, this novel has been adapted for many mediums and stood for different things to different people. So today I just wanted to talk about my thoughts on Little Women and why I feel some of the adaptations have taken a wrong approach. I'm not trying to call anyone out or anything here, I simply want to share my thoughts and maybe give you an interesting five minute read.

I'll tell you up front, I'm very picky on my Little Women adaptations. I haven't yet found a movie version that I think feels true to the book. And while I will admit I haven't seen the new one yet, from what I've heard, it's not going to satisfy me either. (My favorite adaptation so far is the Focus on the Family audio drama, if you were curious.)

Why am I so picky? Why can't I just enjoy one of the movies without it not working for me?

Because for me, Little Women is one of those books that is more than a book. It's almost a part of me. The March sisters are like family. I laugh with them, I cry with them, I walk beside them on their journey's to become beautiful young women. So no movie can come close to portraying them the way I have them in my head.

Jo especially has always been my spirit animal. We're both writers, we're both passionate, and we both often say things we regret. I'd like to think I don't have as much of a temper as she does, but I'm probably lying to myself. In my last re-read, I especially felt connected to her in the later part of the book, as she navigates the world and her own blossoming womanhood.

And Jo is the character I never feel quite satisfied with in the movies (I think Wionna Ryder was the closest). The reason for that is because of the second thing I'd like to talk about- feminism.

The world is different than when Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women. Women are no longer expected to become or even desire true womanhood, living life as a wife and mother. So a lot of the modern adaptations bring that in. In the 1990-something version, Marmee, who is like the ultimate woman to me, instead is super feminist and not at all like her character in the books. And in the new version, I can already see they all have a feminist twist.

I don't claim to know that Louisa May Alcott wasn't feminist or didn't include those themes in her writing. But to me that's not what the book is about. Little Women isn't a story about overthrowing the patriarchy or living life as an independent young woman. It's a story about learning to grow up and become the young woman you were meant to be. Part of becoming a woman is finding love, no matter how cliche the world might think that is.

Just because all the girls end up married at the end (except for Beth 😢), that doesn't make it a bad story. Just because the girls are happy and content to be women and mothers *gasp*, doesn't mean you should make them sound like they settled for that because it's the best they can do. You can find fulfillment in life and be a wife and mother at the same time. Revolutionary, I know. That doesn't mean you have to snatch up the first man that comes your way, because as Marmee says, she's rather see her girls happy and single. But she would love for them to find love as well.

Little Women, and many of Louisa May Alcott's other works, are beautiful examples to me of what being a beautiful woman looks like. I know she wasn't a Christian, so those ideals are missing, but her characters embody many Godly qualities. Have you read An Old Fashioned Girl? Polly is amazing. Her books show that there's nothing wrong with a simple life, or knowing things like how to put up preserves, cook good meals, or keep house.

There's nothing wrong with parties or pretty dresses. But like the March girls, my family didn't have a lot of money growing up, and I was perfectly happy. I had wonderful dresses made by my grandmother and mother, there was food on the table, and I had five siblings to play games with. Reading about them and their own struggles with not having as much money brought me comfort because it showed me I wasn't alone.

Little Women to me will always be dear to my heart. Like Pilgrim's Progress in the books, it's always been there for me and brought words of wisdom. I might never find an adaptation that works for me, but that's okay. The version in my head is way better anyway. I'm content re-reading the book for the three hundredth time.

I hope you all enjoyed this post. I know it's not my normal, but after seeing some videos about Little Women and the new movie, I had a lot of thoughts I wanted to share.

What are your feelings on Little Women? Is there a movie version you like, or dislike? Tell me in the comments.

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