An Analysis of Childhood in Little Women - Essay Example

The story revolves around the March girls that include Amy who is 12, Beth 14, Jo 16, and Meg 17 (Alcott 27). These girls bemoan the point that there will be no Christmas as their level of poverty deters them from having presents and at the same time; their father is fighting in the middle of Civil War. This paper will seek to provide an analysis of childhood in “Little Women”. Alcott resolves to teach children moral lessons through her literal works. In Little Women, Alcott takes great pains to explain to children the vitality of being genuine.

She expounds on this point by contrasting the Marches with other well-to-do infantile women such as Sally Gardiner and Amy Moffat. The transcendentalists put more emphasis on the essence of paying remarkable attention to the internal spiritual self as opposed to earthly, temporary things like impressive appearances and wealth (55). For example, both Amy and Meg frequently have to struggle with vanity but eventually overcome it. On one end, Amy declines to marry Fred despite the verity that Fred is rich mainly because she is not in love with him.

As time goes by, the March sisters learn to be content with their relevant lots in life and do not yearn for meaningless riches in life. Alcott presents the March sister’s snug home in New England as more desirable compared to a mansion in Paris. Such a theme is specifically American where many middle class Americans did not consider having come from a humble beginning and craved for not titles or other superficial wealth trappings during these times but only were need for only what they deserved and believed they deserved it.

In this context, Alcott was able to educate children that, worldly riches are useless if one lacks the ability to be personally genuine and to others. According to Little Women, people should not rush to have material wealth and lack spiritual inner self. This is because; the inner spiritual self provides a basis for a child to grow being a responsible and successful adult (72). Over the course of the novel, it is seeable that the March sisters try as much as they can to find happiness. They do so through their daily dreams, activities, and among themselves.

However, when they spent a whole day without working, they feel demoralized, remorseful, and guilty. Clearly, this means that they value the necessity of work. The girls end up being unhappy when they engage in unpleasant behaviors or actions. For instance, the Marches feel guilty when they dress up in finery and remorseful when they get revenge since they do not believe in selfishness and vengeance (88). The girls believe that the only way they get meaningful happiness through their work for the benefit of either the household or the community.

Analysis of this chapter indicates that these girls demonstrate the importance of work according to the Puritan work ethic that dictates work is holy. Alcott’s work shows the significance of work in people’s daily lives. Nevertheless, it is crucial to teach children the magnitude of this work at their early stages of life in order to stick such knowledge into their minds. Ultimately, it is analytical that Alcott demonstrates the essence of work by asserting to children that it is not preferential to view labor as a means to a material end.

Rather, they should see it as an expression of an individual’s inner creativity and goodness via productivity (96). Essentially, work in childhood is suggestible since it cultivates creativity and brings out a person’s inner good when through production. Moreover, in Little Women, Alcott sees the impact that she can create by writing about