摘 要

《小妇人》是路易莎·梅·奥尔科特最著名的一部作品，长期以来一直深受世界各国人民的喜爱。作者描绘了 19 世纪中期南北战争期间马奇太太和四个女儿的生活，文中四姐妹对自由、独立的追求激励了一代又一代人。她们虽然性 格迥异，命运不同，但表现出来的责任心、独立以及对自由的向往深入人心。 本文从女性主义的角度对作品进行分析，首先简要介绍女性主义的起源与发展， 其次分析四姐妹体现出来的女性主义思想，最后点明家庭教育对四姐妹性格的 影响，从而告诫人们教育的重要性。

关键词：《小妇人》； 女性意识；教育

Contents

1. Introduction 1
2. Demonstration 2
   1. A brief introduction to feminism 2
   2. Feminism reflected by characters 3
      1. Responsibility 3
         1. Responsibility for the family 3
         2. Responsibility for the society 4
      2. Equality 4
         1. Equality in pursuing love 5
         2. Equality in family 6
      3. Independence 6
         1. Financial independence 6
         2. Career independence 7
   3. Causes of characters’ feminist consciousness 7
      1. Education from mother 8
      2. Influence from neighbors 9
3. Conclusion 10

Works Cited 11

Bibliography 12

An Analysis of Feminism in Little Women

Introduction

Louisa May Alcott（1832-1888）is an American female novelist and poet who is well known for her novel Little Women. “She wrote books that were held up for generations as models for young female behavior.”(Matteson 451)She was born in Germantown, then grew up in New England among many famous intellectuals. Her parents were transcendentalists. The family moved to Boston in1834, where her father

established a school. Her father’s pursuit of his dream made it impossible to support his family and her mother resented her husband for not being aware of her sacrifice. Her mother passed on to her the ideas of pursuing gender equality. After her father’s several setbacks in school, the family moved to the Sudbury River along Concord in 1840, where Louisa May Alcott had a happy and idyllic time. The family moved 22 times in 30 years and returned to Concord in 1867. Low-income family conditions prevented Louisa May Alcott from going to school. She had no choice but to go out to work as a teacher, tailor, domestic worker, and writer at a very young age. She took writing as an outlet for emotional catharsis. In 1868, at the suggestion of her publisher, Thomas Niles, Louisa May Alcott began writing Little Women on the basis of her and her sisters’ life in Concord.

The book tells a story about the life of Mrs. March and her four daughters after Mr. March went to the battlefield. Though they had hard living conditions, the four girls grew up happily and healthily under the education of Mrs. March. Meg, the eldest daughter, was beautiful and dignified but sometimes admired vanity. Realizing the hypocrisy of the upper class, she chose to marry Mr. Brooke, who was a tutor with a low income. Then Meg worked as a full-time housewife so that her husband could work without worries. The second daughter, Jo, was an active tomboy who dreamed of becoming a writer. After refusing the confession of her neighbor Laurie, Jo went to Mrs. Kirke’s, a friend of Mrs. March’s, to be a domestic helper. Mr. Bhaer, who was a tutor, pointed out to Jo that writing should not be too utilitarian. Jo felt regretful for

her previous behavior and fell in love with him after the long-term contact. They established a school together after marriage, and she still insisted on independence. The third daughter was called Beth who was kind, timid and lovable, liking animals and playing the piano. Mr. Laurence loved her very much. When Mrs. Hummel’s baby was sick with scarlet fever, Beth took care of it every day. Unfortunately, she was infected with scarlet fever, and eventually died of it. Amy was the youngest daughter in the family who was slim, decent and loved painting. Even if she was frustrated and ridiculed, she was always on the way. At first, she wanted to marry a rich person, but she changed her mind when she encountered Laurie, who had become a fallen boy, in France. She rejuvenated Laurie, and later they two got married. Since then, Amy committed herself to philanthropy.