Little Women short summary & analysis

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

Little Women Analysis

Louisa May Alcott’s book Little Women is about a life struggle of sisters with their mother, after their father leaves for war and it has become one of the classics for some time in young adult novels. The book Little Women, explains how the four sister clutch on to life.

Little Women Short Summary

Mr. March went to war for his country. Leaving her wife and four beautiful kids behind. Before he went to war, their financial conditions were good. Though, when the war outbreak this situation got worse. Margaret (Meg) was the oldest. She was sixteen and was tutoring the rich family kids. She called the shots around the house, excluding her mother. The second oldest was Josephine (Jo). She was a total book worm and she wrote stories. Her clothes and attitude resembled a boy. But her dream was to do something for her country just like her father. The most malleable daughter of the house was Elizabeth and she was thirteen years old. She loved music. Her only dream was to do something related with music. Her biggest hobby was to play piano and to buy some new music notebooks. The youngest of the household was Amy and she was interested in painting. She would paint everything she saw, and she was going to school. Recently her biggest problem was that she was not like her rich friends in school.

Girls were always helping their mother out and always listened to their mother. The most helpful one around the house was Beth. They would share what they have done throughout the day in the dinner table every night and then they would sew. Some nights they would perform a play. Also, there were people living in the next house. Those were the Laurence family. Mr. Laurence was a very rich businessman, but he was pretty old. He was staying in that house with his grandson Teddy. He was raising his grandson to be just like him, successful. They had different tutors for every lesson. Their house was really big, and it looked like a mansion. In this house, there were several options, like music, books, paintings and other artistic areas. Teddy and the girls met through Jo. Jo noticed that Laurence was unhappy. She offered him, her friendship and became the first sister to enter the mansion. From that moment, they were going to be best friends. All of the sisters came in to the house. Beth was the most loved one for old Laurence, because she reminded him, her piano playing daughter who was dead. He even gifted a piano to the March family.

Days went by and Beth got scarlet fever from a baby who she tutored. This disease was contagious, and Beth was in bed sick for a long time. She could not remember any member of her family. In the meantime, they were informed that Mr. March was also sick, and their mother had to go. With the absence of their mother, the sisters who were also taking care of their sick sister, had a rough time. Although they had Laurence family and Mr. Brooke who was Teddy’s tutor, with them. Brooke was interested in Meg which was mutual.

Mr. March came back, and Beth got better nearly the same day. Now the whole family was complete, and everyone was happy. Mr. Brooke did not keep his feeling to himself anymore and asked Meg to marry him. March family approved this marriage. This news was both happy and wry for the sisters. One of the sisters was about to leave the house and this was one of the hardest situations to accept because their connection was inseparable.

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