Topic > Little Women: Deconstructing Gender Roles and Expectations

While on the surface a simple story about the four March girls' journey from childhood to adulthood, Little Women, directed by Greta Gerwig, centers on the conflict between two phases in a young woman's life: what she attributes to herself, what she attributes to her family. Within the novel, the emphasis on domestic duties and family detracts from various women's abilities to attend to their own personal growth. For Jo and, in some cases, Amy, being both a skilled artist and a dutiful woman creates conflict and pushes the boundaries established by nineteenth-century American society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Little Women, the characters and setting usually contrast between feminine women and a male-dominated society. The first is that the protagonist of the film, and therefore the second eldest March sister, Jo, who wants to become a writer. Jo has a temper and a quick tongue, although she works hard to manage both. She may be a tomboy and reacts impatiently to the many limitations placed on women and girls. He hates romance in his reality and needs nothing to keep his family together. Next is March's older sister. Responsible and kind, Meg acts as a mother to her younger sisters. She harbors a small penchant for luxury and leisure, but for the most part she is kind, loving, and morally vigorous. Then there's March's third daughter. Beth is extremely quiet and extremely virtuous and does nothing but try to please others. He loves music and plays the piano very well. Finally, that's the youngest March girl. Amy is an artist who adores visual beauty and encompasses a penchant for cute possessions. He is prone to sulking, fits of anger and vanity; but tries to improve herself. At the beginning of the film, the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth, embark in a rural geographical region during the war. The name of the town is Plumfield, but the setting is probably Concord, Massachusetts, the historic town where Louisa May Alcott, the author of the book from which this film is originally adapted, lived when she was little. The March girls' father works as a chaplain during the war, and so the year will likely be 1862 or 1863. The film opens at Christmas when the women mourn the loss of their family's wealth, but end up giving away their presents to women. poor. Later, Amy visits Europe together with her rich aunt, and Laurie, their neighbor, also goes to Europe together with her grandfather. Jo leaves to work as a nanny for a long time in the big apple city, where she also tries to become a writer. At the end of the film, Jo returns to her family's home. The title Little Women alone became a cornerstone of Yankee culture, spawning a complete industry of "girls' books" and literature for and about young women. But all this femininity is not just sweetness and lightness. In reality, the title Little Women is usually criticized as suggesting the gender stereotypes supported by this book. After all, if we interpret "little women" to mean "girls," then the implication is that the girls do not seem like free-spirited children but miniature versions of their adult counterparts. Alternatively, if 'little women' describes the women these girls become, then it seems rather demeaning, literally diminishing the importance of women. The film ends with a celebration for Marmee. All the various families gather for a picnic, together with the kids from Jo's private school, and for the occasion there seems to be a single family unit, rather than a series.