Hi everyone, happy Tuesday! I\u2019ve been flying through books lately which has been great. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the weekend, I shopped at my favorite (and most money-draining) store: Barnes & Noble. I walked in, turned to the right, and saw my newest prized possession. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A gorgeous edition of the classic novel, Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. I picked it up and knew I was going to buy it right away. How could I help myself; the cover was pink! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After spending twenty-five dollars on this special edition and not thinking much of it, I started wondering what about this specific novel resonates with me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the outside, the story is just another popular American classic, but I think there\u2019s so much more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being an English major, I have read and analyzed several books deemed to be classics. Most from dead white men, but some incredible novels written by authors outside of the traditional white male author. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When most people think of classics, they may think of Great Expectations or Jane Eyre, which are part of English curriculums all over the United States. People tend to think of these as boring or not worth their time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to re-think the idea of a classic and give a new perspective: classics like Alcott\u2019s \u201cLittle Women\u201d still have relevance and power in today\u2019s society. Women\u2019s rights are still being fought for although there has been progress made. This story relates to incredibly sensitive topics such as the overturning of Roe V. Wade and debates about birth control and women\u2019s bodies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Little Women relates to our time in so many ways. This is why I love reading women writers; I think novels written by women are incredibly powerful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This novel resonates with me and many other women because of its power to stay relevant to generations of young girls. The novel represents women\u2019s rights, freedom, and the power of personal choices. The entire story is about young girls learning how to \u201csail their own ships,\u201d as Amy March says. The March girls represent generations of girls who have had the power to decide which passions to pursue and which direction to take their lives in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost every day when I am mindlessly scrolling through TikTok, I come across videos and comments from girls my age who discuss which March sister they are. Girls still feel connected to these classic characters, which I find so interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The March sisters are just so relatable even now in these recent years of social media and technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some girls can relate heavily to Jo: extremely strong-willed, against traditional ideas of marriage and children, and a passionate writer with stories to tell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others feel closer to Meg March who simply wanted to get married and did not care that her goals and dreams were traditional. One of my favorite quotes of hers is, \u201cJust because my dreams are different than yours doesn’t mean they’re unimportant. I want a home and a family and I’m willing to work and struggle, but I want to do it with John.\u201d Meg teaches girls that they do not have to conform to other ideas about womanhood, that it\u2019s okay to want a traditional life with a husband and children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amy March, to me, represents passion and artistic dreams as well as selflessness and kindness above status and wealth. After all, she chooses to marry Laurie instead of Fred. This choice represents free will and the power of choice that I mentioned previously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beth March obviously had the most tragic story, but to me, she represents pure kindness. She took care of Hummel’s child and contracted a deadly fever when the other girls could not be bothered to help this families\u2019 dying child. This illness, although deadly, did not define her entire character because she was just as passionate as her sisters about music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of my favorite plot points is when Laurie\u2019s grandfather gives Beth a piano because she reminds him of his daughter who passed away. Their relationship was so sweet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The four sisters in this novel each represent something different to me, and I think the whole novel can be used in comparison to today\u2019s world. Since the novel was published in the late 1800s, women\u2019s rights has been a rollercoaster of a movement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Women have fought, and continue to fight for their rights and freedoms, and for men to not have a say in our lives. This is why so many people relate and adore Jo March\u2019s character: she believed in women having a say in their own lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know that classic novels turn some people away, but there are so many lessons and inspirations within Alcott\u2019s novel for young girls especially. Social media and societal pressures can take a toll on young girls trying to make their way in the world and find their own passions and paths. The novel promotes pushing through adversity. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi everyone, happy Tuesday! I’ve been flying through books lately which has been great. Over the weekend, I shopped at my favorite (and most money-draining) store: Barnes & Noble. I walked in, turned to the right, and saw my newest prized possession. A gorgeous edition of the classic novel, Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[14,46,45,47,7,48,8],"class_list":["post-141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-introduction","tag-books","tag-classic-novels","tag-classics","tag-little-women","tag-novels","tag-relevance","tag-romance"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t