Independence in Little Women

Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” has been declared both a feminist masterpiece and the opposite, a farce to the name of feminism. One of the main pieces of feminist ideology is that women should have independence and choice. While the sisters in Little Women aren’t independent in the way that is often associated with modern feminism, they each display their own independence throughout the novel in their individual choices. The fact that they all have the power to make major decisions in their lives, and that sometimes they make selfish choices which lead to consequences, highlights their agency as women, which is one of the defining characteristics of independence. Each of the girls (aside from Beth) chooses who they marry, and when they do, it’s for love and not for convenience or money. Because of that, Alcott is able to show that their marriages are not strategic in any way, which shows that they really do make their own choice. Their marriages often even defy their dependence on each other. Jo outwardly “[doesn’t] approve of the match” between Meg and John (156), and Aunt March actively lobbies against their marriage, but Meg’s determination ultimately leads to her marrying John despite the flaws her family perceives in him. Jo refuses to marry Laurie even though “[e]veryone expects it” (238). Even though they seem to make sense as a couple, and a marriage to Laurie would provide certain financial stability, she keeps her resolve and ultimately ends up marrying for love, which allows Amy the chance to do so as well. Amy had the choice between Fred Vaughn and Laurie, and ultimately chose Laurie even though Fred proposed because she “found that something more than money and position was needed to satisfy the new longing that filled her heart” (278). The girls all display independence in who they choose to marry, but also in other, smaller choices that they make.

When Marmee is gone, Beth suggests that they all go visit the Hummel's to help them, and none of the other sisters will go with her. Because of this she ends up contracting the Scarlet Fever which ultimately leads to her death. The choice that all of the other girls made resulted in their inability to protect their sister from getting sick, when both Meg and Jo had had the fever “years ago” and would therefore have built an immunity to it (118). The consequences of their actions, while perhaps intended to show some lack in their character, also shows that they all possess their own agency, and that they aren't always perfect in how they use it. The fact that they have agency, and that they make mistakes with it, shows that they have wants and that they act on them; Jo doesn’t go with Beth because she “want[s] to finish [her] writing,” and Meg doesn’t go because she was “try[ing] on a new dress” (118). The girl’s ability to act for themselves and their own wants shows that they possess independence in a very real way, although it might not be exactly what comes to mind when thinking of independence.