In Celebration Of New Women

Little Women, being one of the classics of American literature, was written by an American woman writer-Louisa May Alcott. Women in the mid 19th-century were seen and saw themselves as defined by ties of kinship: daughter, wife, and mother. Most people took it for granted that women were "by nature" suited to domesticity: care of the home, and nurture of the young. Louisa determined to be a writer, broke the fetters on women and chose a profession, which traditionally belongs to man. Louisa wrote, "...I will make a battering-ram of my head and make my way through this rough and tumble world."1In 1862, May Alcott wrote Little Women according to her childhood memory. In Little Women, Alcott describes herself as Jo and her sisters as Meg, Amy, and Beth. The girls varied in talent and temperament, and they found the fulfillment of their individual values in various ways. Jo realized her dream as a successful writer. Meg achieved useful, self-satisfying life in the home. Amy became an artist who helped the poor in the society. Although Beth died early, she chose her own life. Each contributed something to society because each had got a proper chance to display her potential as a human being.Alcott created new woman images through her portrayal of the four March girls in Little Women. A new woman should have the sense of self-identity, dare to break the fetters imposed on her by the family or society and arrange her life according to her own will.A new woman should have the sense of responsibility. She is a good child to her parents, a kindhearted mother to her children and a loyal wife to her husband. At the same time she is a strong and unyielding individual.A new woman should have the sense of equality. She urges women and men to get to know each other so that men can realize that women are not decorative, mindless dolls but capable, intelligent individuals who can help their brothers or husbands do things for the world.Women have their power and wisdom to do good to the world. They choose to learn and use their strengths; they pursue equality in and out of the family. In this sense, women are great. Little Women tells us the stories of New Women.