Challenge Or Obedience

Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29, 1832, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. She is best remembered for her novel about the March family, Little Women.1 Through the analysis of the text, on the one hand, we could find Alcott's challenge to the conventional concept. On the other hand, we can see Alcott's obedience to the conventional concept. This thesis intends to interpret Alcott's perplexity in Little Women in the light of Marxist-feminism.The paper is divided into six parts as follows:The part of"Introduction"presents a brief biography of Louisa May Alcott and a brief introduction of Little Women. Then, it briefly introduces the critical reviews on Little Women.Chapter One"Marxist Feminism: an Introduction"gives a brief introduction to Feminism, Marxist-Feminism and the bridge which brings Marxism and Feminism together -- the external patriarchy. This chapter serves as a theoretical basis for the further discussion. Then, it shows the possibilities of analyzing Little Women in the light of the combination of Marxist and feminist theories.Chapter Two"Challenge to Conventional Concept"in this thesis, first of all, comments on the female characters with independence spirit one by one, and focuses on their struggle for independence. Then, by exploring each male character this chapter emphasizes the female characters'help and education to men. On the way of searching for their own identity with courage and self-confidence, the March girls also take some responsibilities for the men in their life.Chapter Three"Obedience to Conventional Concept"in this thesis discusses the femininity of March girls. Some of them give up their own dreams for their families; others struggle for a time to find their own identity but eventually give in. Marmee is taken by her daughters as mentor in their life, but Marmee's guidance to her daughters not only conveys the message of independence and self-respect but also the perpetuation of patriarchy.Chapter Four"Alcott's Perplexity in Little Women", after examining the differences between male characters and female characters, and the gender stereotyping depicted in Little Women, discusses what dilemma and perplexity Alcott had met in her life and writing, just as the characters do in the novel. In the light of Marxism-feminism it also explains how the patriarchal society affects and limits female writers'imagination. In order to express their expectation for women without being attacked by the patriarchal authority, some of female writers use a delicate and complex strategy—dual voice. In their works, on the one hand they spoke in the voice of the patriarchal society, on the other hand they uttered in their own voice."Conclusion"summarizes the thesis by emphasizing Alcott's perplexities in Little Women and significance of using the Marxist-feminist theories to interpret Little Women.