Louisa May Alcott

Little Women, the beloved book of our childhood—is it a good book for our daughters to read? It has taken a good deal of thought, prayer, and research to answer this soul-searching question. For many of us, Little Women claims a part of our growing-up experience. This book has been so widely accepted that in most families its title is a household term. However, should we look closely at this work from a Christian standpoint, there are some definite concerns that arise. Certainly, as Christian parents, our concern for what our children read is that it enhance their spiritual walk, if possible, but certainly not be a cause for stumbling. This book is chock full of family life and conservative values (of a sort). But things conservative are not always things Christian, and a homey setting is still not necessarily a healthy Christian setting. And what at first glance seems pleasing to us, upon second glance may not be pleasing to our Lord. So, with these as a basis for evaluation, we hope the following information will prove helpful for you in deciding whether to introduce your children to Louisa May Alcott.

As always, when trying to determine what the eventual impact of a book may be upon our children, it is helpful to find out what we can about the beliefs, goals and philosophies of the author. Authors can be incredibly persuasive in their writings. They can persuade readers about things relating to subjects about which they do not even seem to be writing. Louisa May Alcott was obviously talented and persuasive, so we wanted to find out what we could about her personal beliefs. We found an excellent biography of her by Madeleine B. Stern. It is considered to be a classic work on her life and times. It proved to be most informative. It was rich in history and offered considerable insight into the lives of famous people of the time. It is an excellent read for research purposes, but not recommended reading for children. Now, about Miss Alcott . . .

First, she was not a Christian. She never professed a faith in Jesus Christ in any shape, manner or form. Her family was steeped in the religion of the Masons. They attended worship at the Masonic Temple, and she continued this throughout her adult life. Her father was a contemporary of Thoreau and Emerson, and lived in the same community. These were, in essence, her mentors. They all exalted reason and philosophy far above faith in Jesus Christ.

Actually, among Miss Alcott’s writings are some very lurid stories, and, as it was expected in those days that no lady would stoop to such depths, she published them under an assumed name. She did publish more tasteful stories under her real name that were readily accepted. At the time, Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates had become a huge success. The Oliver Optic books were doing very well. A publisher, realizing that there was a new market materializing for children’s books, asked Miss Alcott to write a series for girls. He felt that they would sell equally as well as the Oliver Optic series for boys. Though she achieved fame later and had well-known mentors, she and her family lived in relative poverty, so she readily accepted the offer. Though it was not her primary dream, she was quite willing to write for children if it would bring much needed funds into the household at this time. Thus, she wrote Little Women, which became an immediate success. She continued to write many short stories for children’s magazines as well as other books for children. However, with money no longer posing a problem, she continued to write some very graphic novels for the personal enjoyment of it, using her assumed name. She really led a double life. On the one hand, she was known as an author of wonderful children’s works, and, on the other, she was publishing the kinds of things to which she could not even admit. Miss Alcott was also a suffragette, a feminist who believed fiercely in women’s rights and their pursuit of careers.

It is with these thoughts in mind that we find, as we look at Little Women, some philosophies that are not really becoming to a young Christian lady. No one blames Miss Alcott for any evil intention in writing Little Women. Her conscious intent may not have been to subvert little girls to her way of thinking. It may only have been a natural expression of what she felt and believed. Actually, Little Women was quite autobiographical in nature. In a sense, she was writing of her own girlhood and what she experienced and felt while growing up. However, her opinions about a woman’s role and lifestyle literally come to life for the young reader on the pages of her writings. This quickly creates devotees.

Quite a few years ago, we put the question to a group of girls about which character they wanted to be the most like in Little Women—Meg, Jo, Amy or Beth. It was unanimous. They all desired to be like Jo. Of course. Jo rises to the top as the protagonist. When Miss Alcott wrote about Jo, she was essentially writing about herself. Jo was the adventuresome, tomboy of the four. She disliked the limitations that society placed on feminine behavior. She was a "free" thinker and possessed an independent spirit. She was made to seem like the most fun of the four, and always becomes so in the mind of a young reader, who also usually thinks that the reason for this is her lack of femininity. Hence, Jo has become a role model for thousands of girls. Jo takes a different path. Beth is so sweet, but she dies early. Amy is conceited. Meg is domestic. Jo listens to the tune of a different drummer. She is different. She is special. She embodies the best of humanism.

This desire to be different, to be special, to not be confined to the natural, God-given role for a woman, is awakened in all the little girls who read this book, as they, through the author’s subtle persuasion, just fall in love with Jo. By the end of the book, the reader desires to be a Jo, and to have the same goals and desires as Jo. We might here ask the question, “Where do these desires lead?” If these desires do not lead to a closer walk with God, they lead away from a closer walk with God. If these desires to not develop a love in the heart of a girl for things of a feminine nature, they are developing a strong liking for things not feminine.

With whom do you want your daughter to identify? Is it any wonder that countless women are confused about who they are and what they are supposed to be doing in life? We, who name the name of Jesus, are guilty of giving our own children books which are causing them utter confusion. We then wonder why they do not want to walk in the footsteps of a godly woman, but we have hired Louisa May Alcott to teach them not to walk in that direction. We wonder why they intend to spend life seeking only their own desires, but we caused the problem. It is no wonder they seek a “more fulfilling” life than being the wife and mother that God destined. May God forgive us! We are allowing “good literature” to pervert the good things of God. Such literature is foolishness to God, but God’s ideas are counted as foolishness in such books. What will your daughter learn? What will be reaped of the seeds of this world planted in young minds? Who wants to risk it? Parents, you may want to take a second look at Little Women.