Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

This topic has 20 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 9 months ago by Tanya.

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August 9, 2010 at 7:02 pm
quietwatersmommy
Member
Hi- I am not trying to stir up trouble here…just sincerely looking for answers to this.
I have seen Little Women on so many “great books” lists both here at SCM and so many other sites.
I have avoided it for my daughters because of so many reviews about how Louisa May Alcott is one of the “founding mothers” of the feminist movement and I am definitely not a feminist.
I never read the book until I was an adult (many years ago before I got saved). I don’t really remember it much, except for Jo’s fiery, independent spirit, and her discontent with her position in life as woman, wanting more to be a tomboy, which seems to be applauded. I do not have time to re-read it right now.
For those who have read it recently, are there things in the book that push feminist agenda?
Again, no offense to anyone here….
August 9, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Rebekahy
Participant
I would like to offer this review by Keepers of the Faith as a “tool” for helping you make your decision.
http://www.keepersofthefaith.com/category/LouisaMayAlcott  
I’d say this review is not a view that many on this board (or even many of the most conservative of homeschoolers) share, but I think it is a thorough review by sincere Christians with a perspective that is helpful. I still have not decided with four girls of my own, what we’ll do about classics written by “feminist” authors, I’m definitely torn because of my own love of these books and because they do seem so moral and rich from a literary standpoint, especially in contrast to modern literature.
I hope this doesn’t add to your dilemma but that you find it helpful – for what it’s worth to you.
Rebekah

August 9, 2010 at 8:40 pm
quietwatersmommy
Member
Rebekah- Thank you so much. This really did help me.
Nanci
August 9, 2010 at 9:32 pm
Sanveann
Member
While LMA was very unconventional for her time, and not really a woman I would want my daughter to emulate, I don’t think that an author’s personal life is necessarily criteria for rejecting a book. There are many fabulous books that were written by people whose weren’t paragons of virtue.
As for the book itself, I loved it as a little girl, and I don’t think Jo’s attitude was a problem. Women’s roles back then WERE confining; a woman of Jo’s class and education would have had pretty much three options: get married and give up all career ambitions, be a governess or rely on her parents or siblings to support her. (Then again, I don’t personally have a problem with women who work outside the home, as I’m one of them!)
August 9, 2010 at 9:50 pm
art
Participant
Wow, I never even thought of any of that. I just read the book recently, and I love it. I didn’t see it as feminist. I just saw it as the personalities of the characters. We all have different ones. While I am very strict about what the kids read and see–sometimes I take black crayons to words I don’t want them to know, and we only watch G movies etc–I never thought my girls would go against any teaching or belief about what they should do based on any character in a book. I was excited at the thought of my oldest daughter reading it in a few years. I never read it before, even though I’ve seen it and knew the story.
I thought Jo had an independent spirit, which is fine if you use it for good, but she also showed a desire to change when she saw flaws in her character. I think that’s probably something we want to emulate.
So I loved it and would recommend it, and I truly wouldn’t have noticed any feminist agenda if there were any. But if you’re worried, just talk about it with your daughters while they read it.
August 9, 2010 at 11:37 pm
Rachel White
Participant
Though I haven’t looked into LW, specifically, an author’s personal perspectives generally do come through in their writings, just like all forms of entertainment. I also think it may depend on the dd. I bought Caddie Woodlawn, but now I’m not going to allow my dd to read her stories. My dd struggles with ladylike behavior, thoughts and actions of G-dly womanhood. Now, G-dly womanhood isn’t weak; but since I know her weaknesses, I have to discern the entertainments (listening, reading and watching) that would either strengthen or weaken her development into a G-dly woman of strength (not a strong, worldly woman) who will be content in her role as wife and mother if G-d chooses to send her a husband; He doesn’t always send them-look at Florence Nightingale. I think G-d plans singleness for some, too.
So it’s a personal choice for you regarding whether you discern in a book, elements of behavior that would be bad for your dd to adopt into her heart/mind as being acceptable, or if it could be used as an example to discuss and talk through. I know someone whose dd realized on her that she thought there was immodesty of behavior in the book. I don’t know, I haven’t read it yet; I will before my dd does. Another example of author and book is Oscar Wilde; he was a deviant in society during his lifetime-he liked little boys. So, when coming across his fairy tales “The HAppy Prince” I know the giftedness of his pen, but aware of the personal behavior, I read them first; they are fine and I will let my children read them. We also read Greek and Roman tales, too and it gives us an opportunity to take the moral lesson from the tale, but all the while contrasting through the filter of Scripture.
Also, feminism has taken many forms through history; it’s not always been as it is now or has been since the 70’s. For example, Abigail Adams and her contemporary intellectual women “feminists”, were called the “Republican motherhood” and I agree with that form of feminism:”Republican motherhood was the concept that women should educatethemselves in the principles of liberty, independence, and democracy so as to inculcate the coming generation with these republican values. This was one sign that women were becoming more respected as intellectually capable.”
This type of feminism was for the value of lifting up and running the home’s affairs and educating the children as well as other individual freedoms of property and monetary exchange (Abigail handled their money, not John, so they were debt-free) or freedom to leave abusive husbands; hence her admonitions to her husband John to “remember the ladies” in the new country’s laws because men could be tyrants! A feminism not for becoming discontent with your role at home and desiring for someone else to raise your children so you can pursue your “own” interests and sexual “freedom”. It’s my understanding that Susan Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton were against abortion, but you’d never know it by modern feminists, not that I’m putting them on a pedestal, but you know what I mean.
So yes, you do have to look at each time period to see what perspective LMA was looking out of the prism of and perhaps that’s a good starting point for discussion if you choose to read it with her instead of her reading it by herself. Ask the L-rd for guidance. You may choose to have her read it now and discuss, read it later and discuss, or read together and discuss now or later.
HTH,
Rchel
August 10, 2010 at 2:22 am
Jimmie
Member
I just read LW for the first time in May.
Compared to modern feminism, I didn’t see a lot of feminism in the book. I guess for its time it may have been radical. But I didn’t bat an eye.
There were a lot of Christian values expressed. The girls get Bibles from their mother and strive to read them daily and be changed by them. Jo seeks God’s help with her temper issues.
I thought the book a tad boring, actually. It was a bit too “girly” for my taste. Not a bad read, but just not a favorite compared to other classic works. (I read Uncle Tom’s Cabin around the same time and was deeply moved by that novel.)
August 10, 2010 at 2:23 am
Karen Smith
Moderator
Rachel, thank you for explaining the difference between modern feminism and feminism of the past. I was thinking of posting something similar but you beat me to it.
Jo preferred writing to things like dressing up and going to parties, but I wouldn’t call her a tomboy for that. She participated happily in the domestic activities and enjoyed fun with her family.
There are many good values in Little Women. The girls honor their mother, respect each other, and help each other.
August 10, 2010 at 4:53 am
suzukimom
Participant
Just wanted to add that it isn’t necessarily “bad” to be a tom-boy…. I am decidedly a tom-boy and have always been. As a child I loved airplanes, and got my pilot’s license at age 17 (the youngest you can in Canada). I was generally out hiking and making forts in ravines etc at age 10 with the boys. I was a software developer. I happened to meet my husband on the internet through a church-related dating site…. and it was my Scouting activities and my comment that I could “chop wood, light a fire, and make a shelter” (or something like that) which caught his attention.
Yet, I think most people would find my very traditional in many ways, including my feelings that when possible mothers should stay at home to raise their families (although will admit that there are some women who would seem to be unsuited to the task….)
tom-boy doesn’t necessarily mean feminist (although it is probably because of the very early feminists that made it ok to be a tom-boy….)
August 10, 2010 at 5:28 am
suzf
Participant
Thanks for bringing this up. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s comments. I read (and re-read) all of Louisa May Alcott’s works as a child and loved them all. There was something, though, that I could never understand. Her characters seemed to be morally sound (I assumed they were Christians), but she never came out and talked about salvation through Jesus Christ. It wasn’t until I was in college, music history class studying Charles Ives, that I found the answer. Charles Ives wrote a piano sonata commonly called the “Concord Sonata”, dedicated to 4 Concord, Massachutsetts transcendentalists. The 3rd movement is the Alcotts. After I looked into transcendentalism, the morality of her characters made perfect sense. (The other three were Emerson, Thoreau and Hawthorne.) I do allow my dd to read Alcott, but also use it as an opportunity to help my daughter identify how Alcott’s religious perspective is different than what the Bible teaches.
Take care,
Suzanne
August 10, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Rachel White
Participant
Yes, LMA had Unitarian leanings. Her mother’s brother was a Unitarian minister, her parents married at King’s Chapel, the earliest Unitarian Church (not Universalists yet), where her mother’s family were members and apparantly, LMA apparently never joined a congregation, but it was the Unitarians (the trancendatalists were Unitarian Universalists) that she identified with in a religious sense. By her time, the Unitarians had gotten completely away from the Congregationalists and though the first Unitarians didn’t believe in the Trinity as traditionally taught in Calvinism, but that G-d is One, which He is, but they still excepted the Salvation part through Him, but like I said, that had changed by Alcott’s time.
Intersting that you picked-up on it in her books. I think it’s very important to know these things about the authors so we can talk about “messages”. As I tell my children, everything has a message, you just have to discern what it is.
Rachel
August 10, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Rebekahy
Participant
And just as an aside because I had a little chuckle over it, God is gracious (that’s not the funny part!) – the other day my husband was going through a big box of books that I had stored away from college and imagine his surprise to find at least half a dozen if not more titles with Feminist in them! I had taken a number of “feminist thought” classes – almost enough to have a minor in it – at my “Christian” college. And now wouldn’t my professor be proud to have one of her prodigies staying home with her four (maybe more one day) children AND homeschooling them! Now that might be a reunion worth going to.
I thank the Lord for his grace and that he changed my heart toward marriage and babies!
I also wanted to say that I really appreciate all the great information that have been brought up on this thread – the discussion of “types” of feminism – there are SO many and Suzanne’s epifany about Charles Ives – very interesting.
Rebekah
August 10, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Betty Dickerson
Participant
This may sound weird but I think there are still many things we can glean from books where the author holds different views to ours. I read LW when I was younger, watched the black and white movie, and just listened to it through Librivox recently. There was one chapter in particular that moved me so much and inspired me to be a better, godlier mother. There are precious examples of godly motherhood and even godly sibling relationships, how to reconcile and forgive, how to find your own niche, how to be uncomplaining and hard working, make sacrifices, learn about the process of becoming a writer, etc… It really is a lovely book.
I don’t look to the book to preach the Gospel though there are many things I can use in the book to bring Christ to my children. I think books like these (it is well written, no immorality or profanity) are GREAT for helping teach our children a Christian worldview through discussing these books. There are so many books I didn’t read as a child that I am now reading with my children and on my own. The Secret Garden is another one where it is helpful to discuss the author’s worldview as it is injected into the story. But I was also blessed by the book at a time where I was struggling physically and was sickly. It was inspiring to me to appreciate gardens and being in Creation and the picture of the peasant mother (of Peter, I think?) engraved itself onto my heart with her example of patience and wisdom.
For our family, we are using some of these books to spur on a healthy conversation that will build and strengthen their Biblical worldview. We take everything we read and bring to the Bible. That is our standard. But God in His generous grace has also given gifts to the unsaved through art, literature, music, technology, and medicine. He allows HIs children to enjoy and benefit from these gifts and recognize His fingerprints on them even if the artist does not. We have to be very discerning and wise I do agree. But there is alot to glean from if some of these books are shared and discussed.
Sorry for the soapbox. It’s embarrassing sometimes for me to admit the blessings I’ve received from reading some of these books these past few years. I enjoy children’s lit better than adult lit!
Blessings,
Betty
August 10, 2010 at 1:56 pm
missingtheshire
Member
Loved all of LMA books as do my daughters. I personally saw nothing that would be offensive to me and when I mentioned this post to my daughters, they said the same. One of my daughters is reading Hosptial Sketches right now by LMA about her breif stint as a nurse during the civil war and though Alcott used a pseudonym and may have embellished some of the stories, my daughter is aware of that and she is enjoying it. I believe you can be a Godly woman and still have aspirations to work and do good in this world. There are so many types of belief and the way we express our belief – some Christians wear pants and jeans, I do as do my daughters – some do not; some work outside the home and others do not – I don’t as once I had the children I chose to stay home with them, but up until that point in my marriage I worked – I am encouraging my daughters to get a college education if that is their desire – because I do not know what God has planned for them, and they may need to work. So this is another of those things where there is no cut and dried answer to suit everyone – but I really feel that there is nothing wrong with her books, and I checked out the link to KOF and found I have very different views to them on just about every book they review – so again this is for each family to discern. In high school my daughters are reading books that have various types of sensitive material in them, but we discuss it all and they are intelligent enough to know right from wrong. In college they will have books to read that maybe I would prefer they did not, but with the background in reading I have given them, I am sure they will be able to read anything and deal with it in a mature and sensible manner. My advice would be, read it and make up your own mind for your own children – you know them best and there is no right or wrong answer – the belief system of the family will determine the attitude, and if mine is different to yours then we cannot agree, so we must agree to disagree and decide ourselves. I was a tomboy as a young girl as well, and I agree that I don’t see anything wrong with that either – I was taught very early on how to behave like a young lady, but my mother was wise enough I think to allow my personality to shine through and if that meant helping on the local farm with the other village children and skimming stones on the pond, she was fine with that. Everyone in our little English village went to church and we were a very close knit community – all the boys and girls played and worked together on the local farm and also helped in the kitchen with the farmer’s wife – I am grateful my mother allowed me such an upbringing. I do not feel that being a tom boy has hurt me in the least, or made me less of a woman. Each to his own, is my belief on these issues. Linda
August 10, 2010 at 2:41 pm
quietwatersmommy
Member
Just a quick clarification…I realize that I have a different connotation of “tomboy”. I’ve always thought of a tomboy as a girl/woman who identifies more with boys/men than with other woman and is discontent with being a woman…so that is how I meant it in my original question…. That is how Jo came across to me from what I remembered.