American Literature

The analysis of American Literature is an interesting topic to approach. There are many authors that can be looked at however this essay will look at the work Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. This is the book that made her internationally famous, and has gone down in American Literature as a classic.  What is most interesting about Louisa May Alcott is that in her aspirations to be a writer she wrote short stories about romances and fairytale realities. She was continuously rejected until her own life experiences led her to write the moving life story of Little Woman in which she used her own personal experiences to write the great American novel. Her work has been translated into film and even opera, and she herself became a bastion of American literature. We will look at different aspects of the book Little Woman and analysis the nature of her work.


Louisa May Alcott Little Women
The writing of Louisa May Alcott is remarkably touching and heartfelt. It is the story of four sisters and the threads of their lives. It was such a success that it induced the writing of a second work and the continuation of the Alcott legacy. Louisa was always a dreamer fantasying about romance and chivalry and little stories that although where written well did not carry the soul that she imbued into Little Women. It was only after she had experienced life, the cruelty of love lost and found and the depth of the love between the sisters and their intertwined lives that the work Little Women came into being. It was an epiphany moment in which Louisa became not only a great writer but a cornerstone in American Literature. She chose instead of writing wild stories of perfection to write the imperfection and yet more life filled story that was her own. She breathed her soul and that of her family into the book and following series. An extract taken from the first page of Little Women shows the depth of the character introduction and creation.

    Nobody spoke for a minute then Meg said in an altered tone, You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army. We cant do much, but we can make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly. But I am afraid I dont. And Meg shook her head, as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she wanted.

This paragraph introduces us to not only the time being Christmas but to the civil war. It alludes to the hard times and the nobility of charity in the sense of not celebrating while others would be suffering. It also highlights the dreams and aspirations of Meg. It captures the intense familial love that the sisters had for each other and the decent, honest integrity of morality and ethics of the time. It highlights what the American spirit was and is. The writing of Louisa inspires heartfelt emotions that are earthy while being spirited. As the paths of the sisters lives unfold. It is filled with a deep love, even when the times of harshness and despair filled the live of the sisters. From the moments of love, of frivolity and everything that makes women beautiful. It captures the souls of the Characters.
In a later chapter it talks in terms of Beth and her timidity and yet captures such poignant and vivid intensity.

The big house did prove a Palace Beautiful, though it took some time for all to get in, and Beth found it very hard to pass the lions. Old Mr. Laurence was the biggest one, but after he had called, said something funny or kind to each one of the girls, and talked over old times with their mother, nobody felt much afraid of him, except timid Beth. The other lion was the fact that they were poor and Laurie rich, for this made them shy of accepting favors which they could not return. But, after a while, they found that he considered them the benefactors, and could not do enough to show how grateful he was for Mrs. Marchs motherly welcome, their cheerful society, and the comfort he took in that humble home of theirs. So they soon forgot their pride and interchanged kindnesses without stopping to think which was the greater.

The style in which Beths timidity is introduced and yet the severity of the moment is chastened into being the absolute nobility of spirit. That the act of charity was in fact a mutual understanding. It is heart wrenching to feel the virtue and morals of the times. It is undeniably one of the most moving works of just the reflections and lives of four beautiful women, as they journey through life. At times it is harsh and almost cruel the journey that the women face. Yet the comfort and strength that they gain from each other reflects into the lives and vivid pattern of the work. When they progress into adulthood the aspirations and dreams are manifested. The simplicity of the work is in its depth. These where the lives of real people with morality and ethics, it inspired a nation and led to the rejuvenation of America. It captures the Civil War and politics and yet the mundane of four women who reflect on womanly things, such as gossip. Yet the work inspires an incredible decency that alludes throughout the work even when love was lost and found. From the journey of life, real life journeys it captures the spirit of the time.  It was a time when people still had integrity and honesty in the decent familial values of society. The work reflected like a mirror the virtue of the American Women. The book is a deep integral aspect of clarity in which every aspect of the four sisters lives where explored. In which the very heart of the work was the clarification of life. The book was so vivid that it captured the heart of a nation and the world. It is a book from another century and yet it is still held in the highest regard. Even in intellectual circles there is an engrained respect for the work of Louisa May Alcott.
It was only after her own love was broken that she found the strength and purpose to write what is most assuredly one of the great works of the century. That will echo through time as the distinct evidence of a profound writer and even more so the beauty and lives of a profound family. An extract from the book looking at Amys attempts at artistic genius

If genius is eternal patience, as Michelangelo affirms, Amy had some claim to the divine attribute, for she persevered in spite of all obstacles, failures, and discouragements, firmly believing that in time she should do something worthy to be called high art.

It is that perseverance and depth of character and the understanding reality of family that encouraged her to pursue her dreams. Even though daunted by failure, it was not enough to stop the spirit exhibited by the Alcotts. They highlighted the virtues of honesty and decency. They transpired the fabric of the lives of the sisters. From weddings to the mundane, it was a work of sheer beauty as it captured the very souls of the women. Their lives where opened as a book and people related to the nature of their lives it was the great American Novel of the time.

The truth of the literature is that it defined the very nature of what all of us want and yet it is defined by the harsh reality of life. Where there is failure, where there is heartache. One can feel the poignant loss and the aspirations of the sisters as they are blown through the fields of life. The nature of the book that was an act of genius was to relate real life into the work. The pain was very real and the poverty was very real. The lives they led were defined by the character of what an ordinary yet extraordinary family lived. That is the genius of Louisa May Alcott. That in essence she sacrificed her very soul into the writing of the book. That she realized that empty literature was not something that people where motivated to read but instead the depth and characteristics of characters that actually lived life. Her style of writing was very narrative. It outlined the sisters in such clarity that it could not but be a success. Another extract shows the virtue of Jo and her ambitions.

I knew youd stand by me, sir. Amy does too--I see it in her eyes, though she prudently waits to turn it over in her mind before she speaks. Now, my dear people, continued Jo earnestly, just understand that this isnt a new idea of mine, but a long cherished plan. Before my Fritz came, I used to think how, when Id made my fortune, and no one needed me at home, Id hire a big house, and pick up some poor, forlorn little lads who hadnt any mothers, and take care of them, and make life jolly for them before it was too late. I see so many going to ruin for want of help at the right minute, I love so to do anything for them, I seem to feel their wants, and sympathize with their troubles, and oh, I should so like to be a mother to them

In this moment one can see the virtue of the sisters while understanding their limitations. That they strived for a nobility of spirit that was definitive to the times that in essence is timeless to all decent people. It is a homely story and yet it is a legacy it is the very heart of great literature. Because not only does it capture the musings of intellectuality but it captures the nature of the lives. The ordinariness and yet not so ordinary it is a great novel one that can be read with great pleasure. That is why Louisa May Alcott has gone down in history as one of the great novelists of her time. That she captured the very hearts of the American people. That is why she is one of the great writers that deserve to be known in the field of American Literature.