A review by bookish_jules
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

4.0

I loved this book as a kid (and I wish I could love it as much now as I did then). It’s still a pleasant, classic read and is an overall darling “coming-of-age” story. There’s just so many things I noticed when reading it as an adult vs. as a child.
 
The perfect moral high ground of the March Family was more than I remembered. Any tiny, little mistakes the four sisters made were made out to be these colossal screw ups that were fixed with a smile and a sermon from their mother – who reminded them to control their anger & how amazing it was to be a perfect member of the March family. It read as though Marmee expected her four children to behave with perfect, exemplary morals and never make a mistake (even though they’re children).
 
I view Meg’s want for the finer things as normal for a child with little to no money, yet is reprimanded and told she shouldn’t. Jo had a right to be angry when Amy burned her manuscript, yet Meg insisted Amy follow Jo & Laurie ice skating to apologize when Jo was happier. (Rather than letting Jo burn off steam as she spends quality time with Laurie.)

I don’t know what it was that had me irked condescending morality lesson regarding Amy bringing limes to school. The family doesn’t have much money and the limes were clearly a status aspect at the school. Amy just wanted to fit in & feel important – a reasonable feeling for a child &I totally get it. (I know, she shouldn’t have brought them once they were banned from the school – but her mother should’ve had more of an understanding and recognize the “why” behind it rather than make Amy feel worse.)
 
I have always loved that Jo was written to be a strong, independent, and fierce young woman – yet her mother & sisters made it very clear that it was “proper” for the March girls to be exemplary housewives. Jo’s described as being very tomboyish yet cried over having her hair cropped so that she could sell it to make money (despite commenting that she really loved her short hair).
 
Amy’s given a beautiful turquoise ring by Aunt March and her own mother said she’s “too young for such ornaments.” The moral high ground Marmee insists on instilling in the girls to not want/have anything nice, even if it’s gifted, is absurd. If Aunt March believed Amy was too young for the ring, she wouldn’t have given it to her. But no, Marmee insists on teaching her girls that it is vain to want (or be gifted, in this case) nice jewelry. Amy is a child and she’s well aware that “her selfishness” is nothing but a “bundle of naughtiest”. Seriously, she’s a child - it isn’t naughty to behave like a child.