An Analysis of Jo’s Struggle between Familial Duty and Personal Growth Abstract: Boyish Jo. the heroine in Little Women written by Louisa May Alcott. is courageous. decisive and has her ain dreams. However. as a female in the traditional society. it is hard for Jo to walk off and acquire rid of her loads to prosecute her dream. This thesis intends to demo how Jo reaches an ideal conformance. under which she lives a duteous and meaningful household life although her dreams haven’t wholly come true yet. through analysing her battle between familial responsibility and personal growing. Cardinal words: conformance ; small adult females ; comparatively optimum pick

Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29th. 1832. the 2nd girl of Amos Bronson. who was non a peculiarly responsible male parent or hubby. although he was an enthusiastic transcendentalist philosopher. emancipationist. and teacher. Alcott struggled with the ladylike behaviour that was expected of misss in the 19th century. She understood that for adult females. holding a household meant professional loss. and holding a profession meant personal loss. Small Women negotiations about lives of four misss in the March household during the Civil War and dramatizes this battle between the desire to assist one’s household and the desire to assist oneself. The chief character. Jo March. is based in big portion on Louisa May Alcott herself. Some critics focus on the manner that Ms March educates her four girl and the procedures in which the four sisters build themselves up as perfect. elegant ladies to do life meaningful and beautiful through all the troubles. They think this book sets a good illustration on how to educate kids at place for parents. Without any uncertainty. a batch of critics pay more attending on its inspiring and directing attempt on the development of feminism.

They think that the deficiency of elaborate descriptions about male characters and the actions of the four sisters prosecuting their felicity. particularly Jo. show the women’s rightist spirit and thought of the writer. Besides. there are other critics find that it is hard for females to interrupt traditional boundaries exhaustively. which is revealed from the Small Women. For illustration. in “Another sort of New females: Compromising to tradition” . bookman He Xiaoying argues that Jo grows up to be another sort of new females. a function between traditional adult females and independent adult females. who is still dependent in her idea though compromising to the tradition to some grade.

In “Challenge of Obedience A Marxist-Feminist Interpretation of Little Women’ . bookman Diao Weiyang references that there are two voice in Small Women. one of which is the thematic patriarchal. under which lies another lower voice showing us a applaudable female-dominated new universe. Those sentiments above are all acceptable for their sensible groundss. But really. from my point of position. Jo makes an ideal conformance under which she lives a duteous and meaningful household life although her dreams haven’t wholly come true. In the battle to populate both a duteous household life and a meaningful professional life. Jo meets many troubles that block her. What’s more. in the procedure of battle. Jo unconsciously conforms to tradition while she still tries to prosecute her dreams and carry through her personal growing. In fact. every clip she is in the choice quandary. there is a trade off in her bosom. Always. the comparatively optimum option which brings more felicity to her is to put more accent on her household. So one time she makes a pick from a battle. one measure is closer to do her ideal conformance for her. In the beginning of the book. Jo claimed that:

“I hatred to believe I’ve got to turn up and be Miss March. and wear long gowns. and look every bit dainty as a China Aster. It’s bad plenty to be a miss. any manner. when I like boy’s games and work and manners. I can’t acquire over my letdown in non being a male child. and it’s worse than of all time now. for I’m deceasing to travel and contend with dad. and I can merely remain at place and knit like a jail old adult female. ” ( Louisa May Alcott ; chapter1 ) This citation shows Jo’s different feature from her other sisters and the strong belief and willing to find to be like a adult male. She is so determined when she says such words. But there is another vocalization spoken by Jo: “I’ll attempt and be what he loves to name me. “a small adult female. ” and non be unsmooth and wild ; but do my responsibility here alternatively of desiring to be someplace else. ” ( Louisa May Alcott ; chapter1 ) “Jo wasn’t ashamed of the great tear that dropped off the terminal of her olfactory organ. ” ( Louisa May Alcott ; chapter1 ) After reading the missive written by their male parent. Jo shortly considers to give up her aspiration to be like a adult male.

She behaves like an ordinary female and calls. Although moving female is non her will owing to she wants both to take an adventuresome. independent life. but because of the great desire to assist and delight her household. she can experience more comfy and content by showing a wish to do her male parent happy in position of lodging to stress her dream of being a romp. It can be seen as a sort of forfeit made by Jo to some grade. But it is the comparatively optimum pick made by the bosom of Jo. who really doesn’t perceive the ground why she makes such a pick. However. she knows it is impossible for her to act both like a male child and act female ; the two consequences of these two picks so are put on the balance tabular array inner her bosom to happen a solution. The consequence of moving female overweighs the other. So Jo follows her bosom to take the comparatively optimum pick on history that moving female can fulfill her male parent who cares for her unfeignedly ; and it is her duty to relief her male parent as a kid of her male parent. If she is merely unmindful of her male parent and behaves what she likes. that is really self-indulgence. and so the March household may non be so happy because of the icky apple.

There is another measure Jo takes to be near the ideal conformance in chapter8. “You wicked. wicked miss! I ne’er can compose it once more. and I’ll ne’er forgive you every bit long as I live. ” ( Louisa May Alcott. chapter8 ) When Amy burns up the book written by Jo. who has worked over the book patiently and set all her bosom into her work. Jo is excessively angry to maintain her pique. Because she focuses excessively much on her ain hurting for her book being destroyed. her awful temper about makes her “kill” her small sister Amy. ( Louisa May Alcott. chapter8 ) “You don’t know. you can’t think how bad it is! It seems as if I could make anything when I’m in a passion ; I get so barbarous. I could ache anyone and bask it. I’m afraid I shall make something dreamful some twenty-four hours. and botch my life. and do everybody detest me. Oh. Mother. assist me. make assist me! ” After seeing hapless Amy lying on the bed. Jo shortness of breath and reprobate her hardness of her bosom. The safe and felicity of her household and her loving work of several old ages are put on the balance tabular array to hold a trade off once more.

This clip. Jo non merely experiences the resentment of compunction. but besides holding the consciousness that every household member is of import to her no affair what she/he does. even to trouble oneself her personal growing. So the option relevant to the family’s felicity and peace is ever the comparatively optimum pick. which Jo bit by bit realizes. This option surely can convey comparative great felicity to Jo and her household. although this sort of felicity may different to that brought by the accomplishment of Jo’s dream. Furthermore. when a wire that Mr. March is sick comes. Jo has all her abundant beautiful hair cut and sells it to fix money for her female parent to travel to take attention of her beloved male parent. On the surface. Jo explains that it is a manner that both can back up her household on her ain and be boylike as her likes. However. Jo explosions into tear at dark uncovering her being sorry for holding hair cut. On the other manus. it shows Jo’s great love for her household. She can make anything for her household. Hence. any option which is better for her household becomes the comparatively optimum pick. The last and challenge measure taken by Jo to make the ideal conformance is her battle between independency and matrimony.

When Meg is in love and acquiring married. Jo gets disquieted and about angry. She feels the matrimony will interrupt their warm and peaceable household. She says to Laurie that that she won’t love anybody and allow alone matrimony. While seeing her married sisters Meg and Amy are happy and get down new lives. she revalues the household and her ain dream. Similarly. household is the most of import factor to take a comparatively optimum pick. In the terminal. she is hankering for love and eventually gets married. “I do believe that households are the most beautiful things in all the universe! ” ( Louisa May Alcott. chapter47 ) “I don’t think I of all time ought to name myself ‘Unlucky Jo’ once more. when my greatest want has been so attractively gratified. ” ( Louisa May Alcott. chapter47 ) Jo feels happy and content forming a new household with her darling 1. When Amy points out the life presents is really different from the one Jo pictured one time. Jo speaks in a maternal manner of all world: “Yes. I remember. but the life I wanted so seems selfish. lonely. and cold to me now. I haven’t given up the hope that I may compose a good book yet. but I can wait. and I’m sure it will be all the better for such experiences and illustrations as these. ” ( Louisa May Alcott. chapter47 )

Though Jo’s dream to compose a good book hasn’t come true. she fulfills another great dream to establish a booming school for hapless male childs and a little but sweet household with the Mr. Right she loves. It is besides a comparatively optimum pick which does more good than injury to Jo. If she merely chooses to prosecute her dream without taking her familial responsibility into consideration. the consequence will allow her down. She even starts to recognize that it may be selfish to prosecute in prosecuting her dream merely.

The solitariness and boringness that consequence from her selfishness are non what her wants decidedly. What’s more. what she chooses turns out to be right for her because it can supply her with experiences and illustrations for her composing her books subsequently. In the battle between familial responsibility and personal growing. Jo is bit by bit cognizant that independency may non be like what she thinks ab initio. As a female. it can’t be seen as autonomy merely to get away her household and seek to fly from familial responsibility. Actually. her consciousness guides her that it is unneeded to be against her female function for her personal growing. At the beginning of the journey to make the ideal conformance. we can state that Jo is forced by her concern about felicity of her household. However. we can sure that at lease the concluding measure to the conformance is taken by Jo voluntarily because non merely will her household be joyful. she besides can derive more felicity and finds that it is an ideal conformance under which she doesn’t have to give up her dream.

Bibliography

[1]Alcott. Louisa May. “Little Women” [ M ] . ?????????? . 2007 [2]??? . “Challenge or Obedience” [ D ] . ??????,2008 [3]??? . “?•?? : ?????????“???”——????????????” [ J ] . ???? . 2008. ( 33 ) : 213 [4]?? . “????????? : ??????????????” [ J ] ??????,2011. ( 01 ) :144 [5]Little Women. [EB/OL] . hypertext transfer protocol: //www. sparknotes. com/lit/littlewomen/