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Jo March Research Paper

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Jo March reflects Louisa May Alcott’s family life and experiences in her novel Little Women. Louisa May was born on November 29, 1832 in Concord, Massachusetts. She grew up with one older sister, Meg, and two younger sisters, Elizabeth and Amy. While growing up she wanted to become an author. At sixteen years old she started writing tales and scripts and as she grew older she began writing newspaper articles, novels, and tales (Alcott, Little). In the 1800s, Louisa May Alcott’s father believed that if a person is female she must dress and act like one and this was hard for Louisa May. She would climb trees, have her hands in her pockets, and whistle; because of this, her father would call her the devil and unfaithful. At a young age she was …show more content…

At school, if a student was misbehaving the teacher was able the hit the child, which is what happened to Amy March. Also the best way to earn money was to write stories, which Jo March was doing. Women rights was something Jo March and Louisa May Alcott believed in, Jo believe that a person could do whatever they want, no difference in gender and Louisa May Alcott took part of the New England Women’s Suffrage Association (Alcott, “Little”). This association is what helped women get the right to …show more content…

Most readers believe that book one of Little Women is about little girls developing into women, “... we cannot evade the textured ambiguity and quilt like complexity of its image of the female development” (Murphy 134). The main young girl, Josephine (Jo) March is a fifteen year old quick tempered, tomboy author who never gotten along with other girls but her sisters, “‘Louisa had ‘never liked girls or [known] many’ other than her three siblings: her older sister, Anna, and her younger sisters, Lizzie and May”’ (Matteson). This novel performed some personal traits Jo had like Louisa May. In chapter one, Jo’s sister Meg yelled, “You are old enough to leave off the boyish tricks, and behave better Josephine. It didn’t matter so much when you were a little girl; but now you are so tall… you should remember that you are a young lady” (Alcott, “Little”) because she was acting like a boy. Meg tried to explain how her body and attitude must look and act like a young women. Then Jo got frustrated, “It’s bad enough to be a girl, anyway, when I like boys’ games and work and manners! I can’t get over my disappointment in not being a boy…” (Alcott, Little 13). Jo hated the fact that her gender caused her family to tease or criticized her about being a tomboy just like Louisa May Alcott felt towards her sisters and father. Jo promised her father, who was at war, that she will “... try and

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