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Louisa May Alcott's Analysis

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Now and again, it is difficult to understand our nation’s trials and tribulations throughout history since often times the event in question comes from a part of history that does not carry any survivors into present day. For instance, America’s Civil War, occurring from 1861 to 1865, it is a part of history that no one remains from, and therefore, not a single soul to pass on that first-hand experience and shed some light on the era for those of us living today. However, with documented accounts such as Louisa May Alcott’s Civil War Hospital Sketches, a part of the Civil War experience lives on and provides a glimpse into what it was truly like to live during such huge changes in our nation. Miss Alcott begins her sketches where her journey to …show more content…

As she travels from her hometown to the hospital in Washington, Alcott encounters …show more content…

While Alcott and the rest of the hospital staff could do nothing for the man’s physical condition, Alcott soon realized her dear John simply needed a shoulder to lean on and find comfort in as he lived his last days in trials of great pain (Alcott 2006, page 40). Miss Alcott directly states, “I was the poor substitute for mother, wife, or sister, and in his eyes no stranger, but a friend” (Alcott 2006, page 40). Alcott’s account here reveals how desperate these injured soldiers were for companionship and the comforts of home. It shows today’s and future generations the great homesickness and sacrifice both the soldiers and those caring for them faced during the Civil War. Miss Alcott effectively paints this image through the sharing of her experience with this young blacksmith named

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