Examining Gender Roles in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women Essay

The proposal aims to examine how gender roles are depicted in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. The focus will be on how the four March sisters, who lived in America in the middle of the 19th century, navigated and contested cultural expectations of gender and masculinity (Alcott). Little Women has significantly impacted how gender roles are perceived in literature and society (Smith). The gender roles depicted in the novel have had a profound impact on the world, as they reflect and reinforce traditional gender norms that continue to shape societal expectations and behaviors surrounding gender, despite efforts towards gender equality. Furthermore, the gender roles depicted have had a profound impact on the world, perpetuating harmful stereotypes that continue to limit women’s opportunities and reinforce gender inequality.

Methodology

The proposal will done through a critical reading of the text and analysis of the historical background. The novel subverts conventional gender stereotypes by featuring strong, independent women while upholding them through their eventual marriages and domesticity.

In order to investigate gender roles in Little Women, the proposal will use a detailed review of the novel’s characters, storyline, and themes in the setting of the 19th century.Additionally, the proposal will also consider historical and cultural contexts to understand how gender roles were constructed and reinforced.

One theory that would be used to demonstrate the “staying power” of these gender roles in the novel is social learning theory since it proposes that people learn behaviors by observing and imitating others in their social environment (Desmawati). In “Little Women,” the characters learn gender roles from their parents and society, who reinforce the idea that women should be submissive, nurturing, and domestic (Sent and van Staveren).Another theory is gender schemas proposes that people categorize and interpret information based on gender stereotypes which can be seen throughout the novel. In conclusion, the proposal aims to investigate the gender roles in the book Little Women and how they have impacted future understandings of gender expectations. The social intricacies of gender roles and their influence on views toward women and gender expectations across all social classes will be thoroughly examined. The research will use a qualitative research approach and a close reading of the text to understand the experiences and beliefs of the characters in relation to gender roles.

Works Cited

Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. Vol. 156. Ripol Classic, 2005.

Desmawati, Eka. “Analysis of Feminism in the Little Women novel by Louisa May Alcott.” Journal of Language and Literature, vol. 6, no. 2, 2020, pp. 91-96.

Sent, Esther-Mirjam, and Irene Van Staveren. “‘A Feminist Review of Behavioral Economic Research on Gender Differences.”.” Feminist Economics, vol. 25, no. 2, 2019, pp. 1–35. Web.

Smith, Shardai. “‘Dismantling Gender Roles and Redefining Womanhood in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.” Locus:” The Seton Hall Journal of Undergraduate Research, vol. 4, no. 1, 2021, pp. 1–11. Web.