Louisa May Alcott’s Classic Stories and Literary Themes
Louisa May Alcott: Life and Literary Works
Louisa May Alcott, a celebrated American novelist and short story writer, is best known for her children’s novel Little Women.
Biographical Details
- Born: November 29, 1832, Germantown, Pennsylvania.
- Died: March 6, 1888, age 55, Boston, Massachusetts.
Summaries of Alcott’s Short Stories and Novels
A Country Christmas
Ms. Alcott’s protagonist in this story is Sophie. She lives in a big city with her guardian but is feeling pressure to make a decision about marriage. Needing time to reflect, she decides to travel to Vermont to visit Aunt Plumy and her two grown children, Saul and Ruth. They live on a modest farm where life is much slower.
Sophie receives permission to invite two city friends to visit for Christmas. Sophie wants to show them “a real old-fashioned frolic” as it is done in the country.
At first, Sophie’s city friends look down on the country folk, but the country hosts soon win them over with their honest perspective on people and life. The hosts successfully demonstrate what a true frolic is, highlighting the advantages of country living.
Modern Cinderella
This story features the characters:
- Laura
- Di
- Nan
- John
The relationships mentioned are: John, Nan, Di, Laura; Laura, Di, Nan.
Aunt Kipp
Aunt Kipp is the wealthy aunt to the impoverished Mrs. Snow and her children, Polly (the older daughter) and ten-year-old Toady.
One day, the family was discussing Aunt Kipp in terms that were not complimentary. All of this was absorbed by Toady, who is missing a mental and verbal filter. In other words, Toady does not know when to be quiet about things he has heard.
As expected, on Aunt Kipp’s next visit, Toady told her exactly what the family had said about her. On a subsequent visit, Aunt Kipp also overhears a conversation about herself. She hears the family, plus Polly’s fiancé, decide they are better off without the expectation of an inheritance from Aunt Kipp. They conclude that poverty is not so bad if one is happy. They agree that it would have been better if Aunt Kipp had been pleasant and helpful to them instead of being hateful. However, they recognize that Aunt Kipp’s ways have caused her to be without loving people around her. She is the one who has lost something valuable, not them.
When Aunt Kipp overhears all they are saying about her, she takes time to ponder on it.
Will the overheard conversation cause Aunt Kipp to turn against the family for good? Or, will Aunt Kipp undergo a change of heart?
Debby’s Debut
Written in 1863, this timeless classic by Louisa May Alcott features a triangular romance between Debby and two suitors. Debby’s aunt is trying to arrange her marriage to a wealthy man. It is a lighthearted comedy of manners that boldly challenges the social order, which often holds wealth and social status more important than character and moral values. The author presents Debby as a modern, independent woman with clear feminist convictions. The narrative also explores the theme of an ambitious woman who seeks financial success, potentially at the cost of her relative’s integrity.
How They Ran Away
This story is about two eleven-year-old boys, Tommy and Billy, who sneak off for a hunting adventure in the mountains without telling anyone. Hunting only with their bows, things did not go well for them. They pass through different situations: they were followed by a bear, they caught a woodchuck, and they cooked fish.
Mujercitas (Little Women)
Época: Hacia 1860.
Meg, Jo, Beth y Amy eran cuatro hermanas que vivían con su mamá, ya que su papá se había ido a luchar en la guerra.
Era víspera de Navidad y ninguna tenía regalo. Se lamentaban por ser pobres y porque tenían que donar sus ganancias a la guerra.
Todas estaban hartas de lo que hacían todos los días:
- Meg (16 años): Tenía que cuidar y enseñar a niños.
- Jo (15 años): Tenía que hacerle compañía a una anciana que la estaba fastidiando todo el día.
- Beth (13 años): Tenía que arreglar y hacer las labores de la casa.
- Amy (12 años): Se quejaba de que todos los días tenía que ir a la escuela.
Cuando todas se quejaban, Jo comenzó a silbar. Amy la calló, diciéndole que eso era cosa de hombres y que detestaba a las chicas que hacían eso, y comenzaron a pelearse. Meg las interrumpió, diciéndole a Jo que ya estaba grande como para comportarse como chico, pero esta no le hizo mucho caso y continuó.
Después de hablar un rato, decidieron que todas usarían su dinero para comprar un regalo de Navidad para su mamá, y los pusieron sobre la mesa.