Feminism In Reverse
A Comparative Essay Between Little Women and Caddie Woodlawn
The idea of a strong, independent woman is appealing, but these two books may actually be going in the opposite direction of feminism’s path through history. The theme in both Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink is that strong, independent women end up conforming to the person they have always been told to be. The main characters from both books, Caddie and Jo, start out as boyish and independent, and don’t want to be like all the other good, proper girls. However, at the end of both books, the girls end up as the person they have been trying not to be for their entire life.
In Caddie Woodlawn, Caddie has two …show more content…
Little Women features 4 sisters, also during the Civil War. Each sister is very different, but throughout the novel there is a very clear theme of self-sacrifice and virtue. Jo is the boyish one who is never feminine enough to please anyone, but when it’s needed, she makes important sacrifices. The purpose of the book is to embody the “All-American girl”, and it does so in four different forms. It is intended for girls as a moral story that is also interesting. These books have very different purposes, but both share the feature of having an independent female as their main character. The first way that Caddie Woodlawn and Little Women address the theme of an independent main character is by describing their personalities. In Caddie Woodlawn, the first sentence says “In 1864 Caddie Woodlawn was eleven, and as wild a little tomboy as ever ran the woods of western Wisconsin. She was the despair of her mother and of her elder sister, Clara.” (Brink 1) That essentially summarizes the main character. In Little Women, a quote from Jo herself best summarizes it. “‘I hate to think I’ve got to grow up, and be Miss March, and wear long gowns… It’s bad enough to be a girl, anyway, when I like boy’s games and work and manners!’” (Alcott
A Comparative Essay Between Little Women and Caddie Woodlawn
The idea of a strong, independent woman is appealing, but these two books may actually be going in the opposite direction of feminism’s path through history. The theme in both Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink is that strong, independent women end up conforming to the person they have always been told to be. The main characters from both books, Caddie and Jo, start out as boyish and independent, and don’t want to be like all the other good, proper girls. However, at the end of both books, the girls end up as the person they have been trying not to be for their entire life.
In Caddie Woodlawn, Caddie has two …show more content…
Little Women features 4 sisters, also during the Civil War. Each sister is very different, but throughout the novel there is a very clear theme of self-sacrifice and virtue. Jo is the boyish one who is never feminine enough to please anyone, but when it’s needed, she makes important sacrifices. The purpose of the book is to embody the “All-American girl”, and it does so in four different forms. It is intended for girls as a moral story that is also interesting. These books have very different purposes, but both share the feature of having an independent female as their main character. The first way that Caddie Woodlawn and Little Women address the theme of an independent main character is by describing their personalities. In Caddie Woodlawn, the first sentence says “In 1864 Caddie Woodlawn was eleven, and as wild a little tomboy as ever ran the woods of western Wisconsin. She was the despair of her mother and of her elder sister, Clara.” (Brink 1) That essentially summarizes the main character. In Little Women, a quote from Jo herself best summarizes it. “‘I hate to think I’ve got to grow up, and be Miss March, and wear long gowns… It’s bad enough to be a girl, anyway, when I like boy’s games and work and manners!’” (Alcott