Were American women in 19th century fully able to pursue their personal dreams? (eBook)

Pre-University Paper from the year 2022 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1, , language: English, abstract: If one assumes that Louisa May Alcott's novel “Little Women” provides an insight into the lives of various women and their individual future goals in 19t h century America, one also raises a number of questions about the historical validity of the aforementioned theme: "Are the possibilities and paths of female self-realization in Alcott's novel really a reflection of earlier conditions or merely fictional? " Also: "If women in 19t h America were indeed able to realize their life dreams, did this really apply to all women, regardless of their social class or ethnicity?"

In order to answer these questions, a comparison between Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy's lifestyles and those of actual women in 19th century America is necessary. To this end, the second chapter of my paper will present the sisters' individual aims and their final lives at the end of the book. This is followed by an exposition of the historical positions of America's women in 19th century in the third chapter. Subsequently, I will compare both aspects with each other in the fourth chapter and will make a final assessment on the formulated questions about whether Alcott's illustration is a fiction or corresponds to reality in the paper's conclusion.