Flawless or Flawed?

I would like to expand upon one of the topics discussed in Baym’s Woman’s Fiction that we did not get to cover as a class.  Baym claims that heroines in Little Women either fall into the category of “flawless” or “flawed”.  “Flawless” heroines, according to Baym, are mentally and emotionally strong.  They are able to gracefully overcome hardships.  However, “flawed” heroines are “defective”, struggling in the face of difficulties.  Some heroines in the novel fit comfortably into these titles, while other characters are a little more complicated.

In my opinion, Beth appears to be the most “flawless” character.  She continuously shows grace, positivity, and virtue throughout the novel.  These qualities are illustrated as early as the first chapter, while each sister is explaining her faults.  Beth has nothing to lament, and only strives to continue to be a better daughter.  Another clearly “flawless” character is Marmee.  The March daughters consistently look toward their mother for guidance because she always seems to know the answers to their problems.  Her grace and strength even shine through when she reveals her major character flaw to Jo at the end of Chapter 8.  She explains that she has always struggled with her anger, but has learned to control it.

I believe that Amy is shown as a “flawless” character in the second half of the book.  Alcott emphasizes Amy’s growth in the years that transpire between the two parts of the novel, saying that she was “possessed of that indescribable charm called grace” (ch. 25, pg. 249).  Everyone who meets Amy seems to fall in love with her.  Although desire for wealth is criticized throughout the novel, Amy’s character shows that someone who seeks wealth can also be virtuous.

On the other hand, Jo is clearly the most “flawed” heroine in the novel.  I don’t believe Baym’s term should have a negative connotation, though.  The most “flawed” characters in the novel are basically the most dynamic.  Jo’s faults make her the most realistic character in the novel, which inherently makes her the most flawed.  Jo has constant battles between her wild (and sometimes masculine) nature and the duty she feels toward her family to be a proper woman.  Her struggle to subdue her anger is also a flaw that drives her character.  Additionally, Meg may also be seen as a “flawed” character.  Over the course of the first half of the novel, Meg constantly struggles with her desire for wealth.  Although she has overcome much of this in the latter half, this conflict occasionally resurfaces.  We can see this battle in Chapter 28, when she purchases fabric she cannot afford with Sallie Gardiner.  These characteristics also make her both flawed and realistic.

Nevertheless, both the “flawless” and “flawed” heroines drive Little Women and its underlying moral values.