I would say suffering and sacrifice are pretty major themes
of Little Women. Baym claims that Alcott portrayed suffering as inevitable, but
also that it “called out otherwise dormant abilities, could become occasions
for ‘perfecting’ the character” (36).
There are several examples of suffering and sacrifice
leading to growth in the novel, from minor events to major tragedies. One of
the first examples of sacrifice is when the sisters give their Christmas
breakfast away to the Hummels in Chapter 2. Even such a small sacrifice
ultimately led to their benefit, as Mr. Laurence gives them a gift greater than
the food they had lost. More than that, however, the sisters gain a new
perspective on their lives that continues to impact them throughout the novel,
as they continue to visit the Hummels for years, doing what they can to care
for those less fortunate.
The most obvious example of suffering comes in the form of
Beth’s death. Though she passes peacefully and doesn’t suffer in death, her
family suffers the pain of losing her for months after. Though this time
brought a lot of pain on the family, it did have a silver lining, since the
event drew Amy and Laurie closer together. I think this is just Alcott’s very
obvious way of saying that everything happens for a reason, and that good
things will appear out of the darkest tragedies. Whether or not this is true in
real life is another debate, but I certainly believe that this is Alcott’s
intended message throughout the book regarding sacrifice and suffering.
Another minor example could be when Beth first contracts
scarlet fever and Amy is sent to stay with Aunt March. She didn’t want to go,
and at least she thought that she was suffering for having to go there,
although it wasn’t very strong suffering. However, from this experience, Amy
grew as a person in terms of her spirituality. She grew closer to God, and
while her private altar may have been an unconventional way to get to know God
in the eyes of the other girls, it cannot be argued that through Amy’s negative
experience with Aunt March, she gained something for herself and her
spirituality.
All of these events occur with varying levels of sacrifice
or suffering, yet they all contribute to Alcott’s common theme that these
negative experience will eventually lead to at least a little gain in the long
run.
I definitely agree that Alcott uses suffering and sacrifice in order to prove the point that everything happens for a reason (i.e. Beth's death). Sometimes I feel like she uses it as well not only for that purpose, but also to essentially teach the characters a lesson against sin - like Baym notes, "perfecting the character." This can be seen when Jo reacts angrily towards Amy after she destroys Jo's book. Amy is then put in danger, almost drowning, and Jo must suffer through attempting to save her sister. After this experience, Jo becomes more aware of her anger and realizes she should keep it in check. In this respect, the suffering is more of a reality check to her own sin.
ReplyDeleteI also would have to agree with your point that Alcott chooses to have each character go through sufferings and sacrifices to show how everything happens for a reason. Whether or not Alcott actually believes this is one thing, but I think in order to appeal to children and prove that morals are worth having, she has to show how good things come with sacrifices.
ReplyDeleteOne of these examples is when Amy chooses to marry Laurie. Her whole life and growing up, Amy always wanted to be extremely rich and have nice things and says to her mother in a letter, “I may be mercenary, but I hate poverty, and don't mean to bear it a minute longer than I can help. One of us must marry well. Meg didn't, Jo won't, Beth can't yet, so I shall, and make everything okay all round” (311). Amy ultimately learns that money isn’t the only thing that can make her happy, however, and marries Laurie (although he does have wealth) money isn’t her sole purpose for marriage anymore like it used to be. This “sacrifice” shows how she was better off and happier in the end.
Even the little struggles of Jo cutting off all her hair in order to have money to help their Father get home prove to have significantly positive effects. Their Father gets healthy and makes it back to them and support all the ideals Alcott has about sacrifices, struggles, and how everything happens for a reason.
I also agree that many of the Marchs go through growth that they would not have achieved without the misfortunes that befell them. They say, after all, that adversity breeds strength. I must also say it was astute of you to notice the use of this suffering as punishment of sin. One example I can think of that drives this home for me is the party that Meg attends where she is dressed up in such an extravagant manner and is made to look a fool. This displays a suiting example of the sin of vanity, as Alcott was intending, while further reinforcing her belief in a more modest existence of being well-off, that those who use their wealth to display like a peacock are doing so to the detriment of themselves and others.
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