Little Women Review: The Veracity of Description

by Jessica Chapman

Many readers would admit that they have either not read or aren't fond of Little Women's novel. However, it is hard to believe that this is the opinion of most readers. It is even less believable given the number of women writers such as Patti Smith, JK Rowling, and Simone de Beauvoir, publicly claiming that this 19th century novel by Louisa May Alcott has inspired them. One character from the most inspiring story is Jo because of her strong will and how much of a heroine she is.

For a novel that has inspired some of the most prominent personalities in the literary world, it comes as no surprise that there’s an adaptation. The adaptation, which is a beautiful piece of work by Greta Gerwig, cuts through the moralistic surface of the novel into the underlying themes and picks out the main messages of feminism, individuality, independence, and creativity. She did this in her adaptation without reducing the authenticity and charm which the original story showed. Gerwig even made the adaptation more appealing to both critics and devoted fans of the novel by adding a contemporary feeling to it. 

There were also dynamic performances by the casts, which made it even more enjoyable. Most notable of these are Saoirse Ronan, Laura Dern, and Florence Pugh, who played the role of fiery Jo, the wise mother Marmee, and Amy. This movie is a triumph seeing as it captures the deep emotions and even more from the novel. 

The self-confident screenplay of Gerwig has her restructuring the novel in her adaptation such that Jo and the other ladies started as adults. The movie went on with a back and forth between their childhood and their present situations. According to a college-paper.org review, the change made by Gergwin highlights the three of them as adult women rather than small girls-in-training, and each of them had their well-defined character. 

In this adaptation, Jo is an Alcott amalgam. The character is an aspiring writer from New York who takes her works to a publisher that is stern and encouraging, Mr. Dashwood (played by Tracy Letts). Dashwood tells Jo that she won't make much sales being morel, asking her to be more sensational in her writing. Although this sounds very modern, it is something that was picked directly from the 19th-century novel. It also shows how Gergwig refused to moralize the story and as well sets the tone for Dashwood’s scenes.

The adaptation has Amy in Paris in the company of their aunt March. Meg is in New England being a wife and mother while sickly Beth is playing piano at home.

The memories of the sisters take us in time to seven years ago, just as Jo and Meg were approaching adulthood, but they were still playing games and staging theatrics in the attic. Gerwig is in the cozy house creating fireside warmth and candlelight with Yorick Le Saux. The countryside of New England outside is a landscape that’s enticing, clear, full of vivid colors, bright light, snowy paths, and green lawns.

Jo, as a young girl, becomes friends with the next-door neighbor, Laurie. She then goes on a streak of anger that causes Dern and Ronan to hold an intense conversation about about how to control their tempers. 

According to a research paper writing, each of these major characters has one set-piece within the movie at least, but Jo had several. One of such set-pieces shows adult Jo kneeling over a dozen pages of manuscripts that she spread on the floor of the attic, while intense and tired. Although this was a 19th-century set, this scene is typically an accurate depiction of writers at work. The character which Ronan creates had much more depth than her profession. Sometimes she’s torn between the lonely situation that she’s in and her desire to be independent.

The character Amy, which is very maligned in the novel, was redefined in this adaptation by Gerwig. It shows her sympathetic nature and how passionate she is about being an artist. She went from being the petulant child into a sophisticated and thoughtful woman struggling with the fact that she is talented but lacks genius. 

The style and attitude of the film define its modern and feministic theme. This includes the male-inspired costumes such as neck scarves and waistcoats, which Jo donned. On some occasions, the theme felt overt. 

While in Paris, Laurie starts to fall for Amy, but this comes after his marriage proposal to Jo was rejected. He then warns her not to settle for a marriage without love because of money, but Amy insists that it’s an option for women when they can’t earn a good living. Gerwig added a scene that every Alcott reader would have loved to see, and this was another example of the screenplay picking up cues that were not strongly highlighted in the novel and making them bloom. After Laurie declared his love for Amy, her initial reaction to it was that of hurt. She went on to say that she has been the second fiddle to Jo all her life, and she is not going to settle with Laurie simply because he could not have Jo. 

In the end, Jo goes back to meet Dashwood after she finished writing the story that we now read as Little Women. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessica Chapman is a writing editor at essaymama.com. She is from Chicago and provides essay writing service reviews. She is into sport and politics and enjoys traveling.