Excellent read with good morality, valuable lessons, and a correct view of God.
Plot
Four devoted sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy) grow and search for love as they find their places in the world during and after the Civil War.
Morality
Each of the girls have their own moral struggles as their characters progress, but for the most part their morals are good. Meg and Amy are both vain - Amy more so than Meg - but both learn to overcome this. Jo has a bit of a reckless nature and is quite the tomboy, often hurting people by accident, but she tries her hardest to do what is right and curb her tongue. Fragile Beth, the second youngest of the family, is the sweetest of the four and encourages the rest to mature and become more gentle.
Mrs. March is very kind and good and is a fine role model for her children and for readers. She is kind to the poor family that lives nearby, spending time with them and bringing them food and firewood in the winter, and teaches her girls to follow her example and to "visit the widows and the fatherless in their distress."
Spiritual Content
The story is based at all times on what is known as a Transcendentalist foundation; Alcott and her family believed in God and the power of prayer, but did not accept that salvation came through Christ. Thus, "Little Women" is extremely works-oriented - if the girls are good, they will get to Heaven. So, while the family has good morals and are excellent role models, if you look hard enough you'll see that God isn't the main focus of the story.
The story begins with the girls acting out Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress." Expressions like "God bless" are used often and God is spoken of in several places. The girls put on a play in which there is a witch and magic spells are used.
Violence
None.
Drug and Alcohol Content
Several references to wine, but Mr. March believes it should only be used for medicinal purposes.
Sexual Content
Nothing more than embraces and kisses.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
None.
Conclusion
The story is very much a 'coming of age' story for young women. The morals and the romance are all clean and good, and the main characters provide good role models. Keeping in mind that the book is not strictly written from a Christian perspective, this is a good read for young women.
This review is brought to you by Jeanne.
