An Old Fashioned Girl

I got An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott from the library just a few days ago -- and I finished it just yesterday. It was such a good book! I loved the sweet storyline and the simple lessons woven into the characters' everyday lives. It made me want to read Little Women... again. :)

There is a confusing aspect to Alcott's writing for me, though. Any short biography on the inside jacket of one of her books will tell you that she was a feminist -- an ardent advocate for the Women's Rights movement. The majority of her characters, however, were young girls who tried with all their hearts to make their homes pleasant and happy. Only occasionally can you see the feminist influence in Alcott's writing. In this book, for example, the girls see a statue of "The Modern Woman" who is supposed to be more than a housekeeper, a mother, a nurse, etc, for she will have the right to vote, to work, etc. It's a small portion of a big book, only two paragraphs long, perhaps, but it showed the influences in Alcott's life. What confuses me is that the rest of the book seems in direct contrast to this "powerful woman" image. Polly is a sweet, dutiful girl who works quietly in her home to make others happy. When the girls marry in the end (I'm not spoiling the ending for anyone, I hope), they talk about encouraging their future husbands, helping him in his work, and hoping to make his home happy. So, when I read Alcott's writing, I can't decide if she wasn't as much of a feminist as the biographies make her out to be, or if she tried to tame her ideas in her writing to make it palatable for young girls.

I really liked this book, though. I think it is one that every young girl should read. Tom is a funny, wonderful character who seems practically real and the contrasts that are brought out time and again between Polly and Fanny are definitely thought-provoking. Anyone who likes Little Women or Eight Cousins will love it.