I found this book in Father’s pile of belongings after he passed away a short while ago. I think that Father had this book because it reminded himself of his own four daughters and how similar we all were to the four sisters in the book. I think that this book, Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott is a good representation of myself and my 3 sisters. Personally, I relate to bits and pieces of all the sisters. The character of Meg March has similarities to me because of the way that she uses her looks to her advantage. Even though Meg is the oldest in the family, I like to think that we are both beautiful. I think that I also can relate to Amy March, the youngest sister, because she is often cast off to the side and knows what she wants in life. Although I do not love the art of photography, I love the romance of setting up a shop with my three sisters. I relate to Jo March in the way that we both have similar reactions to impatience about the limitations that women have whether it is about writing a novel or creating a photography business. Last but not least, I think that I relate to Beth March the least amount because she is quiet and I am very much more outgoing. I am usually not a book reader, but I loved reading this book because it reminds me of the man that Father was and his love that he had for all of us. I feel a new wave of inspiration from reading this book about how my place as a woman is shown positively in society. I believe that God put this book in my life for a reason and that I was meant to read it for some reason.
Editorial Commentary: The novel, Little Women, is not only a world changing book about four sisters who each have their own opinion about the world around them, but also a book largely about the gender inequalities women faced in the Victorian era when trying to get hired for a “normal” job. Phyllis Lorimer, from The Romance of a Shop, could have very easily been attracted to this book for the humor and feminism part about it. One character from Little Women, Jo March, says at one point in the novel that, “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty. I’m so sick of people saying that love is all a woman is fit for.” The fact that Phyllis would be interested in this book as a character who mainly relies on her looks contributes great meaning to how great the book really is in the scheme of things. Phyllis most likely looked up to some of the characters in the novel because of characters such as Jo March. The quote from Jo is powerful in the sense that she was bold enough to say that there are more to women than just the beauty, but that women have true potential in the workforce and should not be condemned for doing so. In relation to Phyllis, she can learn from Jo in the way by how she is allowed to have dreams about becoming more than just a man’s lover while also being able to do what she wants without a man helicoptering over her entire life. Phyllis also loves the adventure rush and aspires to travel to India one day. She also is a major support system for the rest of her sisters who are all committed to pursuing photography; Phyllis can relate to Jo March in this way as well because Little Women preaches about the power that sisterhood can have in a family. Phyllis Lorimer gains major inspiration from all the March sisters.
Citations:
“First Edition Copy of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.” Lofty, images-cdn.auctionmobility.com/is3/auctionmobility-static/9V1S-1-5VHRP//158_1.jpg? maxwidth=1000&maxheight=1000.
Bayer, Kyla. “All the Most Inspirational Quotes from 'Little Women'.” Film Daily, 25 Feb. 2020, filmdaily.co/news/the-most-inspirational-little-women- quotes/.