Elodie Grace Orkin

English/History Class
Julie English Nerd
May 30th, 2017

A Woman without Chains:

History’s Impact on Josephine March in Little Women

The American Civil War significantly influenced the future of the United States

of America. Events including the formal secession of the South, the Battle of Antietam

(the bloodiest one-day battle in United States’ history), and the assassination of President

Abraham Lincoln show the tremendous impact the War had on the country. The Civil

War also made a deep impression on American literature. One example is Louisa May

Alcott’s Little Women. The storyline reflects the time period, and specifically the

characters are pictures of life during the War. Josephine March (Jo), the protagonist, is a

true construct of her time. Jo’s unconventional ways, her independence, and her role as a

provider for the family reveal that she is a true reflection of the spirit of the American

Civil War.

One way in which Jo mirrors the time period is in her strength to be

nonconforming. During the American Civil War, women around the country needed to

take on men’s roles on the battlefield (as soldiers, nurses, and messengers) because of the

large number of soldiers being killed or wounded. Clara Barton, a heroic nurse who

founded the American Red Cross, is an ideal representation of how women were utilized

in an unheard of way. Clara’s efforts as a nurse on the warfront included organizing

“relief for the wounded, often bringing her own supplies to the front lines” (“Women of

War” Eric Foner and John A. Garratav eds). Clara was doing a job on the front line of

war that few women would do before this time period. Similarly, Jo, a fictional character
in Little Women, demonstrates a nonconforming spirit as a woman of her age. This spirit

is apparent when she refuses Laurie’s marriage proposal. In response to his questioning,

Jo explains to Laurie, “‘I don’t believe I shall ever marry, I’m happy as I am, and love

my liberty too well to be in any hurry to give it for any mortal man’” (578-579). When Jo

declares she loves being independent too much to be bound to marriage, she defies the

time period’s expectation to marry. Both Jo and Clara Barton represent the evolution of

women’s roles and breaking the mold during a dire time in America’s history.

Another way Jo emulates the time is that she becomes a provider for the family.

Many men during the War were not at home supporting the family because they were

expected to fight, nurse and aid on the battlefields, and perform other patriotic jobs. In

the article “Family Life During the Civil War,” the Union and Confederate armies had to

recruit approximately 3,750,000 men combined. “Many families were left with only

mothers and daughters to run the household and earn money to feed and clothe the

family” (Kidport.com). Women became the supporters men used to be in a time of need.

Likewise, in Little Women, Jo March had to take the role of her father and becomes the

provider for her mother and sisters. “ The Duke’s Daughter” paid the butcher’s bill, “The

Phantom Island” put down a new carpet, and “The Curse of the Coventrys” proved the

blessing of the marches in the way of groceries and gowns” (423). Making money to pay

for food, household items, and other necessities obligates Jo, a young, female writer

living during the Civil War, to do the job that men were commonly expected to do. Due

to a lack of men, Jo and other women would take on the tasks of their fathers and

husbands in order to maintain stability in the civilian world.

 Finally, the political environment during the American Civil War correlates to

Jo’s uncustomary independence. The United States began to question the way African

Americans were being treated and fought for change. The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and

Fifteenth Amendments show a shift in society abolishing slavery, giving full citizenship

to African Americans, and granting voting rights to African American men. In

comparison, Jo appears to take advantage of the times by questioning her own freedom

and independence. When Jo realizes she needs to discourage Laurie’s pursuit in marriage,

she travels to New York City alone and becomes a governess. Jo’s decision to teach in

New York “render[s] her independent….for the home nest was growing too narrow for

her restless nature and adventurous spirit” (523). Unlike her older sister, Meg, who went

straight from her childhood home into marriage and a home with her husband, Jo

adventures by herself to a large, unfamiliar city where she makes a living without the aid

of a father or husband. Even though women were not afforded the same rights as African

America men at that time, in the spirit of freedom, Jo makes her way in the world unlike

most women of her time.

In Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Josephine March embodies a new role of

women in American society. During a grave time, heroic figures such as Clara Barton,

defied the constraints of women and contribute significantly to the front line of war. Not

only were women taking on roles of men in the battlefield, they were also making money

to support and provide for their families in the civilian world. Lastly, minorities during

that time were becoming more independent and questioning their rights in society. So,

too, were women. Jo, a literary figure, encompasses the values of the time by being

defiant, the main provider of the household, and self-reliant. At one point in the novel,
the young protagonist declares she is not afraid of anything. Jo exemplifies the fight for

women’s freedom at the time, waging a battle against scarcity, convention, and

expectation.