Louisa May Alcott
By Illa Vij

LITTLE WOMEN, an all-time favourite, is the creation of a simple homely girl, Louisa May Alcott. Louisa was born in 1832 in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Her father, a teacher by profession, had a school in Germantown. Later, he shifted to Boston to teach. He was a simple-minded man, but with very strong values and his ideas seemed ahead of his time. He was broad minded and did not hesitate to admit a Black girl to his class. Louisa was only eight years old, when he had to pack up the school. The family moved to an old village in Concord, 20 miles from Boston. Louisa had three sisters. Their mother, whom they called Marmee, was extremely loving and caring. She gave her best to the family.

The book Little Women is actually based on Louisa’s own family. Meg of Little Women is her elder sister, Anna; Jo is herself, Beth is Lizzie, the one younger to her, and Amy is the portrait of her youngest sister, May. Her father is the only one who is portrayed differently in the book. Instead of a dreamy philosopher, he is an American Civil War chaplain. Her father’s ideals caused the family to face frequent spells of poverty. Besides, he insisted that the family be totally vegetarian — no Alcott was allowed to eat meat. He also insisted that the family eat only those vegetables that grew above the soil. Often the family ate no more than porridge and apples.

When Louisa was 10, her father formed a Utopian community. They made a settlement called Fruitland, where the fields were to be devoid of manure and no animal was to be used for labour. But, none of his ideas succeeded in bringing in money for the family. Their friends included famous writers Ralhph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Haw-thorne and Henry David Thoreau. Influenced by these literary figures and the need for earning some money, Louisa wrote her first book, called Flower Fables. She was 17 years old at that time. This book was an outcome of her walks with her neighbour, Henry Thoreau.

He taught her to appreciate nature and her feelings poured out through her writings. Soon after, the Alcotts again moved back to Boston, where Marmee took up some dismal work or the other, to bring in some money for the family, while Louisa and Anna became school teachers. After school, Louisa also worked as a maid at a laundry for two dollars a week. Later, the Civil War broke out and the family once again moved to the family house in Concord.

They lived in their house called Orchard House, which is now called Alcott Museum. The war inspired Louisa to do some voluntary service. How she wished to be a soldier, armed to fight! Since she couldn’t possibly do that, she volunteered as a nurse and was given work in a hospital near Washington. It was a damp place with the foul smell of gangrene. The wounded were a pathetic sight and she did all that she could to comfort them. She even wrote letters for them or read aloud something to divert their minds.

As the work grew heavier, Louisa grew weaker and weaker and developed a persistent fever and cough. Her father took her back to Concord. Here, she lay ill for a long time, but the love for life gave her the strength to recover. Now all that she wanted to do was write. She then wrote the book, Hospital Sketches. One of the publishers asked her to write a book about girls, for girls. Although reluctant to write a book for girls, she chose her own family members as the main characters. It turned out to be a great book, written with masterly craft. She portrayed her American home in all its warmth and honesty.

The work was a roaring success, with prints after prints rolling off the press. With the book going overseas, there was no looking back for Louisa, who stated, "My dream is beginning to come true". But all that she earned went for the care of her family. She nursed her ailing mother, who died in her arms. Her sister May died, leaving a little baby girl in her care. She continued to be a pillar of strength for her family. But under intense mental and physical strain, her health began to give way.

On March 6, 1888, her father was carried to his grave and on that very day, she too breathed her last. Her books, full of laughter, have become all-time favourites. Little Women is especially a must read for all girls. Her other works include Little Men, Jo’s Boys, An Old Fashioned Girl, Eight Cousins and Moods.