During the era of the Civil War, women in the United States had few rights but many expectations were placed on them. Women could not own land, vote, or sell property. Instead, society expected them to take care of their family by cooking and cleaning, with little or no say in the family's finances and the political battles that took place around them. two. During this period, many women also began working long hours in factories to support their families and in various war efforts, in addition to their domestic roles. In Little Women, Louisa May Alcott used four sisters based on herself and her own siblings to demonstrate the gender roles and expectations of many 19th-century girls on the verge of becoming a woman during and after the Civil War . She showed how, even though women knew their expected role in society, they often took a feminist approach and disagreed with society's boundaries. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay All of the female characters in Little Women have distinct personalities and interests similar to many women of the era. As their family recently lost the majority of their money, the sisters try to make a living with what little they have. While their father is at war, their very religious mother, Marmee, takes care of the girls. As her role as a mother requires, Marmee embodies the character of a kind and collected woman. She behaves in a manner consistent with how society expected women to act in the Antebellum era, before the Civil War. Her daughters, however, begin to show the characteristics of postwar women who embraced independence and aspired to a life outside of domesticity. The article "Women in Antebellum America" ​​states that "women and men had very clear and separate roles based on their gender, with the common belief that the differences between men and women were natural and essential. Women were expected to be religiously pious, morally pure, and physically delicate. They were taught to obey their husbands and adhere to the system of concealment, which strips married women of all their civil identity” (para. 2). In Little Women, Marmee demonstrates this. Throughout the novel, she remains cheerful and motherly while modeling religion and the importance of domesticity to her daughters. Although Marmee never lets it show, she reveals that she has a temper to hide when comforting her daughter after an outburst. Marmee says, "I'm angry almost every day of my life, Jo, but I've learned not to show it, and I always hope to learn not to feel it, even if it takes me another forty years to achieve it. » (107). Marmee's anger suggests that she is unhappy with what society dictates for her to be, but she knows she has no choice but to conform and behave like a polite woman and pleasant. Marmee is reminiscent of many aspiring women of the era. for independence from their tedious domestic roles and lack of rights. Although some women were known to support the suffrage movements, the majority remained silent and continued to be seen as the good wives that society encouraged them to be. Authors of the time even published educational books. women how to be good wives and housekeepers (Women in AntebellumAmerica, para. 2). By admitting her constant inner anger, Marmee proves that even the best wife may have been able to mask her true thoughts about her role in the home. Each of the four sisters has a different personality, and Jo, a middle sister, is the outspoken tomboy. Jo, who shortened her name from the more feminine Josephine, is the sister who protests most aggressively against Antebellum-era expectations of girls. A self-proclaimed "family man" when his father is absent, Jo has no patience for the vain interests of the other women in his family. With her strong feminist beliefs, Jo hates the idea of ​​marriage and desires to be a successful writer. Alcott used Jo to challenge specific gender roles determined by society in several different ways. In particular, she managed to make Jo behave exactly the opposite of young girls. For example, Amy, the youngest sister, criticizes Jo for constantly using slang words. In response to this, Jo begins to whistle. Amy says, “Don’t do it, Jo. It's so childish! Jo replies that that's why she does it, then calls her sister a "niminy-piminy chit" (5). Jo refuses to conform to her sisters' genteel behavior and would rather be a boy than follow the strict expectations of young women. She once again confirms her aversion to all things feminine by saying: "It's bad enough being a girl anyway, when I enjoy boys' games, work and good manners!" I can't get over my disappointment at not being a boy. And it's worse than ever now, because I'm dying to go fight with Dad. And I can only stay at home and knit, like a spindly old woman! » (6). Jo protests the female gender role enough to the point of wishing she would fight in the war, an activity reserved only for men. Jo's disagreement with society's expectations of women continues throughout Little Women as she challenges the belief that women should not do men's jobs. Additionally, unlike most women who know how to hide their anger, Jo is always outspoken and declares her anger to those around her without the desire to be known as a softie. , pleasant woman. As Jane Tompkins argues, "American women simply could not...[rebel] against their living conditions because they did not have the material means to escape or object" (qtd. in). Parilla 34). The strict constraints that other women felt from society did not apply to Jo, who escaped her rebellion from gender roles and expectations by claiming the tomboy label. Jo again fails in her duty as a woman by rejecting the woman's marriage proposal. Laurie, a rich neighbor, and claiming that she only saw the man in love as a friend. After Laurie declares how long he has loved Jo, she refuses the convenient marriage that most financially unstable women of her era would have welcomed without thinking, saying, slightly embarrassed, that "I wanted to save you that. I thought you I would understand.” ..." (479). For Jo, the obligation to marry a suitable, age-appropriate man after years of poverty did not interest her. Instead, she prefers to remain poor and single rather than d 'accepting the rules of a man she is not in love with Jo's refusal to marry Laurie once again proves her lack of desire to conform to the societal norm that would encourage a woman to marry a man. in order to raise her social status and wealth Jo seeks true love or no love at all Even though Alcott emphasized the rejection of gender roles through Jo, she.. 2014.