Women RolesIn Our Lives Essay Example

her family's wealth declined in Boston, she began documenting her experiences in a journal as a child. This journal served as an outlet for recounting her childhood escapades, which later inspired her works of short fiction and novels. Alcott worked as a nurse during the war and joined the Union Hospital in Washington D.C. Although her time at the hospital only lasted six weeks, it had a profound impact on her life. Sadly, she contracted Typhoid Pneumonia during this period and never fully recovered due to the administration of medicine containing mercury.

During her illness, Alcott utilized the time to work on her letters which later transformed into Hospital Sketches, her initial bestselling work that established her prestige as a writer. Louisa May Alcott gained fame primarily for her renowned novel, Little Women, which she penned at the age of thirty-five, prompted by her publisher's suggestion to write a novel for girls. Alcott was surrounded by influential figures such as Margret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Ralph Waldo Emerson during her upbringing. Set in the 1860s, the novel is a fictional "autobiography" depicting Alcott's life experiences.

The text explores how the realistic characters and their narratives challenge certain stereotypes about women, particularly in relation to the closing of the Industrial Revolution and societal expectations during moments like the Civil War. The novel presents the four main characters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, as representative of Alcott's own sisters. In Little Women, the author addresses women's roles by portraying these four characters as independent individuals, a characteristic uncommon at that time. Additionally, their mother, Marmee, consistently supports their choices and encourages them to believe in their ability to

achieve anything they desire.

The theme of female independence and the strength of women in the nineteenth century is explored in the novel Little Women. The story revolves around a family where the father serves as a chaplain in the war, leaving the girls and their mother to fend for themselves. As an author herself, Louisa May Alcott faced numerous challenges as a woman writer in a male-dominated society. The book depicts the obstacles each of the girls face in their own lives. The eldest sister, Meg, prioritizes love over material possessions and desires marriage. Meanwhile, Jo yearns for equal rights and freedom like men but understands that she must suppress her aspirations to pursue her dream of becoming a successful writer within a male-dominated world.

Beth, despite her eventual death, needs to become more extroverted and less reclusive. Amy, the youngest, is selfish and must learn that the world does not revolve around her. She needs to prioritize others before herself. Marmee, the mother, is portrayed as the ideal housewife. Alcott's "My Contraband," part of the Hospital Sketches collection, distinguishes her from other writers of her time by exploring gender and women's roles in a captivating manner through personal anecdotes. In Alcott's "My Contraband," formerly titled "The Brothers," she incorporates elements of both gothic and sentimental literature, which were popular during the nineteenth century.

The emotional response and portrayal of sentimental literature in "My Contraband" impacts both the readers and the main characters. The gothic literature in the story revolves around the less-than-ideal characters. This evokes strong negative emotions in the reader, such as Nurse Dane's misplaced feelings for the mulatto. The mulatto, also known as the

contraband, is a biracial slave. Combining these two genres allows the reader to experience a full range of emotions along with Nurse Dane, the protagonist. Furthermore, Alcott's support for gender and women's roles in literature paved the way for feminism and equality to take center stage in the 19th century.

Alcott uses "My Contraband" to challenge societal expectations of women by creating the character Nurse Dane, who is strong-willed, open-minded, and dedicated to her complex job. Nurse Dane's logical philosophy influences her approach to various challenges she faces. By presenting this strong female role, Alcott broadens the representation of powerful women not only in her own works but also in society at large. In her analysis of Louisa May Alcott's story "The Brothers," Patricia Bleu-Schwenninger suggests that Alcott's writing draws from both her personal life and the social context of the time. Bleu-Schwenninger asserts that Alcott addresses daily hospital life and the social and political issues of the era through the character of Nurse Dane (Bleu-Schwenninger 5). By expressing her views on gender and women's roles, Alcott's short story empowers women through their demonstrated strength.

According to Bleu-Schwenninger, presenting Nurse Dane as an empowered woman gives her more freedom than if she were just a housewife. Alcott uses the different tasks, freedom, and duties that Nurse Dane has to demonstrate that women are capable of handling jobs traditionally done by men. Bleu-Schwenninger also points out that Nurse Dane behaves as a dutiful nurse, but she develops a dislike for the white captain and shows a marked interest in Robert, a contraband. Despite not engaging in any physical activity, Alcott describes Robert by his fixed gaze and attentive

demeanor.

Ultimately, the use of Nurse Dane by Alcott to express her personal opinions enables Bleu-Schwenninger to contend that the short story highlights Alcott's beliefs regarding gender and women's roles. "My Contraband"