Not Jo But Amy: Focusing on Amy’s Narrative of Growth in Little Women

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has received much love as a novel infused with the author’s autobiographical experiences. However, it has also been dismissed for dealing with somewhat conventional themes appealing to girls, such as domestic harmony and love. Particularly, this work analysis focuses on the character of Jo, who can be seen as the author’s literary persona. We can observe how women’s writing was during a time when their social status was relatively low and achieving economic independence was not easy in this novel. However, this paper attempts to reconsider the work focusing on the youngest sister, Amy. This novel should be seen not merely as a story of girls, but as a bildungsroman. Through detailed textual analysis, it seeks to explore Amy’s growth process and rediscover its significance.