Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is an engaging and remarkable “snapshot” of its times. Written in response to a publisher's request for a "book for girls," Little Women is a timeless classic of domestic realism, tracing the lives of four sisters from adolescence to early adulthood. The realistic characters and their stories break some stereotypes and add to the strength of the plot which incorporates the final years of the Industrial Revolution and the social customs and conflicts, such as the Civil War, of the 19th century. Often moralistic and moving, the novel nevertheless truly depicts family life in mid-19th century United States. The four “little women” of the March family journey toward womanhood, learning the difficult lessons of poverty and hard work along the way. The inspiring story is presented with a loving tone, symbolism, bold character traits, and reference to the classic novel The Pilgrim's Progress; a Christian allegory. Little Women is loosely based on the family life of May Alcott; this is evident in the affectionate tone she uses to describe her characters. Each sister's personal struggles are described in devoted detail, as if the narrator sympathizes with each conflict exhibited by the characters. Sometimes the narrator even goes to great lengths to explain the context of the conflict and why he reacts to things the way he does. For example, when Mr. Davis, Amy's teacher, whips her hand for bringing pickled limes to school, she becomes paranoid about the situation, just like all of her sisters. Marmee even takes her out of school. To us, this all seems pretty extreme. But the narrator really wants us to understand why they reacted so strongly: "To others it may seem ridiculous or trivial... middle of paper... 'the little maids who stumble' are not a reason so that they can do so. Do not follow the "holy feet" and go on a deep spiritual journey through life This passage contains guidelines for what the story is supposed to do Unlike novels which are. intended solely to entertain their readers, Little Women is also intended to accompany readers towards their own improvement and salvation. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott greatly enriched my understanding, as a reader, of poverty, of salvation, of. religion and, more importantly, the transformation of young girls into strong women The book is impressively written and displays a combination of symbolism, hard-to-not-love characters, and allusions to important American history. . This novel is designed with a loving tone, the little women had grown up and I, as a reader, was compelled to read. talking about their lives as they continued.