in what way does louisa may alcott compare the march girls to christian, from pilgrim’s progress?
The Throne of Heaven in The Castles in the Air
by
Brandy Anderson
Religion in Louisa May Alcott'due south novel Little Women is paramount to the lives of the Marches as they strive to practice the Christian themes of kindness, charity, and maintaining morals consistent with the teachings of Christ. Although the Bible is not mentioned directly, God is a constant presence in their lives, notably made visible in various ways: by the family patriarch who is a reverend, by the Biblical passages the Marches call back and recite whenever a situation arises which calls for spiritual reassurance, and God'south presence in the lives of the March girls is evident in their near daily reading of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress throughout the book.
The March sisters live their lives through earnest work, spreading kindness, and embodying the Christian motto of "Treat others as you would like others to care for you" (New Jerusalem Bible, Luke vi:31). Non just do the Marches follow this Christian value just they are rewarded for their adept deeds when others return the favour. The March matriarch, Marmee, is forever helping others less fortunate than herself. She visits the poor immigrant Hummel family and brings them food and condolement. Past setting this example, it teaches her daughters the value of Christian clemency. On Christmas, the daughters gather effectually the table that usually has rather meager offerings just has a plump spread for the vacation. Marmee is gone and Hannah explains "some poor creeter come a-beggin', and your ma went direct off to see what was needed. In that location never was such a woman for givin' away vittles and drink, apparel and firin'" (15). Marmee is quick to help those who need it.
Marmee's return home elicits the family decision that they will take their Christmas breakfast treats to the Hummels who then declare "it is good angels come to us!" (16) and the Hummels continue to call the young women "affections children", which pleases Jo exceedingly. Meg declares "that's loving our neighbours better than ourselves, and I like it" (17). This Christian charity is swiftly returned to them when their stately neighbour, Mr Lawrence, hears of their kind try and in return for their kindness to others, he sends an elegant feast for them to dine on for Christmas supper.
Christmas itself is an of import theme in the novel. Information technology opens with Christmas and much of the climatic deportment take place during Christmases over the years. During the first Christmas, the girls are each given a very special gift from Marmee, who says she is giving them "a guidebook" (12). The narrator confides that Jo knows this book "very well, for it was that beautiful old story of the all-time life ever lived, and Jo felt that information technology was a truthful guidebook for whatever pilgrim going the long journey" (xiii). 1000000, who is "sweet and pious" (13), instructs her sisters to read the book daily and to take conscientious notes of the didactic morality contained within. She says they used to be faithful in their religious studies but they have neglected their lessons in the wake of their father going to war.
Marmee explicitly mentions the girls' love of Pilgrim'south Progress. She says, "Do you lot remember how you lot used to play Pilgrim'due south Progress when you lot were little things? Nothing delighted you more than to take me necktie my piece bags on your backs for burdens, give you hats and sticks and roll some newspaper, and let you travel through the house from the cellar, which was the Urban center of Destruction, up, up, to the housetop, where you lot had all the lovely things you could collect to make a Celestial Metropolis" (11). Non just does Marmee, who is the figure head to these girls, arrive clear that Christian values are of import to learn from a young age, but Alcott echoes this priority past featuring such a "lesson" then early in the narration. In fact, the accent on Christian values is painfully clear as soon as the reader first opens the volume to discover a passage from Bunyan'due south Pilgrim'south Progress as the preface to the novel.
Idleness is as well a major concern in Piddling Women. The March sisters must battle slothfulness and idleness, both of which are warned against in the Bible. In "Timothy 5:thirteen" Paul warns confronting idleness, maxim it is a gateway to gossip and more than negative behaviour. Paul warns "they learn how to be idle and go round from business firm to house; and then, non merely idle, they learn to exist gossips and meddlers in other people's affairs and to say what should remain unsaid" (Tim. 5:13). When the March sisters mutter of beingness too busy and burdened by work Marmee tells them they may do an experiment where they are able to lounge about idly all day without a care. They concur to this experiment, instantly enjoying the freedom, however, information technology is non long before they realize that idleness presently leads to unhappiness and that work is a manner towards leading a happy and "good" life. Laurie'due south constant idleness, as seen in his nickname of "Lazy Laurence", is a predominant character flaw of his that, once mended, allows him to grow and mature into a "good man". Marmee concludes that information technology is proficient to "take upwardly your trivial burdens once again, for though they seem heavy sometimes, they are adept for united states of america, and lighten as nosotros learn to carry them" considering "work is wholesome" and information technology "keeps us from ennui and mischief" (109).
Chapter Thirty-iv defends Christianity directly. Jo enjoys a philosophical debate until "information technology dawned upon her gradually that the world was being picked to pieces, and put together on new and, co-ordinate to the talkers, on infinitely meliorate principles than before, that organized religion was in a fair fashion to exist reasoned into nothingness, and intellect was to be the only God" (329). Professor Bhaer, who arguably represents more i type of salvation for Jo, argues with the atheists, equally he "dedicated faith with all the eloquence of truth", his religious conviction making "his plain face beautiful" (330).
These signify just a few examples out of many of the religious themes plant inside Footling Women. The idea that "God was not a blind strength, and immortality was not a pretty legend, just a blest fact" (330) is reinforced simply before and after Beth's death towards the end of the book and is seen in their reminisces of her in the final chapter which likewise ends with the characters recognizing the "crosses they must carry" (455) and thanking God for their blessings.
Works Cited:
Alcott, Louisa May. Trivial Women. New York: TOR, 1994. Print..
Bunyan, John. Pilgrim's Progress.
New Jerusalem Bible. ed. Rev. Henry Wansborough. New York: Double Day, 1999. Print.
Source: https://whitmansyawp.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/little-womens-castles-in-the-air-religion-in-lw/
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