Sarah’s Reviews > Little Women > Status Update

On re-reading, I see the musings regarding Jo's personality coming across as possibly interpreted in modrern minds as gender identity but i'm not so certain it was that so much as chafing at what women were restrained from doing in that time. At this point, there can only be guessing and second guessing but I would come down on women's independence issues before the gender identity as in that time women were also constrained in the decorum expected and thus the tomboy aspect can be seen as simply wanting to be able to be healthy and to exercise body as well as mind. Nice to see you comment, Sarah!

Oh, great points, Dottie!! I've noticed a lot of interesting expectations on gender roles, also. I know that Alcott was a proponent of Women's Rights - she was the first woman to register to vote in Concord and protested the Centennial celebration because women weren't allowed to attend.

I know when I was a kid, I found that my gender was a clear disadvantage, mostly because I had 3 older brothers (and no sisters), and I was often told "you can't do [such-and-so:] because you're a girl." There were also a lot of expectations from society in general based on gender. I don't think I ever felt like I *was* I boy, or even that boyish, but I certainly thought boys were more important, and my life would be so much better if I were a boy. I recall being very surprised when I had a roommate in my early 20's who said she was really glad to be a woman! Now, I can say that I, too, am thankful to be a woman. It honestly seems that, in these times, woman have more flexibility with life choices than men do. All talk-show fueds aside, it's relatively well-accepted for women to either work outside the home or work exclusively in the home doing home stuff. (I firmly believe that ALL WOMEN WORK, whether or not they get paid for it.) On the other hand, men who choose to stay home are generally not met with the same acceptance--especially from other men who are the stereotypical bread-winners.

BTW, I'd be interested to read the quote that showed Jo's gender identity issues.

There were several, I think, but on reflection I think it's closer to what Dottie said: gender roles rather than gender identity. Many times Jo talked about how she wished she was a boy instead of a "miserable girl." Mostly in Part One, but there were a few times in Part Two also.