A PPT about the novel of 'Little women' by Luisa May Alcott.

1. Little Women(Novel)
Rebaz M. Faqe
Kurdistan/Duhok
November 2015
Supervisor : Qasham A. Balati
R e b a z . m u h e m m e d @ y a h o o . c o m

3. This Presentation Contains Of :
 *Author’s Biography
 *Major Character List
 *Historical Information
 *Story Events
 *Themes
 Questions and Answers
Luisa May Alcott
Characters
Historical Information
Summary

4. Key Words Of Author’s Biography
Louisa May Alcott
* She was born in November 29, 1832
*Her pen name is : A. M. Barnard and Flora Fairfield
*Alcott was a best-selling novelist of the late 1800s
*Little Women made her famous
* She had more than 36 works
*She died in March 6, 1888, Boston

5. Alcott Biography
• Louisa May Alcott was an American Novelist and Poet born on November 29, 1832, in Germantown,
Pennsylvania.
• Alcott worked as a domestic servant and teacher, among other positions, to help support her family from 1850 to
1862. During the Civil War, she went to Washington, D.C. to work as a nurse
• Her best work was Her novel Little Women (1868) that gave her financial independence and a lifetime writing
career.
• She grew up among many of the well-known intellectuals of the day such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel
Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau.
• Alcott had been publishing poems, short stories, thrillers, and juvenile tales since 1851, under the pen name Flora
Fairfield. In 1862, she also adopted the pen name A.M. Barnard, and some of her melodramas were produced on
Boston stages.
• Over the final years of her life, she turned out a steady stream of novels and short stories, mostly for young people
and drawn directly from her family life. Her other books include Little Men (1871), Eight Cousins (1875) and Jo's
Boys (1886).
• Alcott died in March 6, 1888, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

6. Historical Information
 Louisa’s writing was always done for the purpose of making money. She wrote what
she referred to as "lurid" stories as well as horror stories under several pseudonyms
and was moderately successful. Little Women was written at the request of her editor
who wanted her to write a "story for girls." Alcott wrote the novel quickly, writing a
chapter a day and basing the story on the real lives and events of herself and her
sisters. Although both she and her editor considered the story "flat," the response of
the public was overwhelmingly positive. It was the first novel of its kind, being
straightforward and true to life rather then existing solely to expound religious
didacticism or male views on how girls ought to behave. The book brought Alcott
fame and wealth almost overnight, but ultimately did not ease the pressures of her
private life. After a life of continuously fluctuating finances, she never felt secure in her
wealth. Furthermore, she took on the burdens of her mother’s illness and the care of
the family, struggling with a sense of loss over each death or marriage. She died in her
mid 50's after struggling with years of illness resulting from mercury poison-a "cure"
from pneumonia which she contracted during her years of nursing civil war soldiers.

7. Major Characters List
Josephine March (Jo) - The protagonist of the novel,
and the second-oldest March sister. Jo, who wants to be
a writer, is based on Louisa May Alcott herself. She hates
romance in her real life, and wants nothing more than to
hold her family together.
Meg March - The oldest March sister. Responsible and
kind. Meg is mothers to her younger sisters. The greater
part of her is gentle, loving, and morally vigorous.

8. Major Characters List
Beth March - The third March daughter. Beth is very quiet
and very virtuous, and she does nothing but try to please
others. She adores music and plays the piano very well.
Amy March - The youngest March girl. Amy is an artist
who adores visual beauty. She does attempt to improve
herself
Frederick Bhaer - A respected professor in Germany who
becomes an impoverished language instructor in America.
Frederick lives in New York, where he meets Jo. He is a kind person

9. Major Characters List
Laurie Laurence - The rich boy who lives next door to
the Marches. He becomes like a son and brother to the
Marches. He is charming, clever, and has a good heart.
Marmee - The March girls’ mother. Marmee is the moral role
model for her girls. She counsels them through all of their problems
and works hard but happily while her husband is at war.
Mr. Brooke - Laurie’s tutor. Mr. Brooke is poor but virtuous.

10. Summary
Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy March are four sisters living with their mother in
New England. Their father is away serving as a chaplain in the Civil War, and the
sisters struggle to support themselves and keep their household running despite the
fact that the family recently lost its fortune. In the process, they become close friends
with their wealthy neighbor, Theodore Laurence, known as "Laurie."
As the girls grow older, each faces her own personal demons and moral challenges.
Jo, our beloved protagonist, must tame her tomboyish ways and learn to be more
ladylike while pursuing her ambition to be a great writer. Meg, the oldest, must put
aside her love of wealth and finery in order to follow her heart. Beth, the shy one,
must conquer her bashfulness, while Amy, the youngest, has to sacrifice her
aristocratic pride. The girls are guided in their personal growth by their mother,
"Marmee," and by their religious faith.

11. Summary continue…
•
• The family's tight bonds are forever changed when Meg falls in love with John Brooke,
Laurie's tutor. Meg and John marry and begin a home of their own, quickly populated by
twins Daisy and Demi. Another marriage seems imminent when Laurie reveals to Jo that he
has fallen in love with her, but she declares that she cannot care for him in the same way. A
telegram brings a message that the girls’ father is critically ill. Mrs. March does not know
what to do. She feels that she should go to her husband at once, but she has barely five
dollars in her purse. She is hesitant about going to her husband’s wealthy, irascible relative
Aunt March for help. Jo solves the problem by selling her long, beautiful chestnut hair,
which has been her only vanity, for twenty-five dollars.
• Jo goes to New York as the governess for a family friend, Mrs. Kirke, experiencing the big
city and trying her hand as a professional writer. Meanwhile, Amy travels through Europe
with her wealthy Aunt Carroll and cousin Flo, nurturing her artistic talent. Separately, Laurie
goes to Europe accompanied by his grandfather. He pursues his passion for music and tries
to forget Jo. In addition to that, He met Amy while he was in Europe.

12. Summary continue…
• While in New York, Jo meets German expatriate Professor Bhaer, whose intellect
and strong moral nature spark her interest. Across the Atlantic, Laurie and Amy
discover that they lack the genius to be great artists, but that they make an excellent
romantic pairing. When Beth, who has never been strong, dies young, the sorrow of
their loss solidifies Amy's bond to Laurie. Back in the States, Jo returns home to care
for her bereaved parents and learns to embrace her domestic side.
All the loose ends are tied up as Jo and Professor Bhaer marry and start a boarding
school for boys, while Amy and Laurie marry and use the Laurence family wealth to
support struggling young artists. The Brooke, Bhaer, and Laurence households
flourish, and the novel ends with a birthday party for Marmee, celebrating the
extended March family connections and the progress of Jo's boarding school,
Plumfield.

13. Themes
 Family love
 Sibling rivalry
 Marriage
 Female Independence

14. Questions and Answers.
1-What did Jo wish to be ?
*She wished to be a great writer.
2-Which one of March girls died young ?
*Beth March died young.
3-How Jo could obtain 25 Dollars ?
*She sold her hair so as to obtain 25 Dollars.
4-where did Professor Frederick come from ?
*He came from Germany.
5- How Amy Travelled to Europe?
* Amy travelled through Europe with her wealthy Aunt Carroll and cousin Flo
6 Whom did Amy meet when she went to Europe?
*She met Laurie.

15. Questions and Answers
7- What did the Marches traditionally do before bedtime?
*They were singing.
8- why Jo refused Laurie’s proposal ?
*Because, Jo looked at him as her best friend and she couldn’t have the same romantic feeling.
9- Who was Laurie’s tutor?
*Mr. Brooke
10-Where did Jo meet Professor Fredrick for the first time?
*She met him in New York