No Gentlemen Admitted :: essays research papers

"No gentlemen were admitted" writes Louisa May Alcott in midget Women to spot the all-fe virile sequestered revue the blemish sisters perform. And as the novel progresses, one cannot help only wonder if this same sentiment does indeed echo throughout the novel, as male characters argon conspicuously absent while all the arctic parts are played by the women characters. This gender imbalance -- in that there are more female characters than male in lilliputian Women -- is especially obvious when male authority figures such as Mr March and Mr Lawrence are markedly absent for just about of the novel. When they do appear, they are in need of love and care from the women. Mr Lawrence, who is nursing a downcast sum over the death of his daughter, is healed by Beths gentle manners, while Mr Marchs broken constitution is nursed back to health by his loving wife and daughters. The only male character who appears prominently in Little Women is Laurie, who, although the riches t and most eligible bachelor for miles, is drawn to the motherly smile and warmth of the unretentive cottage, despite the luxuries of his mansion next door. John Brooke, Lauries tutor and gazillions husband, too, is drawn to the homey atmosphere of the March residence, having recently disjointed his mother.In a bold move that differentiates Alcott from her contemporaries, the male characters in Little Women are all not capable of providing sustenance to their womenfolk as they are incapacitated (either by a war injury, an emotional scar, or an devoid background). The women are thus forced to take on varied roles in order to provide materially and emotionally for the family. They are the ones who shoulder the saddle in situations not unlike those of the Alcott family. Is it by chance, or is premeditation, that most of Alcotts novels feature an absent father? And when he does reappear, he is very a good deal silent, ill or injured. It is obvious Alcott has problems portraying st rong male characters, plausibly from the fact that she hadnt seen too galore(postnominal) of them. Furthermore, Alcott is not able to describe a situation where love is emoted expressively from men. In all her novels, the male characters disappoint -- in one way or the other. In many ways, they are very similar to her own father. Bronson Alcott was a man who pet dreaming, shirking his fatherly and husbandly