Even today, when I flip through its aged and frail pages, I realize that this book has been with me for way too long. It has shared with me its knowledge and wisdom, while I have shared with it my sorrows and complaints. No matter what, whenever I behold the book, its radiant and juvenile characters always come to life in my imagination.
The book I’m talking about is none other than Louisa May Alcott’s magnum opus, ‘Little Women'. For those who might not be aware, Little Women is a classic novel penned by Louis May Alcott in the mid-nineteenth century. The novel revolves around the life of the March family and the four March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.
Little Women narrates not just the escapades of the four bubbly and charming sisters, but also shines a light on their hardships and predicaments which make them nobler. Even though the backdrop of the entire plot is their poverty-stricken and war-torn conditions, the author also highlights several moments of joie de vivre.
The beauty of the book lies in the innocence and simplicity of its characters. Even if I read the book for the umpteenth time, there will always be room for me to admire and cherish its tender-heartedness. Every personality in the book has something to teach, something to say. Be it Beth’s soft-spoken and shy nature or Jo's daredevil and mischievous traits. All the girls have something to lend to the reader.
The March sisters have over the years cultivated many good habits within me. The characters have taught me to be thankful for whatever God has endowed us with. Mrs March's endless acts of charity have acquainted me with the power of kindness and love.
Their humble abode and unpretentious way of living are what strike me the most as a reader. Even their motives for finding happiness in the smallest of things are mind-boggling yet mesmerizing. The book is full of human marvels, to say the least.
The huge impact this book has had on me over the years is indescribable. I cannot and will never be able to trade the joy this book has given me with anything in this world. I still to this day, treasure the values and morals it has taught me and hopes that even others taste its magic sooner or later.