Becoming Women: Little Women Portrays the Path to Maturity as a Beautiful Story -

By Miriam Trujillo

Little Women has been adapted as a film seven times and as a TV show three times. This count does not even include the opera, the ballet, the broadway play, and the manga series. In a society where sequels, franchises, and live-action remakes of classic animations are ubiquitous, people have been wondering why there is a need for another Little Women. 2017’s Lady Bird’s ingenious director, Greta Gerwig, therefore, was not only set with the task of making an adaptation that would entertain and sell but also having to prove to the world that there was one more way to tell this story. Her casting choices and the unexpectedly non-linear screenplay went far in making this tale of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy one of the most inspirational and joyous yet.

Gerwig’s story, unlike any other well-known version of Little Women, starts in New York where Jo is alone and trying to make a living. Jo, typically the tale’s protagonist, is far away from her Massachusetts home and all of her sisters. Meg, the oldest, is already married and adjusting to the challenge of a shared life. Beth is ill and resting in the home she never left, while Amy is far away in Europe, and is acting very grown-up (unless tempted otherwise).

This beginning feels very off. There is no real reason for grief, and yet these opening scenes (through Gerwig’s choices of lighting, words, and set design) feel muted and sad. This directorial decision leaves one baffled until the abrupt switch into a flashback of the sisters’ childhood, and the reasoning becomes incredibly clear. These four women derive so much strength, energy, and joy from each other that it is a sad world when they are forced apart. Each woman, without even trying, brings out what is most alive and unique about her sisters.

In this version of Little Women, the family dynamic is what tells the story, not just the spirited and solitary heroine Jo’s struggle to fit into a world that narrowly defines womanhood. Although it is true that Jo is still a heroine, and her quest to stay true to herself and her talent is inspirational, it is also true that in this version of the tale all of the four girls are portrayed as heroines. Gerwig spins the colorful, but few, attributes of the other three characters into full-fledged personalities that all take on the world, each other, and the identity of women in different directions.

Beth’s shyness and gentleness are no longer cutesy traits that essentially say all there is to be said about her. Rather, the audience sees her struggle to overcome her shyness when her big heart so compels her. Her gentleness is not merely a saintly and passive background presence, rather it manifests itself in odd quirks, like her habit of feeding her dolls at mealtimes, and in genuinely life-changing instances, such as when she prods Jo into writing her first real quality book.

Meg takes on the truly heroic task of marriage. This act is something which she and her family see as not just a way for a woman to be excluded from society, but as a daunting task that takes faith and nerve. These qualities unexpectedly spring from a meek Meg and make a woman out of her.

Amy, arguably the most interesting character in this version of Little Women, is terrifically immature. Her aggravating ability to act at least five years younger than her age is deliciously emphasized by the fact that actress Florence Pugh, age twenty-four, behaves outrageously younger than she looks. This Amy, however, receives a subtle, yet incredibly thought-provoking path to maturity. She is humbled by her lack of great artistic talent–although she is a decent painter– and is ennobled by her realization that she is capable of greater love than just making a rich marriage. Amy is a true woman by the end and, considering her original character, that may be the greatest miracle of this version of Little Women.

These rich characters fuel all that there is to love about this familiar tale. The girls’ struggles to get their talents recognized are born out of real personality-filled decisions. The tensions between Jo and Amy are real, and yet not so real as to be unconquerable. The various love stories make thorough sense because they originate from well-thought-out characters. Most of all, the sister dynamic — talking over each other, pummeling each other, getting on each others’ nerves, dressing up as boys and having secret clubs, and putting on house plays — comes to glorious life under the skillful hands of these four young actresses at the top of their game.

In a world that incessantly claims “women can be whatever they want to be” and then only chooses to portray women who have reached dazzling heights of success, athleticism, and beauty, it is refreshing to see a picture of four ordinary girls. Each takes her own path in life, and each one vividly lives out her own interpretation of womanhood in small relatable ways. As a team of sisters, they prove quietly but eloquently that the little way of life is no ordinary thing after all.