República Bolivariana de Venezuela

Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador

Instituto Pedagógico "Rafael Alberto Escobar Lara"

Little men by Louisa May Alcott

Professor: Students:
Rebeca Oropeza Beatriz Barrios
Jhonder Santana
 Important points:

• About the Author.

• Literary Approach.
• Little Men.
• Structural Analysis.
• References.
 Louisa May Alcott
• Louisa was born on November 29th in 1832 in
Germantown, Pennsylvania. She was the
daughter of transcentalist and educator Amos
Bronson Alcott and social worker Abby May.

• She was the second of four daughters: Anna

Bronson Alcott was the eldest, Elizabeth Seawall
Alcott and Abigail May Alcott were the two
youngest.
Alcott was an abolitionist, a feminist and
remained unmarried throughout her life. All her
life she was active in such reform movements as
temperance and women's suffrage.

In 1860

Alcott began writing for the Atlantic Monthly

when the American Civil War broke out, she
served as a nurse in the Union Hospital in
Georgetown DC, for six weeks in 1862- 1863.
Her letters home-revised and published in the
Boston anti-slavery paper commonwealth and
collected as Hospital Sketches (1863, republished
with additions in 1869) brought her first critical
recognition for her observation and humor.
 1868

Alcott published Little Women this year, it is set

in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in
Concord, Massachusetts and it is loosely based
on Alcott's childhood experience with her three
sister.
 Sociological perspective
"Sociological critics argue that literary works
should not be isolated from social context in which
they are embedded and this approach emphasize
the ways power relations are played out by
varying social forces and institutions. Sociological
critics focus on the values of a society and how
those values are reflected in literary works". (Di
Yanni, Robert. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry,
Drama and the Essay. Boston. Mc Graw-Hill. 1998).
Furthermore, the novel Little Men has many
aspects from the sociological approach like the
economic development in the Plumfield
academy, the class relations and who races are
treated. Indeed, those aspects are presented in
this literary work by the institution Plumfield
and every child is an aspect of manner in the
society there.
 Little Men
This story was originally inspired by the death of
Alcott's brother-in-law, which is revealed in one
of the last chapter when a beloved character,
John Brooke from Little Women dies.
The novel narrates six months in the life of the
students at Plumfield, a school run by German
professor Friedrich and his wife Mrs. Josephine
Bhaer.
 Structural analysis
• Characters. • Message.
• Conflict. • Point of view.
• Simile. • Plot.
• Metaphor. • Satire.
• Personification. • Setting.
• Hyperbole.
• Summary.
• Flashback.
• Symbol.
• Foreshadowing.
• Theme.
• Imagery.
• • Tone.
Irony.
 Characterization:
"character is a fictional personality created by an
author. Characters are the person's presented in
a dramatic or narrative work, who are
interpreted by the reader as being endowed
with moral, dispositional, and emotional
qualities that are expressed in what they say-
dialogue- and what they do the action" (Oropeza
R, Lopez D' Amigo R, Alvarado, C. (2003). P. 3)
 Main character:

Nat Blake: street-musician, thin and pale boy, 12

years old with blue eyes.
 Secundary characters:
• Tommy Bangs: a lively boy with 11 years old.
• Demi Brooke: a little shy boy, intelligent and a philosopher.
• Daisy Brooke: not to tall like Demi, she has a rounder
rosier face and blue eyes.
• Jo Bhaer: thin lady, she is not at all handsome but she is
very kind.
• Fritz Bhaer: Jo's husband.
• Dan: unprepossessing boy, 14 years old.
• Stuffy Cole: fat, fretful and lazy boy, 12 years old.
• Nan: a wild girl.
 Tertiary characters:
• Rob Bhaer: energetic morsel of a boy.
• Teddy Bhaer: the baby.
• Franz: a big tall lad, 16 years old, blond and bookish also a very domestic, amiable and
musical.
• Emil: quick tempered, restless and enterprising.
• Sick Brown: good little lad.
• Jack Ford: sharp, rather a sly las.
• Ned Barker: 14 years old, all legs blonde.
• Billy Ward: quite docile and harmless.
• Silas.
• Mr. Laurence.
• Asia.
• Aunt Mary.
• The princess: mixture of child, Angel and fairy, lovely creature, golden hair and blue eyes.
 Vanishing characters:
• Dr. Firth.
 Conflict:
"Every story, novel or play develops around struggle or
conflict. Conflicts in literature are of two general types:
• External conflict, in which the character or figure
(sometime an animal or a group) fights against another
character, nature, fate or society.
• Internal conflict, in which the character struggles
against some element of his/her own personality
(his/her conscience or code of values, for example)".
(Oropeza R, Lopez D'Amico R, Alvarado, C. (2003). P. 4)
 Main conflict:
In the novel Little Men the main conflict is
external and Man Vs. Fate. In this case is Nat
(the main character) Vs. Fate because he
confront the list of his family as a result of this
calamity he goes with pumpkins.
 Secundary conflict
• External conflict:
Man Vs. Society = Pumphlyn Vs. Society, Nan Vs.
Society.

Man Vs. Man = Jo's boys Vs. Dan, Me. Bhaer Vs. Dan,
Jo Bhaer Vs. Fritz Bhaer.

• Internal conflict:
Man Vs. Himself = Dan Vs. Himself.
 Simile:

"A simile is an explicit comparison between two

objects which are very different, but share some
common elements using, as, than, like or
resembles, to state this comparison". (Oropeza,
R, Lopez D'Amico R, Alvarado, C. Pag. 9).
• who stood smiling and clapping her hands like a girl.
• They all adored her, especially Rob, who considered her a sort of doll.
• crossed the desert on a camel, who pitched him about like a ship in a
storm.
• looked at Mr. Laurie as if he thought him one of the greatest public
benefactors that ever blessed the world.
• as he watched them flitting to and fro like winged sparks.
• Mrs. Jo, taking Nan into her capacious embrace, and cuddling both
children as a hen might gather her lost chickens under her motherly wings.
• "I don't like to tie you up like a naughty little dog, but if you don't
remember any better than a dog, I must treat you like one.”
• the golden hair which she inherited from her blonde mamma enveloped
her like a shining veil.
• she shrunk from her as if she thought her a sort of wild animal.
• Like a swarm of bees about a very sweet flower, the affectionate lads
surrounded their pretty playmate, and kissed her till she looked like a little
rose.
 Metaphor:

"A metaphor is an implicit comparison between

two objects, implying that one is another. In the
metaphor the comparison is implied rather than
stated: a literal term is substituted by another
which becomes the figurative terms" (Oropeza,
R, Lopez D'Amico R, Alvarado, C. Pag. 10).
• "Stop the triumphal car and let Jupiter descend,"
• he was borne off by Mrs. Jo, with a train of small boys
following.
• Mamma will come flying out to get her if I'm not back
early.
• the frogs in a neighboring marsh began to pipe up for the
evening concert.
• she prepared herself for a sudden eruption of the domestic
volcano.
• To be sure she felt a little like a wild bird in a pretty cage at
first, and occasionally had to slip out to stretch her wings in a long
flight, or to sing at the top of her voice, where neither would disturb
the plump turtle-dove Daisy, nor the dainty golden canary Bess.
• "The early bird got the worm this time, I'm sure," said Mrs.
Jo, merrily.
 Imagery:
"Imagery is defined as concrete details that
appeal to the senses, so the writer establishes
mood and arouses emotion in the readers. The
reader can see, hear, smell, touch and taste"
(Oropeza R, Lopez D'Amico R, Alvarado, C.
(2003). P. 15).
• Chapter 1: Nat saw a large square house before
him–a hospitable-looking house, with an old-
fashioned porch, wide steps, and lights shining in
many windows. Neither curtains nor shutters hid
the cheerful glimmer; and, pausing a moment
before he rang.
• She was not at all handsome, but she had a merry
sort of face that never seemed to have forgotten
certain childish ways and looks, any more than her
voice and manner had; and these things, hard to
describe but very plain to see and feel, made her a
genial, comfortable kind of person, easy to get on
with, and generally "jolly," as boys would say.
• Chapter 3: "This is my Sunday closet," she
said, showing him shelves filled with picture-
books, paint-boxes, architectural blocks, little
diaries, and materials for letter-writing.
• Nat looked with delight from the babbling
brown water below to the green arch above,
where bees were making a musical murmur as
they feasted on the long yellow blossoms that
filled the air with sweetness.
• Chapter 9: "I am the mother, so I shan't dress up
much," said Daisy, putting on a night-cap
ornamented with a red bow, one of her aunt's
long skirts, and a shawl; a pair of spectacles and
large pocket handkerchief completed her toilette,
making a plump, rosy little matron of her.
• Nan had a wreath of artificial flowers, a pair of
old pink slippers, a yellow scarf, a green muslin
skirt, and a fan made of feathers from the duster;
also, as a last touch of elegance, a smelling-bottle
without any smell in it.
• Chapter 11: as the lads crowded round the pretty
child, admiring her long golden hair, dainty dress,
and lofty ways, for the little "Princess," as they
called her, allowed no one to kiss her, but sat
smiling down upon them, and graciously patting
their heads with her little, white hands.
• Chapter 12: as he roamed about the great
pasture, full of interesting rocks and stumps, with
familiar little creatures in the grass, and well-
known insects dancing in the air.
 Message:
"Message is what some critics that a story
teachers to its readers and what deals with such
complex questions as the value of human life
and the sources of human ideals and aspirations.
A message contrary to theme tries to tell the
reader how to act or behave according to moral
values" (Oropeza R, Lopez D'Amico R, Alvarado,
C. (2003). P. 19).
 Point of view:
"The author's choice of a narrator of his/her story. A narrator
is the one from whose perspective the story is told.
• First person, the narrator (I) is a character in the story, who
can reveal only his/her own thoughts and feelings and what
he/she sees and listen to.
• Third person objective, the narrator in an outsider, who can
report only what he/she sees and hears.
• Third person omniscient, the narrator is an 'all knowing
outsider's who can enter the minds of one or all the
characters" (Oropeza R, Lopez D'Amico R, Alvarado, C. (2003).
P. 24).
 Un the novel Little Men the point of view is
third person omniscient.
 Plot:
"The significant pattern of action in a story,
novel or play. The plot usually involves one or
more conflicts, which may be external o internal.
In a plot, each detail is important. The incidents
are carefully selected and so arranged in a
cause-effect relationship that each is a necessary
link leading to the outcome of the story"
(Oropeza R, Lopez D'Amico R, Alvarado, C.
(2003). p. 25).
 Setting:
"The time and place of a any literary work (story, play or
poem). Usually the setting is established through
description early in a narrative. The setting may be also
suggested by the use of details and imagery throughout the
narrative.
An authorcan suggest the setting by references to articles of
clothing, famous historical figures, well known landmarks,
or through the dialect and speech patterns of the characters
that he/she has created" (Oropeza R, Lopez D'Amico R,
Alvarado, C. (2003). P. 32)
 Plumfield school:
• Two classrooms.
• Nursery.
• The kitchen.
• Hall.
• Dining room.
• A fire place.
• The barn.
• The garden.
• Menagerie.
 Summary:
"A summary is a condensed statement of the
main points of a literary work expressed in your
own works and sentence structures. A summary
reviews the main points of narrative and gets
the gist of what the narrator says" (Oropeza R,
Lopez D'Amico R, Alvarado, C. (2003). P. 33).
 The story began when a young boy, Nat, a shy young
orphan who is gifted at playing the violin and telling fibs
arrives at Plumfield School. There are ten boys attending
the school already. Then, Nat comes to Plumfield,
followed by his friend Dan. After that, Nan arrives and
becomes a companion for Daisy, the only girl.
Plumfield is not run by conventional means. All the
children have their own gardens and their own pets and
are encouraged to experiment with running businesses.
Pillow fights are permitted on Saturdays, subject to a
time limit. Children are treated as individuals, with a
strong emphasis on gently molding their characters.
 Dan originally decides the other boys are
"molly-coddles" and leads them in experiments
with boxing, fighting, drinking, smoking,
profanity, and card games, which results in him
being temporarily removed from the school. Dan
eventually returns to Plumfield with an injured
foot and redeems himself by standing up for Nat
when Nat is falsely accused of theft by the other
boys. He later becomes a curator of the school's
natural history museum.
 Theme:
"Theme is the underlying meaning of a literary
work, a general truth about life or mankind. A
theme may be stated or implied. Not every
literary work contains a theme" (Oropeza R,
Lopez D'Amico R, Alvarado, C. (2003). P. 36).
 Tone:
"Tone is conveyed through the writer's choice of
words and descriptions of characters, and
setting. Tone can usuallybe described with an
adjective, such as: amused, angry, indifferent,
ironic, satirical, comic, passionate, melancholic,
sarcastic or by any of a number of others
emotional states" (Oropeza R, Lopez D'Amico R,
Alvarado C. (2003). P. 39).
The tone of this novel is friendly that the reader
can enjoy the story.
 Reference:
Oropeza R, D'Amico R, Alvarado C. (2003).
Handbook of literary terms.
Di Yanni, Robert, Mc Graw-Hill. (1998).
Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and
the Essay. Boston.
www.wickipedia.com.ve