Exam questions Literature & Language Essay Paper (Essay Sample)

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Question 2
To what extent does Jo provide a model of independence in L. M. Alcott’s Little Women? Discuss with reference to episodes from the novel.
A model of independence has been deeply provided in little women by Jo, especially through her actions that make her independent, and how she becomes an independent woman. Jo, alongside her sisters, face challenges which enable them to realize that life problems should be taken positively as factors of enabling one to learn from past mistakes in order to make better choices in future. Jo has played a major role in female independence by providing for by mother and family. In her teenage life, Jo is tasked with a lot of responsibilities, which eventually teaches her to be independent. It is such experiences that compel Jo to “write books, become rich and famous” (Monfried and Alcott, 1989, p. 141). During her low moments, her family came through for her and always encouraged her, “write something for us, and don’t mind the rest of the world” (p.419). From their experienced circumstances, Jo and her sisters realize learn and enjoy their job virtues.
In little women, Jo has extensively used a model of independence in representing how feminine gender ought to be to a level that makes the reader believe that everything is possible for women. In little women, Jo is that exclusive woman who rescinds those limits imposed on the feminine gender during her time, in addition to being against the heroine’s usual journey, one comprising of love and marriage. In her writing journey, she feels well appreciated by her father who tells her that “do your best and grow as happy as we are in your success” (Monfried and Alcott, 1989, p. 141). Jo’s model of independence antecedes the suffrage of women, anti-discrimination laws and second-wave feminism.