Louisa May Alcott was most known for her famous novel Little Women that was published in 1868. Her success wasn’t limited to this ever-loved novel, or the additional sequels that followed later on. With short stories, poetry and a list of other winning novels, Louisa was quite a sensation during her century, as well as ours.
Louisa was born in November of 1832, in Pennsylvania. Her father, Bronson, was a transcendentalist and teacher. Her mother, Abby, was a social worker and a busy mother of four daughters. Louisa was the second born of her sisters. As a young girl, she could be found jealously peering at the boys within the area. This was only until she realized she could just as easily join in on their adventurous games!
A tomboy at heart, that was never afraid of a bit of roughhousing, Louisa grew up with her father’s perfectionism and demanding hand. He implemented strict rules on eating meat, enforcing a vegan household, before veganism was even a “thing”. Bronson shunned meat stating, “It is calculated that if no animal food were consumed, one-fourth of the land now used would suffice for human sustenance.”
Her father was part of the Transcendental Club that included Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (acclaimed writers). His eccentric ways, lack of accountability and mental instability shaped Louisa’s mind early on. He had very independent attitudes and also abandoned responsibility to financially take care of this family. This lead to often being on his wife’s bad side. Abby resented her husband for his lack of appreciation, acknowledgement of her sacrifices and recognizing the inequality of women during this time. Much of this resentment leaked into her view towards all men, dribbling down into her daughter Louisa’s mind and heart. Louisa saw firsthand that her father wasn’t one to take the lead financially, and she would need to step up to provide for their family.
Bronson established an experimental school in connection to the Transcendental Club, with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Louisa’s family moved 22 times in 30 years, due to the communal living situation that was rampant among transcendentalists. In 1840, after several obstacles arose with the school the group founded, the family moved to a cottage along Sudbury River in Massachusetts. They received some financial help from Ralph Waldo Emerson and the family felt a caress of unfamiliar calmness, not previously experienced. They soaked up the tranquility of this new environment and later described this period as an “idyllic” time in their lives.
Three years later, the family moved with 6 others to the newly established Utopian Fruitland’s Community. This community was formed by Bronson and based on one primary principal, abstinence from worldly activity. After only a year, the community crumbled. Thankfully Ralph Waldo Emersion offered to assist with finances (again) and Abby still had a bit of money from her inheritance tucked away. They bought a home in Concord…alas, this dwelling didn’t last long. They were pushed out after a few years by Nathaniel Hawthorne as he wanted dibs on the cozy dwelling. In 1858, the family resided (long-term) in a two-story clapboard farmhouse. Hopefully they stayed put this time!
From an early age, Louisa found ways to assist with the family finances. She and her sisters took various jobs like teaching, writing and occupying the role of a governess. The youngest daughter Abigail was the only daughter who attended public school. I wonder how that went over with all of the sisters. Louisa lost much of her childhood due to the constant juggling of jobs and household duties. This was greatly overwhelming to young Louisa, but she pushed onward, carrying the heavy anxieties that were thrown upon her shoulders. What’s a girl to do with all that pressure? Write! She enjoyed writing as an escape and hid in its ever-changing shadows often. She published her first book of tales called Flowers and Fables in 1849, writing of how she longed to be rich, normal and have a happy family.
In 1847, Louisa and her family were station masters on the Underground Railroad. This meant that they would offer a peaceful retreat to hide those on the run from the law. Needless to say, a fugitive slave shouldn’t have been in enslaved to begin with. Therefore, the family willingly housed a fugitive slave and confided with American social reformer Frederick Douglas (a national leader of the abolitionist movement), gaining insight and perspective on future endeavors.
At 25 years old, Louisa hit a point where she went through a severe depression. She was unable to find work and began contemplating suicide. Her younger sister Elizabeth died in 1858 and then her older sister Anna married. The broken bonds of sisterhood consumed her and she felt betrayed. Thankfully she didn’t allow the thoughts to fester enough to be acted upon, despite the shifts in her life and bonds of sisterly loyalties being torn within her heart.
When the Civil War erupted, she served as a nurse during 1862-1863. Louisa grew up as an abolitionist and a feminist, with passions that often shift into fervent desires of helping those in need. Early into her service, she contracted typhoid fever and became deathly ill. People who develop typhoid fever have a temperature of 103˚F-104˚F, among several other painful symptoms. Fortunately, she made a full recovery! This lifechanging experience led to the publication of Hospital Sketches, a collection of her letters home that was published in 1863. These writings showcased her humor, critical detail and impeccable ability to observe her surroundings. She noticed cold-hearted and apathetic souls who took the lead in healthcare and felt frustration of their ascendancy. Her father was extremely proud of his daughter for her time served as a nurse. He wrote a poem to her commending her for her selflessness, helping injured solders and bringing cheer into their family home whenever there. I’m sure as writer herself, seeing his sweet compliments in writing made her heart feel much comfort.
During 1863-1872, Louisa anonymously wrote at least 33 gothic thrillers for popular magazines, and they were reintroduced again in 1975. The novels she wrote during this time were fiery and passionate, featuring determined and smart female leads of course. Self reflective writing perhaps? Louisa didn’t just stay with what she had been successful with though! She began writing children’s books. These became so admired and widespread that she didn’t return to adult audiences and focused solely on writing for children.
In 1879, Louisa’s other sister May died in 1879, leaving behind her daughter, Lulu (short for Louisa). She took her niece in and relished in caring for her, despite all her own personal health problems. Louisa suffered from vertigo that was caused by mercury poisoning. There are reports she suffered of lupus as well, with linked symptoms of flushing across her cheeks and nose, described as the “butterfly rash”. When Louisa was serving as a nurse during the Civil War and contracted typhoid fever, she was injected with medicine that is speculated as the cause of the mercury poisoning, but not confirmed.
At only age 55, Louisa passed away of a stroke in 1888 after developing a severe headache. Interestingly, her father had passed only two days prior – also of a stroke. Her niece Lulu was only 8 years old and was then reunited with her birthfather in Europe, after brief stay with her Aunt Anna, (the oldest of the Alcott daughters). Louisa had written in her personal journal often. She expressed excitement about personal hobbies such as running and going on long walks. Is she my kindred spirit or what? She found tremendous joy in being active and being outdoors. She also had written about a young romance with a Polish man, Laddie (inspiration for her character Teddy in the novel Little Women). She later removed this section from her journal herself before passing. One can’t help but wonder if this was her one true lost love, or if it was more of an adolescent embarrassment she hoped to wipe away and conceptualize as mere fiction.
All in all, Little Women was a huge success, a story that young and old alike appreciate and easily connect to. Such a talented and gifted soul, yet her humility and loyalty remained intact. Most often, if she ever received a visitor at her home, Louisa would pretend she was a meek servant, scurrying away from the praise…only to close the door and sit in her own independently earned success. Louisa was kind, shy, daring, and witty. Her writing provided an escape and an opportunity to dive headfirst into the hidden versions of herself that she wasn’t free to reveal.
“We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing.”
References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisa_May_Alcott