The Life of a Little Woman Louisa May Alcott was a 19th century writer whose work has continued to grace the homes of many over the years. Much of her writing was influenced by the events of her life and her experiences. Her career as a writer started at a young age and continued to grow until the end of her life. Alcott wrote a variety of pieces and for a wide audience. She was a multitalented woman whose writing was one of few steady aspects of her life. Louisa May Alcott was a talented writer who led an interesting life. Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29, 1832 (Durbin). She was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania to Amos Bronson Alcott and Abigail May Alcott (Durbin). Louisa was one of four daughters born to the Alcotts. She had an older sister, named Anna, and two younger sisters, named Lizzie and May (Durbin). The Alcotts moved somewhat frequently throughout Louisa’s life, and many of their moves were due to her father’s job or other familial needs. They first moved to Boston for her father’s career as an educator and then to Concord (Durbin). Louisa May Alcott received the beginnings of her education in Boston and Concord, although she never received any formal education. Most of Alcott’s learning came from her father who was an “idealistic philosopher” and teacher (Louisa May Alcott). “Her father believed strongly in the values of high moral principles, self-reliance, reading, and philosophical discussion”, and he taught many of these things to his daughters (Louisa May Alcott). When the Alcotts were living in Concord, Louisa met some people who would be influential to her writing career. One of those people was both a neighbor and family friend and an esteemed writer, and he was named Ralph Waldo Emerson (Louisa May Alcott). The Alcotts became close with the Emerson family and Louisa was able to learn a lot from them. She was also able to learn from Henry David Thoreau, and she was permitted to use both Emerson’s and Thoreau’s personal libraries (Louisa May Alcott). Louisa May Alcott received the influence not only of Emerson and Thoreau, but of others such as James Russell Lowell, Julia Ward, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Margaret Fuller (Louisa May Alcott). While much of her education and writing influence came from her father and family friends, Alcott’s mother influenced other areas of her life. Her mother was a strong Christian and was involved in women’s rights and the act to abolish slavery, and her interests influenced Alcott later in life (Duda). Louisa May Alcott also learned from her everyday experiences. The Alcott family never had a large amount of money; in fact, they were relatively poor. Because of their financial situation, Louisa began working various jobs at a relatively young age. One of her first jobs was reading to an old man and his sister, and in addition, Louisa and her sister Anna started teaching young children as well as mending and washing laundry to help their family (Durbin). Louisa also worked as a seamstress, a governess, a household servant, and as a teacher (Duda). The writing of Louisa May Alcott started at a young age in the midst of her family’s busy life. Louisa wrote her very first poem at the age of eight, but started to develop her writing more in the time when the Alcotts were living in an experimental community village known as the “Fruitlands” (Duda). Louisa practiced her writing in a variety of ways. She kept a journal in which she wrote often, and she began writing multiple poems and short stories which she and her sisters enjoyed acting out (Duda). When Louisa’s works first began to be published, she often wrote under other names. Her first poem to be published was called “Sunlight”, and it was published under the name Flora Fairfield in Peterson’s Magazine. One of Louisa May Alcott’s first stories to be published was one she wrote at the age of 15, and it was called “The Rival Painters” (Duda). The story was published in 1852 and printed in the Olive Branch under her own name (Duda). In 1854, another short story of Alcott’s was published in the Saturday Evening Gazette, and it was called “Rival Prima Donnas” (Duda). At the age of 16, Louisa May Alcott wrote her first book, although it wasn’t published until December 9, 1854 (Duda). Her first book was a collection of fairy tales titled Flower Fables, and Louisa dedicated it to Ellen Emerson, the daughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson (Duda). Soon after publishing her first book, the Alcott family moved from Concord Massachusetts, to which they had returned after living in the “Fruitlands”, to Walpole, New Hampshire (Durbin). As Louisa wanted to further her writing career, she decided to remain in Boston instead of going with her family. In 1856, though, Louisa’s younger sister Lizzie got sick with scarlet fever and the family decided to return to Concord (Durbin). Soon after, Louisa’s older sister announced her engagement, and Louisa felt it was necessary for her to move back to Concord to be with her mother (Durbin). In 1862, a few years after she returned to Concord, Louisa decided to serve as a nurse in Washington, D.C. during the Civil War (Durbin). Unfortunately, she contracted typhoid fever and was treated with a drug containing large amounts of mercury; although it helped her recover from typhoid, the poisoning effects of mercury would stay with her (Durbin). While in D.C., Louisa continued writing. She wrote a variety of pieces, some of which were inspired by her time in Washington, D.C.. Eventually, Louisa’s publisher, Thomas Niles, approached her and requested a “girl’s story” (Durbin). This was the beginning of Louisa May Alcott’s most famous piece of writing, Little Women. Little Women was written by Alcott in just two and a half months, and was largely influenced by her own life. The story of Little Women focused on the March sisters who were four “spirited girls” growing up in the Civil War Era (Durbin). The characters, Jo, Amy, Beth and Meg, were based on Louisa and her three sisters, and in many ways they were a “reflection of Louisa May Alcott’s own youth” (Louisa May Alcott). Little Women was published on September 30, 1868 and over 2,000 copies of the book were sold immediately (Durbin). Louisa ended up writing the book in two volumes, with the second even more popular than the first. The second sold over 13,000 copies instantly (Durbin).
Little Women was based on a girl’s coming of age and was a unique book at the time. According to an article titled, “Louisa May Alcott”, “Jo March was the first american juvenile heroine to act from her own individuality -- a living, breathing person rather than the idealized stereotype then prevalent in children’s fiction.” For this reason, many people were able to relate to the book and the characters, and Little Women became very popular. Because of its popularity, Louisa May Alcott even wrote a sequel to the book, titled Little Men, and it was published in 1871.
A few years after Louisa wrote Little Women, her mother died, and the next year, in 1878, Louisa’s youngest sister, May, got married (Duda). In 1879, May gave birth to a daughter and named her Louisa Marie after Alcott, but called her “Lulu” (Duda). When Lulu was only a month old, her mother passed away, and she was left in the care of Louisa May Alcott (Duda). Louisa never married or had any children of her own, so Lulu became her family. Throughout the rest of her life, Alcott continued to write, and on March 4, 1888, her father passed away (Duda). On March 6, 1888, only two short days later, Louisa May Alcott passed away herself from the mercury poisoning she had contracted as a nurse (Duda). Over the course of her life, Louisa May Alcott wrote more than 300 literary works in a variety of genres (Duda).
Louisa May Alcott began writing at a young age and was able to grow in her writing throughout her life. Through all stages of her life, Alcott was able to take inspiration from what was around her and write incredible pieces. Louisa May Alcott’s legacy has outlasted her, and she remains a popular writer to this day. Both men and women, young and old, are able to enjoy the accomplishments of Louisa May Alcott. In a review of her book, Little Women, a reader said, “I know I will remember this book for years to come...as it is a book to treasure and keep [and] to pass on for generations” (Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - Review). Louisa May Alcott did not have the most glamorous life, but she focused on what was most important and made the most of what she had in order to become a well renowned and successful writer.

Works Cited
Biography.com Editors. “Louisa May Alcott Biography.” The Biography.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
Durbin, Deborah. “About the Author.” American Studies at the University of Virginia. The University of Virginia, 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
Duda, Lauren E. “Alcott, Louisa May.” Pennsylvania Center for the Book. Pennsylvania State University, 2015. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
“Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - Review.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 18 June 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
“Louisa May Alcott.” Louisa May Alcott. Louisa May Alcott Memorial Association, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
“Louisa May Alcott.” Netstate. Nstate LLC, 25 Feb. 2016. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.