Little Men

“Demi was one of the children who show plainly the effect of intelligent love and care, for soul and body worked harmoniously together. The natural refinement which nothing but home influence can teach, gave him sweet and simple manners: his mother had cherished an innocent and loving heart in him; his father had watched over the physical growth of his boy.”

This characterization of Demi, the nephew of the Bhaers, highlights the values of family life that create a desirable character and successful holistic education. The description of Demi’s parents highlights the conventional roles of male and female parents in raising children. In the 19th century, mothers were expected to support the moral development and emotional health of the child, while fathers were tasked with providing for their physical welfare. This view is emphasized through the description of Demi as dually blessed in “soul and body,” representing the balance of his parents’ approach and the importance of a “home influence.”

“Mr. Bhaer had infinite patience with him and kept on in spite of the apparent hopelessness of the task, not caring for book lessons, but trying gently to clear away the mists from the darkened mind, and give it back intelligence enough to make the boy less a burden and an affliction.”

The anecdote of Billy’s situation, in which he suffers a mental breakdown due to the overzealous and demanding parenting methods of his father, is a cautionary tale about the harm caused by bad or neglectful parenting. In contrast with Billy’s “ambitious” father, Mr. Bhaer’s unconventional curriculum prioritizes Billy’s welfare and recovery over strict academics. Mr. Bhaer’s characterization as a patient and kind teacher, and his goal to lessen Billy’s burden on society, demonstrate the importance of mindful parenting for a better life for the individual, and a productive society.

“Latin, Greek, and mathematics were all very well, but in Professor Bhaer’s opinion, self-knowledge, self-help, and self-control were more important, and he tried to teach them carefully. People shook their heads sometimes at his ideas, even while they owned that the boys improved wonderfully in manners and morals. But then, as Mrs. Jo said to Nat, ‘it was an odd school.’”

The novel emphasizes that Plumfield is different, or “odd,” compared to other schools. Despite its unconventional methods, however, it still upholds the values of 19th-century society, depicted through the alliterative phrase, “manners and morals.” The alliteration, or repetition, of ‘s’ sounds in the phrase “self-knowledge, self-help, and self-control" highlights the primary goals of the Bhaers’ personalized education methodology.

“I call this my conscience book; and only you and I will ever know what is to be written on the page below your name. Whether you will be pleased or ashamed to read it next Sunday depends on yourself.”

The “conscience book” is a symbol of Mrs. Jo’s motherly authority and role as spiritual guide for the young men in her charge. The individual notes that she takes on each boy’s development show her dedication to providing a personalized education and to love each child for their unique self. The responsibility of the student to determine whether they will be “pleased or ashamed” demonstrates her belief in the inner wisdom of children, or their innate conscience, to guide them.

“At three o’clock the entire family turned out to walk, for all the active young bodies must have exercise; and in these walks the active young minds were taught to see and love the providence of God in the beautiful miracles which Nature was working before their eyes.”

The use of the modal “must” emphasizes the importance of the transcendental belief in a holistic education of body and mind. The repetition of “active” and “young” highlights the 19th-century promotion of games and fitness activities in education as a way for boys to show off their physicality and manliness. However, the Bhaers encourage the boys to walk outside to connect with the divine and reflect on their Interconnectedness with Nature, rather than for mere physical sport.

“The boy’s face was very placid, and as she looked at it she felt that if a single day of care and kindness had done so much, a year of patient cultivation would surely bring a grateful harvest from this neglected garden, which was already sown with the best of all seed by the little missionary in the nightgown.”

The motif of gardening is used throughout the novel to highlight the importance of attention and guidance in the development of young people. This is emphasized through the metaphor of Nat’s difficult childhood as a “neglected garden” that can be made fertile through the care he will receive at Plumfield. The metaphor is extended to represent the importance of spiritual and moral guidance, such as Demi’s teachings about God, as the best “seed” to grow from.

“Thinking that a lesson in learning to help one another was better than arithmetic just then, Mr. Bhaer told them about Nat, making such an interesting and touching little story out of it that the good-hearted lads all promised to lend him a hand, and felt quite honored to be called upon to impart their stores of wisdom to the chap who fiddled so capitally. This appeal established the right feeling among them, and Nat had few hindrances to struggle against, for everyone was glad to give him a “boost” up the ladder of learning.”

The sentimental tone of the description of the “good-hearted lads” sharing their "stores of wisdom” to the newcomer Nat emphasizes the importance of caring relationships in education. The metaphor of the “ladder of learning” creates an image of progress as a collaborative ascendance. Lessons in kindness are prioritized by Mr. Bhaer over academic learning, which influences the moral development of Plumfield students.

“It takes so little to make a child happy that it is a pity, in a world so full of sunshine and pleasant things, that there should be any wistful faces, empty hands, or lonely little hearts.

The narrator intrudes on the story with this aphorism, which argues that children’s desires should be respected. The novel shows that a child’s happiness is essential to their physical, moral, and intellectual development. This is depicted through the narrator’s universal, didactic comment about the state of the “world” juxtaposed with the emotive description of “lonely little hearts.”

“Give a boy a trade, and he is independent. Work is wholesome, and whatever talent these lads possess, be it for poetry or ploughing, it shall be cultivated and made useful to them if possible.”

The Bhaers view the primary goal of education to be making men and women productive members of society. Mr. Bhaer’s dialogue reflects this value system, encouraging the students to develop their unique talents and skills to earn a living. The plosive alliteration of “poetry or ploughing” emphasizes the range of skills a student may possess, each of which Mr. Bhaer will support through a program of personalized education.

“Girls can’t play with boys. This is for Daisy, and Bess, and me, so we don’t want you.” Whereupon the young gentlemen meekly retired, and invited Daisy to a game of marbles, horse, football, anything she liked, with a sudden warmth and politeness which astonished her innocent little soul.”

Although the title of the novel is Little Men, Alcott establishes the idea that a well-rounded education requires a school setting to be modeled on real society, which demands the interaction between men and women rather than the segregation by gender typical of 19th century schooling. Mrs. Jo challenges the boys to include the girls in their play, highlighted in the list of male-dominated list of activities such as “marbles, horse, football.”

“Little Nan was quick to feel the new atmosphere, to enjoy it, to show that it was what she needed; for this little garden was full of sweet flowers, half hidden by the weeds; and when kind hands gently began to cultivate it, all sorts of green shoots sprung up, promising to blossom beautifully in the warmth of love and care, the best climate for young hearts and souls all the world over.”

Nan’s transformation from a troublemaker to a helpful and kind young woman is highlighted through the gardening motif. At first, her altruistic characteristics are “half hidden by the weeds,” representing her flaws. The influence of Plumfield on her growth is metaphorically depicted as “the best climate” that offers Nan “warmth and care” to encourage her positive growth.

“Cricket and football the boys had of course; but, after the stirring accounts of these games in the immortal ‘Tom Brown at Rugby,’ no feeble female pen may venture to do more than respectfully allude to them.”

This authorial comment announces the novel as a different kind of boys’ school story. This 19th century genre often included detailed action scenes of sport competitions between the boys. Alcott satirizes this trope, popularized by her contemporaries, and draws attention to herself as a female author writing about men’s education. She pokes fun at the idea that competitive displays of male physicality are important in education.

“Tommy, who pretended not to care, and loudly proclaimed his satisfaction at being rid of those ‘stupid girls.’ But in his secret soul he soon repented of the rash act that caused this banishment from the society he loved, and every hour of separation taught him the value of the ‘stupid girls.’”

The interaction between the girls and boys at Plumfield is a part of their holistic education. The hyperbolic and comic description of Tommy’s guilt for his disrespectful behavior as his “secret soul” lamenting his “banishment” depicts the strength of the relationship between Nan, Daisy, and Tommy. The repetition of the phrase “stupid girls” portrays Tommy’s childish affection, which leads him to examine the effect of his unkind behavior and improve himself.

“‘His eyes did, and when I waked him, he said, like a lost child, ‘Mother Bhaer, I’ve come home.’ I hadn’t the heart to scold him, and just took him in like a poor little black sheep come back to the fold. I may keep him, Fritz?”

The symbol of the black sheep returning to its loving flock is repeatedly used throughout the novel to represent Mrs. Jo’s love of children who are different, marginalized, or poorly behaved. Both Dan and Nan are referred to as black sheep whom Mrs. Jo feels tenderly for and wishes to reform. Her unconditional love demonstrates children’s need for mothering to grow up well.

“‘As if you ever like this little rascal!’ cried Mr. Bhaer, laughing, yet half angry at the idea. ‘I was in spirit, though I showed it in a different way. I seem to know by instinct how he feels, to understand what will win and touch him, and to sympathize with his temptations and faults. I am glad I do, for it will help me to help him; and if I can make a good man of this wild boy, it will be the best work of my life.’”

In the novel, Alcott shows that teacher empathy and kindness is the basis for a good education. The transcendental vision of each person as redeemable despite their faults is represented through Mrs. Jo’s characterization. Her ability to reform troubled students is a result of her self-knowledge—and a nod to readers who are familiar with Jo’s own complex coming of age as chronicled in Little Women. Because she was a gender nonconforming adolescent, Jo “knows by instinct” how to help Dan become a “good man”—she remembers her own wildness and how she tamed it.

“Mrs. Jo sat smiling over her book as she built castles in the air, just as she used to do when a girl, only then they were for herself, and now they were for other people, which is the reason perhaps that some of them came to pass in reality—for charity is an excellent foundation to build anything upon.”

The comparison of Mrs. Jo’s impractical dreams to “castles in the air” portrays her as a whimsical figure and daydreamer. However, her dream of Plumfield as a place to raise good little men and women is compared to a reliable reality, or an “excellent foundation.” The novel praises the value of kindness and love for others as the moral basis for a person’s development.

“‘I knew you’d come! O Marmar! I did want you so!’ For a moment they kissed and clung to one another, quite forgetting all the world; for no matter how lost and soiled and worn-out wandering sons may be, mothers can forgive and forget everything as they fold them in their fostering arms. Happy the son whose faith in his mother remains unchanged, and who, through all his wanderings, has kept some filial token to repay her brave and tender love.”

Mrs. Jo represents the ideal mother in the novel, which posits the relationship between a mother and child as the model for the dynamic between the students and the Bhaers. The alliterative phrases “worn-out wandering,” “forgive and forget” and “fold them in their fostering” emphasize the all-encompassing nature of a mother’s love. The grammatical inversion of the line starting with “Happy the son” is a persuasive technique that argues for the emotional primacy of the mother-child bond.

“Unconsciously, she did her young subjects more good than many a real sovereign, for her rule was very gentle and her power was felt rather than seen. Her natural refinement made her dainty in all things, and had a good effect upon the careless lads about her.”

The novel portrays the interaction of the young men and women as influential on each other’s growth. The influence of Aunt and Uncle Lawrence’s daughter Goldilocks on the students is depicted through the image of a queen who has a benevolent influence on her subjects. Her feminine authority is accentuated through the contrast of her “natural refinement” with the “careless lads” at Plumfield.

“She wants something to live for even now, and will be one of the sharp, strong, discontented women if she does not have it. Don’t let us snub her restless little nature, but do our best to give her the work she likes, and by and by persuade her father to let her study medicine. She will make a capital doctor, for she has courage, strong nerves, a tender heart, and an intense love and pity for the weak and suffering.”

Nan is not a stereotypical 19th-century girl because she is boisterous and wants to be active like the boys; in many ways, she echoes Jo as an adolescent in Little Women. The Bhaer's belief in personalized education that nurtures individual talent allows Nan to find and develop her interests, rather than becoming “discontented.” Mrs. Jo’s listing of Nan’s positive qualities of “courage, strong nerves, a tender heart” demonstrates her value of Nan’s unique personality rather than demand that she conform.

“She felt instinctively that the more the boy was restrained the more he would fret against it; but leave him free, and the mere sense of liberty would content him, joined to the knowledge that his presence was dear to those whom he loved best.”

The damaging effect of Dan’s neglectful childhood is depicted through animal imagery. Dan’s resistance to rules is compared to an animal trying to break free from constraints; the implication is that Dan is acting on instinct, rather than misbehaving from a place of ill-will. Mrs. Jo believes that he will be soothed by knowing that he can leave, so as not to make him feel caged.

“As Meg listened, she felt that she had done well; for not only did the moment comfort her with the assurance that John’s last lullaby was sung by the young voices he loved so well, but in the faces of the boys she saw that they had caught a glimpse of the beauty of virtue in its most impressive form, and that the memory of the good man lying dead before them would live long and helpfully in their remembrance.”

The success of the Bhaer’s education at Plumfield is measured by how moral and useful the young men grow to be in society. Their singing to and comforting of Demi’s family and Mrs. Jo after John’s death is captured in the angelic image of the boys’ choir. The boys’ reverent attitude is highlighted with third-person limited narration, which shows through Meg’s perspective the impact her late husband had on them.

“Both were ashamed of the temporary coldness, neither was ashamed to say, ‘I was wrong, forgive me,’ so the childish friendship remained unbroken, and the home in the willow lasted long, a pleasant little castle in the air.”

Tommy and Nan’s forgiving each other and willingness to be kind to each other are Christian values imparted to them by the Bhaers. The comparison of their friendship to a “castle in the air” highlights their youth and vulnerability. The word “unbroken” is reminiscent of a formal vow and signifies the depth of their loyalty and the seriousness of their apology despite their youth.

“[O]ne of my favorite fancies is to look at my family as a small world, to watch the progress of my little men, and, lately, to see how well the influence of my little women works upon them. Daisy is the domestic element, and they all feel the charm of her quiet, womanly ways. Nan is the restless, energetic, strong-minded one; they admire her courage, and give her a fair chance to work out her will, seeing that she has sympathy as well as strength, and the power to do much in their small world.”

Mrs. Jo’s metaphorical description of her family as a “small world” highlights the Plumfield model of education as based on a parent and child relationship. Nan and Daisy represent two different types of women in society: Daisy is demure and takes care of her domestic sphere, and Nan is industrious and focuses her skills to care for a broader section of humanity, though still confining her interests to the general realm of nurturing and healing. Nan’s boldness is thus tempered with “sympathy,” which emphasizes her womanhood, as women were considered more emotionally intuitive than men in Alcott’s time.