Louisa May Alcott's influential 19th-century novel Little Women expresses didactic tendencies, as well as qualities of sentimentalism, making it a compelling read for adolescent audiences. By following the story of the March sisters, readers follow the growth and maturity of Alcott's characters. Our first experience transitioning into adulthood being March's older sister, Meg. In this article we will study the text of the early stages of her marriage to Mr. Brooke to see her transition into the adult world catalyzed by her own marriage which is used as a showcase of her maturity and growth, leading her to become a mother, the ultimate sign of her entry into adulthood. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay As we are told throughout the novel, one of Meg's most definitive qualities is vanity and materialism, supported by her wish to marry into a wealthy family and name. However, as she falls in love with the poor, orphaned Mr. Brooke, Meg chooses love over finances and marries in such a manner, described on her wedding day as such: "Neither silk nor lace , nor orange blossoms would. she did it. “I don’t want to seem strange or put together today,” she said. “I do not want a fashionable marriage, but only those I love around me, and for them I wish to look and be my familiar self”” (p. 244). In this text, we see that Meg actively denies the signs of wealth in her marriage to John Brooke, showing the audience that she found joy in her marriage to Mr. Brooke, rather than her marriage to social status. When Meg states that she wants to remain her "familiar self", this takes readers back to the Moffat party she attended earlier in the novel, in which Meg allows the Moffats to dress her like a doll. During the experience, Meg shares that she is too "scared to go down, [she] feels so strange and stiff and half-dressed", and stated that she "[doesn't] look a bit like [ her] self…” (p. 93). This contrast of experiences in terms of physical appearance is monumental because it shows Meg's growth in terms of maturity and acceptance of who she is. Meg's maturity is also manifested in her qualities of determination and hard work, as evidenced by her making her own wedding dress, "...sewing into it the tender hopes and innocent romances of a child's heart." young girl” (p. 244). She began to take pride in her work and preferred the simplistic to the materialistic. By blending these traits, Alcott shows us that Meg changes herself to make this marriage a success, abandoning comfort and instead encouraging a work ethic and simple lifestyle. However, noting the quote above, Alcott chooses an interesting diction, ending his statement with "the romances of a girl's heart", which reminds the audience that Meg is still a young girl with aspirations and wishes that do not coincide not always with his situation. As we are introduced to the married life of Meg and John Brooke, Alcott acknowledges the hard work that went into their home, saying that Meg "began her married life with the determination to be a model housekeeper" and “brought so much love, energy and cheerfulness to the work that she could not help but succeed” (p. 267). So, rather than making this decision temporarily, Meg continues to make an effort in the domestic responsibilities that fall to her. Alcott humorously adds bits of bitterness, saying, "John became dyspeptic after a course in delicatessen and ungratefully demanded dishessimple. As for the buttons, she soon learned to wonder where they went, to shake her head at the carelessness of men, to threaten to have them sewn herself, and to see if her work would better resist impatient tugging and clumsy fingers. than his own. They were happy” (p. 267). The juxtaposition in wording and overall message seems off-putting, with a long list of encounters between Meg and Mr. Brooke creating a long narrative of the interactions between the two, only to begin the next paragraph with the blatant and unspecific "They were happy,” almost deliberately putting an ironic spin on Meg and John's marriage, as if they were blissfully unaware of their own problems. Both Meg and John seem to have this childish innocence about their own marriages, seemingly blind to their quarrels with each other. Alcott describes the couple: “At first they played guard and frolicked on it like children; then John resolutely set to work, feeling on his shoulders the worries of a head of a family; and Meg laid down her cambric sheets, put on a large apron, and set to work, as I have already said, with more energy than discretion” (p. 267). This quote reveals information regarding Meg's transgression into adulthood, telling us that she and Mr. Brooke entered into marriage with immaturity, viewing their new life and family as child's play. However, we are told that John is getting used to being the head of the house and doing it “regularly”. In comparison, if we look at Meg's description, we are told that Meg continues to go to work at home, with "more energy than discretion", implying that Meg, while conscientiously carrying out her tasks, accomplished with enthusiasm. Although this is not necessarily a bad thing, if one reads the chosen diction, one can analyze it by saying that Meg is still watching this with a childish perception, excited at the idea of ​​playing this role, rather than settle into the role, unlike John, who takes his responsibilities “regularly”. Overall, looking at the collective information so far, we see that Meg is actively trying to accept her situation and take on her responsibilities as a wife, without the luxuries she had desired as a child. However, with each example we see hints of immaturity in Meg, showing that although she loves Mr. Brooke and her life with him, she still retains some of that childish disposition. This brings us to the discussion of what appears to be the climax of Meg's "coming of age", during which Meg comes to some major resolutions. The first situation we will discuss is that of Meg attempting to continue her duties as a loving housewife, failing to prepare jelly and, more generally, her responsibility of providing dinner for her husband and guest. This is the first circumstance we see between Meg and John that is an openly depicted conflict. This outburst, while justified on both sides, tells us nothing about Meg or John's growth, but the resolution reached between the two is what shows us one of Meg's biggest steps toward adulthood. With Meg and John both furious over their fight over After Frost, Meg enters a process of penance, where she begins to realize that there are things she will have to sacrifice in her marriage, such as her pride. The beginning of his reflection starts from the idea that “married life is very trying and requires infinite patience as well as love, as Mother says” (p. 273). Before this argument, Meg approached her marriage with an enthusiasm and positivity that could seem blind. Here she begins to realize that marriage is areal work and forces her to approach it as work rather than play. Thanks to her mother's advice, Meg begins to remember the other advice Marmee gave her, warning her that John, despite his positive qualities , has certain faults, and that as part of her partnership with him, Meg must learn "not to arouse anger against oneself, for peace and happiness depend on maintaining his respect." Watch yourselves, be the first to ask for forgiveness if you are both wrong, and guard yourselves from petty annoyances, misunderstandings and hasty words which often open the way to bitter sadness and regret” (p. 273 ). Despite the double standard, Meg begins to analyze her role in the argument between the two and what she might have done wrong. This in itself is a sign that Meg is looking beyond herself and seeing how her actions could have affected someone else. The last part of this quote is particularly influential on Meg's situation, warning her that the conflicts between her and John, if left unresolved, can lead to a marriage of "bitter sorrow and regret." Wanting to resolve the conflict between her and Mr. Brooke, she takes the first step towards reconciliation. In making this conscious decision to apologize to John, she recognizes that she was wrong: "her own hasty speeches seemed both stupid and mean, and she remembered them, her own anger seeming childish now" (p 273). Meg views his immaturity in hindsight, showing that she sees her own flaws, which allows her to take steps to correct them. Her first step in changing her immaturity is to try to make things right with her husband: “She looked at him with tears in her eyes, but he didn't see them; she put down her work and got up, thinking: "I will be the first to say 'Forgive me'" but he did not seem to hear her; she crossed the room very slowly, for the pride was hard to swallow, and stood beside him, but he did not turn his head. For a minute she felt like she really couldn't do it; then came the thought: “This is the beginning, I will do my part and I have nothing to reproach myself for,” and stooping down, she kissed her husband gently on the forehead. (p. 273) Meg making the decision to be the first to overcome her pride and make things right with her husband, showing that she accepts responsibility for her actions, showing that she is now beginning to accept the role of her woman as a woman. lifestyle rather than as a game. Although Meg's growth during the jelly incident is extremely visible, it is not the end of her transition to adult status. As is reminded throughout the novel, Meg's true flaws lie in her vanity and desire to live a luxurious life, thus making her marriage to Mr. Brooke a test to see if she has fulfilled Marmee's expressed wish earlier in the novel saying, "Money is a necessary and precious thing, and, when used well, a noble thing, but I never want you to think that it is the first or only prize to achieve. I would prefer to see you wives of poor men, if you were happy, loved, satisfied, rather than queens on thrones, without self-respect and without peace. (pp. 99-100). Meg's real challenge is giving up her dream of a wealthy life, as shown in Alcott's final account of Meg's married life. Alcott introduces us to the next challenge Meg faces by bringing back a reappearing subject in the life of Meg, who is her childhood friend. Sallie, who married into the wealthy Moffat family. This immediately places Meg back in the situation she found herself in as a child, the poorest in her group of friends, often the object of pity and condescension. She didn't like. 280).