PROVOKR PICK: LITTLE WOMEN

BY: Amanda Jane Stern

In 1868, Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women. The book is set in Massachusetts during the end and aftermath of the Civil War. It follows the lives of the four March sisters: Amy, Jo, Beth, and Meg. The book was an immediate success and continues as popular literature for young women today. It’s been adapted for stage, screen and television. Now, we have a new film based on the classic, this time by Greta Gerwig.

Greta Gerwig’s Little Women has its own distinct take on this coming of age tale. While the book follows the four sisters from childhood through young adulthood, Gerwig’s film focuses on their young adulthood and leaving home. For her version, Gerwig has assembled a truly phenomenal group of stars. That cast includes Emma Watson as Meg, the eldest and most proper of the March sisters, Eliza Scanlen as Beth, the third March sister and the shyest, Florence Pugh as Amy, the baby of the family and Saoirse Ronan as Jo, the second March sister and the principal character of the story.

In the novel, Jo demonstrated a new kind of womanhood. While her sisters were classically feminine, happy to follow a life of domesticity and become wives, Jo was a tomboy who cherished her independence and swore off marriage. Instead, she wanted to become a writer. Her depiction led many to speculate that Jo is, in fact, queer. Jo was written as a bit of an avatar for Alcott, a writer who never married and wore menswear. That speculation has had people positing that Alcott was a lesbian. While Gerwig’s film will not explicitly spell out Jo’s sexual identity, she has said that the film does explore Jo’s gender identity at a time when shucking gender norms was not celebrated.

Rounding out the star-studded cast are Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet and Meryl Streep.

See Little Women in theaters, Christmas Day.