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A Closer Look: Feminine Identity in ​Little Women ​and ​The Penderwicks

Throughout these novels, ​Little Women and ​The Penderwicks​, we can not help but to make

many connections between the characters. I immediately noticed similarities between Jo and

Skye. They both are the “daring” sisters. They violate typical female gender schema. On the

contrary, characters like Beth and Batty add a sense of helplessness. Beth and Batty need to be

taken care of and watched after by their older siblings.

I want to do something splendid...something heroic or wonderful that won't be forgotten after I'm dead. I don't

know what, but I'm on the watch for it and mean to astonish you all someday.

Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

It's bad enough to be a girl, anyway, when I like boys' games and work and manners! I can't get over my

disappointment in not being a boy; and it's worse than ever now, for I'm dying to go and fight with Papa, and I can

only stay at home and knit, like a poky old woman!

Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

These statements made by Jo carry masculine tones. One would probably think that the first

statement was made by a man because men are usually associated with doing “heroic” deeds and

leaving a strong legacy. Jo wants to bask in these masculine aspirations; being a hero and being

remembered for doing great things. She would much rather prefer to die for a noble cause than to

live a sheltered life. It is evident, especially in the second statement, that Jo would prefer to be a

man. She may enjoy the feminine charm she possesses, but she certainly does not like being
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restricted in her virtues, simply because she is a woman​. She has big dreams and she will not be

confined to doing household chores for her entire life. She would rather fight to work hard. Thus,

Jo is a character that pushes the concept of “girlpower”. Jo can be seen as a feminist, in which

she believes that she too can be known for the things accredited to men. Jo certainly inspires

young female readers who have BIG dreams. These readers come to love Jo and can identify

with her rebellious spirit.

What seems to fuel the imaginations and excite the desires of generations of girlhood readers is precisely Jo's

refusal of normative girlhood identifications and desires; she wants to be the man of the family, not the little

woman; she wants to be a soldier, not a seamstress; and she wants to be like Laurie, not have him. 1

The quote above is derived from, ​GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. ​This quotes

supports the idea that Jo has inspired many generations of girlhood readers. Young girls who

want to break free from the social constraints of being a woman can surely identify with Jo. Jo

helps us remember that there is nothing wrong with a lady wanting to be more than a

“housewife” or a “stay-at-home-mom”. As seen in our current day and age, many women are the

breadwinners. They prefer to bring home the bacon, rather than be the designated cook. It is

good that Jo shows girlhood readers that these feelings are perfectly normal and justifiable.

Like Jo, Skye is also a character who can stand as a figure of power for the self proclaimed,

“tomboy”. While strong females characters shouldn't have to tomboys, it is important to have

some that are. The more variety in children's book the more likely a young girl will find a

character she can relate to.

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Skye opened her suitcase, pulled out a math book- she was teaching herself algebra for fun- and wrote the bed

schedule next to her favorite word problem about trains traveling in different directions. Next she rummaged

around for her lucky camouflage hat, the one she’d been wearing when she fell off the garage roof and didn't break

any arms or legs… Skye crammed the hat onto her head and closed the suitcase and shoved it into the closet.

The Penderwicks, Jeanne Birdsall

It is hard not to notice the hypermasculinity written all over this text. The use of words like

rummaged, crammed, and shoved, magnify the author’s cunning way of pointing out Skye’s

tomboyish ways. Young ladies are equated with being much daintier than Skye is being

portrayed. Young boys however, are known to be care less when handling their things- hence

words like rummaged and crammed. The author specifically uses harsher words because they

sound less ladylike and more aggressive. Skye is definitely not your average girl. Like Jo, she

defies typical female gender schema. Skye is the kind of girl who would prefer to teach herself

algebra as opposed to paint her nails or daydream about boys. Girls don’t exactly wake up every

morning knowing that their gender is expected to be amazing at math, Skye on the other hand, is

working so hard that teachers have accused her of cheating. Like Jo, Skye stands as relatable

figure for young girls who are known to possess more masculine attributes- as prescribed by

society’s standard.

Skye knew she shouldn’t go in there… it wasn’t gentlemanly… and even Batty was tugging at her arm to keep her

from doing it. But it didn’t matter. The family — her mother’s! — honor was at stake, and she had to defend the

people she loved the best. She took a deep breath, girded herself for battle, and threw open the door.

The Penderwicks, Jeanne Birdsall

This statement shows another example of the female character who strives to be a hero and

“defend the people she loves”. Skye was ready to do the unimaginable, in the name of honoring

her family’s name. This is something young men are typically known to do. The phrase “it
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wasn’t gentlemanly” further exemplifies Skye’s masculine idea of herself. Skye knows she is not

girly, instead she is gentlemanly. Gentlemanly, to her, is most likely a combination of the words,

girly and gentleman. Birdsall has made Skye out to be what society would label as a tomboy.

Tomboy identities, although disparate and ambiguous, are thought to be a common occurrence in

girlhood (Carr 1998), and Morgan (1998) suggests that tomboy traits may have positive outcomes for

girls, in that they are often associated with assertiveness and self-reliance. If the tomboy is about being

active (and in positioning herself as always the opposite subject position to the girly-girl, our

participants’ descriptions fixed the girly-girl as a static category), then the girly-girl is ‘done to’ rather

than ‘doing’. 2

The above passage supports the idea that the authors specifically include aspects of the

tomboy to signal gender defiance. This is the author's way of communicating to young readers

that it is indeed OK to be considered a tomboy as opposed to a girly girl. It is indeed OK to be

self sufficient as opposed to being needy and helpless. It is not uncommon for young girls to lean

towards having masculine ways. Skye would much rather be teaching herself algebra as opposed

to decorating her room. While Jo would much rather be known for her professional work than

admired for being a good housekeeper. Skye and Jo may be seen as lacking the typical feminine

quirks, but they indeed are both forces to be reckoned with and do not go unnoticed or forgotten.

Their role in the texts are very dominant and many young readers may identify with them.

Some readers however, may identify with characters like Beth or Batty, as the authors

suggest that, that too, is justifiable.

There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees

the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and

shadow behind.

Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

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"Who Is the ‘Girly’ Girl? Tomboys, Hyper-Femininity and Gender."
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The above passage is evidence that Alcott wants the readers to know that every little woman

in the world does not have that fiery personality like Jo. Some would rather be sweet, wearing

their hearts on their sleeves. Like Beth, some young women feel the best when living vicariously

through others. Beth is the perfect homemaker and takes pride in her household duties. She is all

about family and is appreciated by everyone around her.

In the same breath, Alcott meticulously sprinkles a hint of shame for women like Beth. The

author makes Beth seem helpless/ insecure, through the use of phrases like “shy and quiet” and

“living for others”. She also portrays Beth as stagnant, saying things like “sitting in corners till

needed”. It is a shame that although Beth is so selfless, no one really notices how important she

is until her “sunshiny presence vanishes”. Like Beth, Batty is painted to be “the forgotten one” in

The Penderwicks.

Jeanne Birdsall clearly was inspired by Little Women while writing The Penderwicks. She

even names Batty in unisense with Beth- thus they share the name Elizabeth. Batty is Skye’s foil,

while Beth is Jo’s foil.

Beth and Batty are characters that the authors portray as “helpless” and “the forgotten”. Batty

is certainly helpless and forgotten when she comes close to being attacked by a bull. Her sisters

failed to notice that she had gone missing until it was almost too late. She quickly becomes the

true literary “damsel in distress”. The following passage shows how Batty needs to be saved by

someone... anyone. She gets herself into a bad situation and then has no choice but to wait for

help. This is certainly not a smart move on her end and is further evidence of her helplessness.

For now, she knew she had better just lie very still and wish that Hound were there, and Daddy. Daddy wouldn’t let

anything hurt her. Oh Daddy. Oh, Hound. Oh, somebody, please help her.

The Penderwicks, Jeanne Birdsall

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The authors are trying to communicate that Beth and Batty may be in a state of learned

helplessness. Though they are sweet and loved by their family members, they are also stagnant

and easily forgotten.

People in a state of learned helplessness view problems as personal, pervasive or permanent that is, namely –

Personal- they may see themselves as the problem; that is, they have internalized the problem; Pervasive- they may

see the problem as affecting all aspects of life; and Permanent- They may see the problem as unchangeable. The

mastery-oriented children, on the other hand, think intelligence is malleable and can be developed through

education and hard work. They want to learn above all else. Challenges are energizing rather than intimidating;

they offer opportunities to learn. Students with such a growth mindset are destined for greater academic success and

are quite likely to outperform their counterparts. 3

Jo and Skye (mastery-oriented) are whom the authors use as figures meant to inspire readers.

The authors want young readers to identify with these characters on an intellectual level. The

authors also want young readers to feel comfortable being “the girl who likes algebra”, or “the

girl with big dreams of being a renowned writer”.

We learn a great deal about Alcott and Birdsall’s underlying messages after closely analyzing

these two texts. Though literature will be interpreted in many different ways, there is enough

textual evidence of the concepts explored in this essay. With the help of the supporting

secondary sources, we can draw conclusions behind feminine identity and masculine

intersectionality. We can also acknowledge the problems that arise when characters are too

comfortable in following schema that they have always been known to follow. Overall we can

conclude that whether you chose to be a traditional “little woman”, or a “daring darling”, that

choice is yours- and you are not alone in that regard.

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Self Concept of Helpless and Mastery Oriented Children
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WORKS CITED

Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. New York : Wanderer Books, 1982. Print.

(Footnote 2)
Holland, Samantha and Julie Harpin. "Who Is the ‘Girly’ Girl? Tomboys, Hyper-Femininity and
Gender." Journal of Gender Studies, vol. 24, no. 3, June 2015, pp. 293-309.
EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/09589236.2013.841570.

(Footnote 3)
Sia, Surendra Kumar and Mandeep Kaur. "Self Concept of Helpless and Mastery Oriented
Children." Journal of Psychosocial Research, vol. 10, no. 2, Jul-Dec2015, pp. 225-237.
EBSCOhost,libproxy.lib.ilstu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true
&db=a9h&AN=114185770&site=eds-live&scope=site.

(Footnote 1)
The Story of Jo: Literary Tomboys, Little Women, and the Sexual-Textual Politics of Narrative
Desire." GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, no. 1, 2003, p. 1.
EBSCOhost,libproxy.lib.ilstu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true
&db=edspmu&AN=edspmu.S1527937503100018&site=eds-live&scope=site.