Read the passage. Louisa May Alcott, Author and Activist

The novel Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, is a classic beloved by many. In part an autobiographical account of Alcott’s life, the book illustrates women’s roles during the mid-nineteenth century. One might think after reading the book that Alcott was a firm supporter of the traditional roles for women, which included getting married and raising a family.

However, Alcott was not a typical woman.

For one thing, she was raised in an unconventional family. Her father, a teacher, writer, and philosopher, held views that did not conform to most of American society. For example, he used the Alcott home as a station on the Underground Railroad for enslaved people who had run away. He also believed that his daughters should pursue their passions and develop their intelligence. Most Americans believed that a woman’s place was to be a wife and mother.

Alcott was greatly influenced by her father. As she became older, she embraced the idea of equality for women. Where women were expected to be good housewives and depend on their husbands, Alcott believed that women were independent thinkers and could be self-supporting. She also refused to marry.

Before the publication of Little Women, Alcott was already a published author, having written short stories and thrillers, which she called “blood and thunder tales.” These were all written under a different name, or pseudonym, to disguise the fact that she was a woman. She had also documented her experiences as a nurse during the Civil War in a fictional account called Hospital Sketches, published in 1863. This book was Alcott’s first successful work.

By 1867, Alcott had established herself as an author who could write on a variety of subjects. So her publisher, Thomas Niles, suggested that she write a girl’s book. At this time, there was not a lot of literature published for children. But Alcott was not interested, stating in her journal that she “never liked girls or knew many, except my sisters” Alcott also feared that writing a girls’ novel would be boring, especially in comparison to her earlier works.

In the end, it was her father who decided the matter for her. When he approached Thomas Niles about publishing a book he had written, Niles consented, but only if Louisa would write the girls’ book. Louisa agreed and set to work. She sat at her writing desk, built by her father, and proceeded to complete the book in two and a half months.

Alcott decided to write a story about the March family, to be based on her own family. The March sisters Jo, Beth, Meg, and Amy were modeled on Alcott’s sisters, with Jo being most like Alcott herself. In the book, Jo is a talented, headstrong, aspiring writer, reluctant to commit to the idea of marriage or dependence on a man. Alcott used her journals to recall some of the family’s experiences.

Even after working on the first twelve chapters, she and Niles both thought that the novel was “dull.” Once the book was fully written, Alcott was nervous about whether readers would embrace this new work. However, much to her surprise, the book was a smashing success, selling thousands of copies. Alcott began receiving letters from a great number of fans. She was asked to speak throughout the country.

All the attention made Alcott feel uncomfortable. She also did not like the way her readers, mostly young girls, demanded to know who the March sisters were going to marry. She wrote, “Girls write to ask who the little women marry, as if that was the only end and aim of a woman’s life.” Nevertheless, she responded to public demand and eventually wrote more about the March sisters in the novels Little Men and Jo’s Boys.

The success of Little Women and other stories earned Alcott the financial independence she desired. But she was never as engaged in writing for young readers as she was in her thrillers from years before. Nine years after the publication of Little Women, she went back to writing the tales of “blood and thunder” that she truly enjoyed. While Alcott was familiar with the traditional roles of women and could write at length about them, she rejected them for herself.

In "Louisa May Alcott, Author and Activist," what is the author's viewpoint with regard to Alcott as a person and literary figure?

The author is ambivalent toward Alcott and feels her fame is overblown.

The author is biased against Alcott and sees her as a bad influence.

The author is surprised by Alcott and curious as to her motivations.

The author is biased toward Alcott and admires her.