Her (or His?) Story: Lou Alcott
Photo from Abbe Ville Press.
Carly Ungerer
Jo March, a reflection of the author that created her, said, “I Intend To Make My Own Way In The World.” Little Women is hailed as a classic and a reflection of the female experience. Louisa May Alcott, as the author’s name on the book appears, is praised for creating a story that centers around the lives of women, written by a woman. However, things may not be so clear cut. Alcott identified heavily with their character Jo, a tomboy and writer who preferred to go by a more masculine name. Louisa May Alcott even preferred to be called Lou Alcott, claimed to be “a gentleman at large” in letters to friends, and referred to themself as the “father” of their nephews. This begs the question: is Alcott better understood as a feminist icon, a trans man, or something else entirely?
Alcott, born in Pennsylvania in 1832, was the child of an educator and philosopher, Bronson Alcott. As a result of this, Lou grew up transcendentalist, independent, and invested in reading and writing. Lou and their sisters, Anna, Elizabeth, and Abby May, learned mostly from their father, rather than going to school. Lou was close with their sisters, later drawing inspiration from them when writing Little Women. Growing up, Alcott began writing and hoped to sell their writing in order to support their family, who struggled financially.
Because of this Lou continued to write while working as a governess in Boston, sending money home. Despite writing their first story in 1848, Alcott did not become published until 1852 and did not sell their first work until 1863, “Pauline’s Passion and Punishment.” During this phase of writing, Alcott not only worked on two novels but also briefly served as a nurse in the Civil War in order to support abolition, however, they became sick and had to return home. This period inspired them to write a series of books published under the name “Hospital Sketches,” which became widely popular.
The first part of the iconic work that guaranteed Alcott’s renown and became a classic did not come until 1867, when the magazine they were a contributor to requested a book about girls. It was then that they drew inspiration from their own life and their sisters to create the stories of Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg. The semi-autobiographical book became a bestseller and the second part was published the following year. The childrens’ books Alcott wrote, although they did not fulfill Alcott’s ambitions of writing serious fiction, supported their family, so Alcott continued to publish them.
As they grew older, they did not have children, but rather cared for the children of their sisters, later adopting their nephew and raising their other sister’s daughter. Their health, however, declined. In 1882, when their father had a stroke, Lou helped the family relocate, before settling into a nursing home. Alcott later died in March of 1888, only two days after their father, leaving their copyrights to their adopted son, John, and their income to their sister, their sister’s sons, and the niece they raised.
Alcott left behind the legacy of a prolific writer and a feminist icon. But who was Lou really? Was the divide between their womanhood and their expression of gender the result of the individualistic, transcendental belief system they subscribed to? Or were they best described as trans? If they are trans, does Little Women still hold the same value as a feminist novel?
In my opinion, it is clear Lou did not seem constricted by the gender binary, and although we may not know how they would identify now, their work retains its value because of the story it tells, which centers around women. The book has become a classic representation of growing up, and the heart with which Lou Alcott shares the stories of the women in it has drawn people to it, even now. Regardless of Alcott’s identity, Little Women is a timeless story that told the stories of women and showed the importance of coming of age.
Sources:
