Why Little Women Remains Popular

So I was browsing Prime the other day and I saw they made another Little Women movie. This one was directed by Greta Gerwig. (And I’m not sure who that is, but I’m sure I’ll see her again.)

I’m not going to talk about the merits of the movie here (other than to say it’s good and you should see it,) but rather the fact that the book Little Women is good enough to inspire 6 movies and 12 mini-series, including an anime.

So why is it so popular?

Well, it’s a coming of age story, but even it’s day, there were plenty of those. But Little Women was more true to life.

This is a story that relies on the complexity of the characters to carry it through since the plot itself is nothing spectacular and would fall flat without such thrilling characters.

You became invested in these characters. You rejoiced at Jo’s Triumph. You were angry when Amy burned the letters. You cried when Beth died and shared Luaries’ despair when Jo rejected him. And when Jo marries Professor Bhaer and Amy marries Laurie, you’re happy for them.

Little Women also encouraged young girls to after their dreams, no matter how ‘silly’ they might seem to anyone else.

When you combine the inspirational aspect with the great characters, you get a book that endures for many lifetimes, no matter how much the world has changed. As the old saying goes ‘times change, people don’t.’

And it’s because ‘people don’t’ that Little Women, with it’s characters that FEEL like living, breathing people, remains a favorite of bibliophiles and directors everywhere.