Little Women

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. In much of Part I of Little Women, Mr. March is away serving in the Union Army during the Civil War.

• How does the Union cause line up with values held by the March family? (topic sentence)
• Give textual support that shows why Marmee and Mr. March would be supporters of the war.
• How does this relate to the lessons that Marmee is trying to teach her daughters?

2. Of all the sisters, Jo is the one who least wants to grow up.

• Why does Jo want to stay in the safety of the March household? (topic sentence)
• In what ways is her behavior informed by this desire?
• What causes her to move toward adulthood?

3. Though each sister is a major character in the story, Jo’s narrative is the one that drives the book forward

• How is this book fundamentally Jo’s story? (topic sentence)
• How does her relationship with each sister help her grow into the woman she becomes?
• What is the novel saying through Jo’s story about what it means to grow up?