Little Men by Louisa May Alcott is a heart-warming story of 14 little boys and the amazing experiences they share on their journey to adulthood. There is no central character in this book and the first chapter helpfully informs us that the sole purpose of the book is to describe lively events that take place when people of such young age are involved.
The story starts off with shy, timid Nat (recently orphaned), arriving at a boarding school with a letter of recommendation from Mr. Lawrence. Mr. and Mrs. Bhaer, who run the boarding school, enthusiastically accept Nat into the school. Warm, well fed and medicated for his terrible cough, Nat finds a sharp contrast to his earlier lifestyle and feels that he has come to heaven. Mr. and Mrs. Bhaer observe that his soul has retained its innocence despite such harsh circumstances and make every effort possible to make him feel loved, wanted and useful.
Naughty Tommy befriends Nat on the first day of school and Nat takes an instant liking to him. Looking up respectfully to the bookish Demi and finding a confidante in Demi’s twin sister Daisy, Nat starts settling in and looking forward to studies as well as making new friends. Trouble brews when he invites his friend Dan to the boarding school and asks Mr. and Mrs. Bhaer to allow him to stay. Dan is elder than Nat and in contrast to Nat’s sweet and harmless nature, Dan seems rough and hell bent on mischief. Mr. Bhaer, though worried about the influence of this rough, insolent lad on his well mannered boys, gets swayed by Nat’s earnesty and agrees to take Dan in.
Thus begin bull fights with cows, smoking, gambling and many such vices that shake up Mr. Bhaer and make him regret his decision of accepting Dan into the school. Every time Mr. Bhaer feels like giving up on Dan and sending him away, his patience and love is tested a little more. Along similar lines is Nan, a highly intelligent spirited girl who doesn’t believing in abiding by the rules. Will Mr. and Mrs. Bhaer be able to change Dan and Nan with their love and make them understand the meaning of society and its rules? Most importantly, will all the little men turn into useful men with good manners and a good place in society?
What I really love about this book is that moral lessons have been taught so well in it. They don’t seem preachy but at the same time they convince you to tell the truth more often, be polite, considerate, take care of others and most importantly about the power of love and patience. Every boy has some special talent which sets him apart from the rest and that’s the reason why the characters stay with you long after you’ve finished reading the book.
Till date this remains one of my favorite books and I’ve read it at least a dozen times. Every time I’ve fallen in love with bad boy Dan, hated stingy Jack, found Tommy adorable, got jealous of pretty Bess and felt like Nan who wanted to be gentle like Daisy. This is NOT a children’s book. It is just disguised as one to trick adults into reading it as a light novel while sub consciously reminding them of all the goodness that lies within them.
Esolitmaniac 