Consequently, by aspiring further than the domesticity of in which she grew up, the character of Jo March challenges the societal construction associated with her gender. I think I shall write books, and get rich and famous, that would suit me, so that is my favorite dream.” This direct repudiation of conventional domesticity and longing aspiration for a life beyond the walls of her own homestead resulted in Jo being a revolutionary and thereby feminist character for the contemporary time period.
Jo exclaims when talking of dreams how “… I want to do something splendid before I go into my castle, something heroic or wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead…. As noted by Alberghene and Clark, this period in which little women was set was often referred to as the domestic ideology which was based primarily on notions of biologically determined gender roles and patriarchal religious doctrine, it claimed that women should avoid the public sphere. Challenging the Gender Construction of Domesticityīy rejecting the expectation of a woman’s domesticity role, Jo March objects the societal construction associated with her gender. In essence, Jo is rejecting her feminine role, rather adapting a masculine orientation and becoming assertive as a result of the inferiority she is experiencing as a result of her gender. As mentioned by Sentana, considering Jo beliefs herself to be inferior she rather strives to be superior, which in this case translates to being a man. ”I hate to think I’ve got to grow up, and be Miss March, and wear long gowns, and look as prim as a China aster! It’s bad enough to be a girl, anyway, when I like boys games and work and manners! I can’t get over my disappointment in not being a boy and it’s worse than ever now, for I’m dying to go and fight with papa, and I can only stay at home and knit, like a poky old woman!” From this harangue we can distinguish the helplessness felt by Jo regarding her inability to become a soldier as a result of her gender. Jo March was a woman in good health, still she conspicuously resented that her sex resulted in her being at a disadvantage in the society of her era. The study of “inferiority complex”, which explores the concept of organ inferiority, stated that people enduring conditions resulting in them being at disadvantage in society would in turn experience sentiments of inferiority, thereby maneuvering the way one aim for superiority.
The concept of organ inferiority aligns with the behaviour of the protagonist Jo March and therefore display the character’s rejection of her gender.
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