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MAJOR THEMES in LOUISA MAY ALCOTT's  BEHIND a MASK Or

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MAJOR THEMES in LOUISA MAY ALCOTT's  BEHIND a MASK Or ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF LANGUAGE STUDIES DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH MAJOR THEMES IN LOUISA MAY ALCOTT’S “BEHIND A MASK or A WOMAN’S POWER” BY SHIMELIS MULATU A SENIOR ESSAY SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE Advisor: Linda Yohannes June 2011 0 | P a g e ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who carries me through every moment in my life. He is so great to enable me to finish this work in a busy environment. I also want to offer a sincere expression of gratitude to my advisor Miss Linda Yohannes for her kind advice and guidance. Without a doubt, this paper would not be possible were it not for the strong support and guidance I was I provided without getting bored of it. My special gratitude goes to my dearest mother and sister. Their unconditional love and support has made me the man I am today. My father abandoned me the day I was born almost. It was my mother who raised me on her own. My mother is truly an amazing woman. I have had several big influences in my life but none greater than my mother. The same is true of my sister who has been my source of inspiration. Thank you mum and sis for having been there with me through all my ups and downs. Just one more thing before I close. I also wish to give thanks to the various teachers who taught me at primary and high school levels and some lecturers of the Faculty of ILS, and most particularly those English and Folklore department. One day, I hope to influence one of my students the way that you have influenced me. 1 | P a g e TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................... 1 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY………………………………………………………. 2 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY………………………………………………… … 2 SCOPE OF THE STUDY……………………………………………………………… 3 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY……………………………………………………… 3 CHAPTER ONE A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT.................... 4 CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………….. 7 CHAPTER THREE. THEME ANALYSIS................................................................. 11 3.1 WHAT DOES “BEHIND A MASK OR A WOMAN’S POWER” MEAN...... 11 3.2 SYNOPSIS OF ALCOTT’S BEHIND A MASK OR A WOMAN’S POWER …………………………………………………… 13 3.3 MAJOR THEMES OF THE STORY………………………………... 14 3.3.1 QUEST FOR PROSPERTY (WEALTH) AND SECURITY…………….. 14 3.3.2. RAGE AGAINST HYPOCRISY OF THE RULING CLASSES………… 19 3.3.3 MARRIAGE AS A TRDAE………………………………………………….. 20 3.3.4 WOMEN’S STATUS AS OBJECTS OF MEN DESIRE………………… 22 3.3.5 MALES ARE OBJECTS OF LUST………………………………………… 23 CHAPTER FOUR. CONCLUSION………………………………………............... 25 BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………………………….. 29 2 | P a g e Introduction It is acknowledged that a literary work is part and parcel of the social, cultural, economic and political context in which it is produced. It is also a naked truth that writers develop various themes in their literary works on the basis of their general observations and knowledge that they have for life, human beings (the society they live in) and their surroundings. A literary work is to be considered to be beautiful because of the truth it reveals. The literary work by Louisa May Alcott, (Behind a Mask) which I have selected for study is no exception to this universal truth. This senior essay will attempt to analyze the major themes of one of Louisa May Alcott’s work “Behind a Mask” or “A Woman’s Power”. The writer of this essay focused on this literary work because it raises very important economical, socio-cultural and anti- romantic issues to be considered as thematic concerns. The writer of this essay has chosen his senior essay topic with two primary objectives in mind: one is to show his concern and sympathy for women living under difficult situations both in our culture and the world at large. Second, his great desire for Alcott’s works. The contribution of this senior essay is immense in that it will be a discussion paper to all concerned. It is hoped that it will inspire others to make further study on Alcott’s works in particular and women’s literature in general. To begin with, the paper covers four chapters. Chapter one introduces us with Louisa May Alcott. Facts about Alcott, from early childhood to last years of her life, have been presented. Chapter two will discuss the literature review. This chapter will discuss 3 | P a g e the available literature on themes. Chapter three will focus on how the author (Alcott) tries to convey a message about the topic. In this chapter, we will discuss in more detail the main themes of Behind a Mask or A woman’s Power. Chapter Four provides my conclusion of the text I have read. It will be a concluding section of the essay. Objectives of the study The objective of this paper is to explore the major themes in one of Louisa May Alcott literary work, Behind a Mask or A Woman’s Power Besides that, it will try to find out what necessitated the author to write such a book. Significance of the Study Whether a literary text is written by a male or female writer, it reveals, as has been said repeatedly, the socio-cultural and psychological aspects of life. One or another way, it is the images of society that can be depicted in their literary pieces. Literature is therefore no less a tool to uphold the gender issues being raised by many people. Similarly, this study is expected to make the following important contributions: -it may serve as stepping stone for those who have an interest in conducting further study on Alcott’s literary works. -this study may also initiate students of literature to know more about Alcott works in general, and “Behind a Mask or a Woman’s Power” in particular. 4 | P a g e Scope of the study This study will only focus on finding out the major themes of the text Behind a Mask or a Woman’s Power”. It will not be easy to include the whole works of Alcott and no attempt will be made to explain all gender issues reflected in the work of Alcott. Limitations of the study In this study, the writer expects the following limitations. Firstly, there are shortages of literary studies particularly Alcott’s works. Secondly, a time constraint is a problem which any researcher faces. Hence, the study may not satisfy to the expectations of all people. 5 | P a g e Chapter one A Brief Biography of Louisa May Alcott We may find it difficult to say much about the novella without knowing something about Alcott, her life and the larger significance which the fiction may have had t to her, in her time and culture. It therefore seems appropriate to provide a brief overview here. Louisa May Alcott is a great and noted writer who has made significant contributions both to American literature and feminist fiction. She has produced a considerable number of works in fiction though she is best known for her classic novel, Little Women. She wrote, both before and after the publication of this famous novel, in many genres supporting herself as a writer when it was rare for women to do so. Louisa May Alcott, the second of four daughters of a famous Transcendentalist, Amos Bronson Alcott, was born in November 29, 1832, Pennsylvania but spent much of her childhood and teenage years in Concord, Massachusetts. Alcott developed a strong interest in writing at age sixteen and wrote her first book, "Little Women" which is still one of America's best loved children's books. It is a work that still defines Alcott's career. This book is widely recognized as a classic children's book. Today, it is frequently taught in schools and read at home. It has been made into a film many times, the last in 1994, with stars Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder. Louisa began to write because she was convinced that she could earn some money to alleviate the family's poverty. As her diaries revealed, she worked as a nurse, as a governess, as well as in the home as a writer. What is so special, however, about Alcott is she began her career under the male pen name A. M. Barnard. It was two 6 | P a g e women academics, Madeline B. Stern and her partner in the Old Books, Rare Friends, Leona Rosenberg, who first discovered the hidden secret of Louisa May Alcott's life along with her anonymously published "blood and thunder" stories on subjects like transvestitism, hashish smoking, and feminism. They were intrigued by the details which Alcott provided of her earnings from her various stories and novels. Stern and Rostenberg went to Houghton Library at Harvard and began further research into Alcott’s manuscripts, journals, family papers, publishers’ letters and financial accounts. In the latter, they found the key to a fascinating mystery: five letters from one of Alcott’s publishers, Elliot Thames and Talbot. The letters reveal that Alcott and the pseudonyms writer of thrillers A.M. Bernard were one and the same. Alcott decided to publish her works under her assumed male identity because she did not really want to be known, all the publicity afterwards. In those old bad days, literary works were rejected for publication on grounds of gender. As a result, publishing under male and gendered pseudonyms was one way in which women writers made their work public, defied social convention, yet also became successful in their own day. George Eliot and, Louisa may Alcott published under pseudonyms.
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