Today's episode looks at the Stoic Mother.
In Little Women, Mrs March personifies the Stoic virtues of wisdom, justice, courage, and self-control . She remains steadfast during poverty, and supports her four, very different children, through their childhood, in spite of her own challenges.
Marmee is a major character in Little Women, but most of what we learn about her internal life comes from the lessons she teaches others. We know that she was once a part of fine society, and that Mr. March was wealthy when she married him.
Both Marmee and Mr. March were presumably generous early on in their marriage, because she supported him when he loaned his fortune to an unfortunate friend. That loan was never repaid, and the Marches were forced to change their lifestyle to accommodate. Marmee never complains about this change of circumstance, and instead learns how to cook, clean, and keep house without abundant resources. She retains her sophistication and takes pride in the home she does have. The novel does not follow Marmee’s character development, but it implies she became a stoic model of virtue because of this loss of wealth and her reaction to it.
Music copyright Jean Miles Carter @jmcarter.org
