Louisa May Alcott

A detailed Summary of Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, PA, on Nov. 29, 1832, and she was the second daughter of Abigail May and Amos Bronson Alcott. She had an older sister Anna and two younger sisters Elizabeth and May. The family moved to Boston, MA in 1834, where her father set up an experimental school that failed because of the lack of students. Since the Alcotts were relatively poor, Ralph Waldo Emerson financially supported them while they moved to Concord, MA. Amos and Abigail were both progressive educators and part of the Transcendental Movement in America so they instructed Louisa and her three sisters in this progressive educational style. Her father advised Louisa to keep a journal. She began this journal at a very young age and kept with it until her last days on earth. The journal was open to inspection by her father and mother. Mrs. Alcott would often write little notes to her daughter. Louisa included poetry and

Then, in 1857, Louisa's younger sister Elizabeth became ill. This is shown in Little Women with the sickness of "Beth." Elizabeth lived for 8 years and then her life came to a close, but the tragic death of her sister from complications of scarlet fever brought Louisa back home to support her family emotionally and financially. When the war broke out, Louisa volunteered in the hospitals as a helping nurse in Washington, D.C. During her time in the wards, she kept a journal and often wrote letters home. These letters and journal entries were later published and called "Hospital Sketches." However, she contracted typhoid fever and was treated with calomel, which contains mercury. The treatment cured her of typhoid, but the mercury would eventually kill her with heavy metal poisoning. In 1877 her mother's illness grew worse and she, too, was feeling ill.

Louisa May Alcott lived a long, prosperous life. She was not

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Approximate Word count = 622
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: People

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Louisa May Alcott

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