In Little Women, Louisa May Alcott positions the character of Marmee as “la sage femme” or wise woman. The term literally refers to the image of a midwife who would assist both in births and deaths. In the novel Marmee guides the girls through the transition from adolescence to womanhood through oral stories. Marmee’s role as the advisor and match maker in the absence of a constant father figure within the family endows her with an amount of power. Other characters' treatment and opinion of her reflects her superior guidance and wisdom. Marmee's ability to know things before they happen, especially with the girl's romantic developements, suggest her affinity with this image- positioning her as the advisor.
--Megan Costello
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