An Old-Fashioned Girl

Growing up I loved to read and had lots of favorite books. Most of them were the classics written by Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott. Although I had lots of favorites, probably my two most favorite were Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott. Today, they continue to be my two favorite books, although some of the reasons why I like them have changed over the years as I’ve become older.

Because so many people are familiar with Pride and Prejudice, I am going to focus this assignment on An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott. An Old-Fashioned Girl is the story of young Polly Milton, a girl who was raised by a poor, conservative family in the country. Polly goes to live for a while with her good friend, Fanny, and her family who are extremely wealthy and live in the city. The first half of this book is about her visit and the culture shock that takes place as she is introduced to “city-life” and some of the shallow values that exist there. Polly, however, is able to be a good influence on Fanny and her family…including Fanny’s older brother, Tom. She teaches them to remember the important things in life and endears herself to the whole family before returning home.

The second half of the book takes place six years later when Polly returns, all grown up, to make her living in the city as a music teacher. Polly once again finds herself conflicted between what the modern and worldly voices of high society are telling her and the “old-fashioned” ways and values she was raised with. As she is acquainted with some of the harsh realities of life, she must also navigate her way through a love triangle and learn to stand up for what she believes in.

Growing up, I loved this book mostly because it was a fun story about a girl who grows up and falls in love. It was mostly just the fact that I was a dorky twelve year old girl who liked fun romantic plots and loved books from this time period. Although I still love this book for some of those same reasons in addition to the sentimental value it now holds, as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized how profound the book really is. As I’ve matured, I’ve realized that although the book takes place in the 1800s, so many of the themes and social commentary still apply to modern day life. In this simple story, Louisa May Alcott addresses the influence of worldly materialistic values including the ridiculousness of fashion and how it often forces girls to begin losing their innocence and grow up to fast, how the world teaches us to waste our time on cheap quality novels instead of enriching literature, and that there is really nothing “fashionable” about being a teasing flirt instead of being honest and respecting of people’s feelings.

Overall, the profound message that this book has impressed upon me while I’ve grown up is that, although over a hundred years has gone by and technology and fashion have changed quite a bit, the world still works in consistent materialistic and shallow patterns…whether it is huge frilly ball gowns and scandalous plays or skinny jeans and MTV.