Little Men

Little Men exhibits the domestic scenes and intimate mother-child relationships integral to its prequel Little Women, but applies them to a school setting. Alcott re-invents the typical school story and domesticates it by modelling teacher-student relationships on family dynamics. Plumfield is portrayed as a home and sanctuary for the students. The number of students is kept relatively small for a small and resembling instead a large family; there are only 12 boys when Nat arrives. Mrs. Jo introduces herself and her husband to Nat as “Mother” and “Father” Bhaer, and Nat observes that, “it seemed more like a great family than a school” (36).

Furthermore, Mr. Bhaer and Mrs. Jo view their duty of care to include loving the students at Plumfield as parents. For example, Mrs. Jo sees Nat as “a lonely, sick boy who needed just what she loved to give, a home and motherly care” (10). The greatest success story of academic and moral transformation is Dan’s, a violent young vagrant who develops into a keen naturalist and “brave and faithful little servant” (320). Mrs. Jo’s motherly tenderness and Mr. Bhaer’s patience with