Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors
used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
Umbrellas
In Little Women, umbrellas
symbolize the protection a man offers a woman. Before Meg and John
Brooke get married, Jo gets angry at Mr. Brooke’s umbrella. It seems
Jo is angry that Mr. Brooke is going to take care of her sister.
At the end of the novel, Professor Bhaer extends his umbrella over
Jo, and her acceptance of its coverage symbolizes that she is ready
to accept not only his love and protection, but also the idea that
men are supposed to offer women love and protection.
Burning
Little Women is filled with images of
burning that simultaneously represent writing, genius,
and anger. At a party, Jo wears a dress with a burn mark on the
back, which symbolizes her resistance to having to play a conventional
female role. In anger, Amy burns Jo’s manuscript after Jo will not
let her come to a play. Whenever Jo writes, her family describes
her inspiration as genius burning. At the end of the novel, Jo burns
her sensationalist stories after Professor Bhaer criticizes that
style of writing. This fire seems to destroy her earlier self as
well, as it marks the end of the fiery Jo of the novel’s beginning.
