I found this copy of the book inside of a Little Library -- this edition alone is about 100-years-old! The tale itself was very first published in 1871, and it is a series of stories from the timeperiod, recalling the children's lives at Plumfield.
Aunt Jo and Mr. Bhaer run a small school for boys (and two girls) inside of their very own home. A couple of children are orphans; some have been mistreated; but the end result for all children remains the same:
The Bhaers are sensible, faithful people who believe in gentle discipline and strong principles. They cater to each child's individual character, building upon their goodness while correcting their errors. Because of this, there are many lessons and values taught throughout the book (most of which come from Christianity), but they are little things that we can all benefit from, regardless of age.
(I really liked this idea. Aunt Jo has a special "conscience book," where she keeps tabs of every child's achievements and mistakes. She chooses not to call direct attention on the good or the bad, but rather gives the children the opportunity to view their actions as a whole, and unbiasly judge those actions for themselves.)
(A simple message that we must all keep in mind: children are very easy to please, and we should do our best to cater to that simple happiness as opposed to ridiculing them. Even in our age of technology and tablets, our girls are still happiest playing with balloons, bubbles, and cardboard boxes!)
(I loved this part of the novel. At one point, one of the girls at Aunt Jo's wants to learn how to cook and bake. Although she is only 8-years-old or so, they immediately go out and buy her a play kitchen set -- complete with a REAL tin stove and fire! -- and begin teaching her how to bake pies. I thought this was wonderful, considering today's age is so bubble-wrapped that most parents wouldn't even consider this as an option for their children.)
(A simple lesson, but an important one. Possessing basic empathy for animals makes it easier for us, makes us more inclined, to be empathetic towards our fellow brothers and sisters as well.)
(The novel did not shy away from the differences between the sexes, and this made for a wonderful piece of literature. Rather than enforcing the lie of equity, the Bhaer's focus on the differences between boys and girls, emphasizing how their opposites -- for example, the gentle nature of girls -- make boys more inclined to act similarly.)
(At the same time, the book also respects the fact that the sexes can do things differently -- and sometimes, better than the other, at that! But regardless of the child's nature, every one grows best under the love and care of gentle, guiding hands.)
(Once again, just another example of how boys can benefit from the female element -- and vice versa. The novel also pointed out how masculine energy can benefit women by making them more courageous, etc.)
(It's worded a bit strangely, but basically do the things that you don't enjoy doing -- such as work -- and you are actually met with TWO rewards: the goal, and the satisfaction of a job well done. A very basic truth!)
(This was when Aunt Jo was reflecting on her own childhood, and how her mother had whipped her for running away one time. The mother recognized that her whipping was also an act of passion, just like her daughter running away, that she was acting hypocritically, and from then on learned to communicate with her child.)
(A spiritual lesson; sometimes we cannot make sense of the things that we cannot see. However, similar to our eyes being opened to brand new worlds with the invention of the microscope, so will we experience new wonders with God.)
(This truly broke my heart, as I reflected on the current state of the world, over 150 years after this was published. Now we live in a constant age of competition -- women and men trying to outshine one another, women trying to prove they are just as capable as men... or worse, that they don't need men...)
(The book ends off with this specific lesson: what qualities any person needs to be a well-adjusted human being, and therefore a self-sustainable and reliable one. Honesty -- truth and trust -- will always be the most important trait of a person, for without trust, we could not live with one another.)
Being a devout Christian myself, I heavily believe in the teachings of Jesus, that they have nothing but a positive influence on the receptive receiver. Point me to a time when a society was not better for having accepted Christian beliefs.
Another thing that I found very telling about this classic, from the year 1871, is there is no entertainment of the neurodivergent concept. All of the children know how to behave societally, no child is on the spectrum -- no, not even the motherless children, or the orphans who were abused by strangers. Every child is met where they are at, their needs accomdated for, and each is expected to behave appropriately; otherwise, they are sent elsewhere.
