Little Women Lesson Plan

How do the flowers at Meg's wedding reflect the changes she has undergone as a person?

Although Part 1 of Little Women was light on symbolism, Alcott introduces a couple of new recurring images in Part 2. In particular, flowers begin to symbolize the changes that the main characters go through as they grow older. Have students note the flowers that appear during Meg's wedding: although she would like to wear some fashionable orange flowers, she decides to keep her dress simple, with a few sprigs of lily of the valley, while her sisters wear John's favorite flower, the rose.

Remind students about Meg's desire for nice, luxurious things throughout the novel, and note how...