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Abstract：Feminism means women seeking equal economic， social， cultural and political opportunities and rights. After the second Industrial Revolution and the end of the American Civil War， the United States was a stable， safe， economically-developed country. American people’s cultural ideology has undergone great changes under the impetus of the economy， and people’s ideas have gradually been liberated. Under this favorable condition， the female consciousness of Americans had been increasing day by day. Most women began to call on their own rights as women， and they began to go outside to the social stage to strive for their own values.Little Women had been very popular from it’s publication among not only the American people but also many foreign readers. Since childhood， influenced by her family and the surroundings， Jo has formed a personality of self-esteem， self-improvement， independence， and self-love. She has worked hard in writing and eventually found her own happiness.
Key words：feminism; Little Women; Jo
1 Introduction
Feminism in the USA has a long history， from the colonial period to the present. Feminism and women’s writings have always been closely related because women’s writings is an important part. As women become more aware of their position and status in the society， some begin to struggle for a higher position. With the development of the feminist movement， feminism has an influence on culture and literature in the 20th century. Since 1920s， the feminist literature has been entering the stage of women： the stage of self-discovering and the stage of looking for the right status.
Little Women was completed in the third year of the American Civil War where more than a million deaths were involved. It was estimated that about 10% of the northern men aged between 20 to 45 and about30% of the northern white men aged between 18 to 40. The warended the division between the south and north of America and theslavery， also changed the people’s lives as well as the ideas so that liberty and democracy have become a tendency. The voices for eleminating the discrimination of traditional patriarchy aginst women and enhancing the equality between male and female had been growing. Both writers and their works hadthe ideas of the times，despite those writers’ consciousness influenced by ideas of their times like everyone else， Alcott was no exception. （Hao Ming， 2016（15）：177-179）
2 Introduction to Feminism
Generally speaking， feminism has brought a very important influence on women’s literature in lots of countries in the West. Female literary works in various countries have further promoted the development of feminism thoughts. Feminists believe that women and men are equal， meanwhile， women can participate in social activities as men， and start their own careers， so as to achieve material and spiritual independence， obtain freedom and self-improvement. 2.1Definition of Feminism
There are many scholars who have given different definitions of feminism. However， what the author adopts is from Beasley who argues that feminism contains political movements， ideologies，and social movements that share a common goal： to define， establish， and achieve equal political， economic， personal， and social rights for women. （Beasley，1999：3-11） it typically advocate or support the rights and equality of women. （Hooks，2000：78）
Feminism originated from France and then spread to other parts of Europe and the United States. It had been growing into wide-spread trend. The reason for and premise of producing the feminism thinking was that women at that time had been trapped with relative oppression and discrimination. In patriarchal societies， women had been subjected to political oppression， social exclusion， economic poverty and ideological suppression. With the rapid development and popularization of feminism， the emergence of female literature in various countries had encouraged feminism to some extent. Of those countries，the United Stateswas a representative.
2.2Development of Feminism in America
The late 19th century was an important turning point of feminism in America. Female positions， female social expectations and gender discrimination changed a lot in America.
The primary stage of development of feminism covered from the mid-19th century to the 1920s， during which the first wave of women’s liberation movements appeared. The characteristics of this stage were mainly marked with the awakening of feminism ideology. Withthe progress of the society， women increasingly realized that they had to struggle for their equal rights as one part of society.
The feminist movements in the 1960s and 1970s were also marked the second phase of the development of feminism originated in the United States. In a sense， the second wave of feminism is inevitable. During that period， American women were embodied with a new idea of their social roles， social rights， and status.
The third stage was during the 1980s and 1990s. Since the previous stage， feminism had beena cultural trend of the women’s liberation movement and had been a unique system of philosophy， principles， values， and methodology. It also led the advancement of many women. It has influented the culture， education， ethics， and value system for the whole society’. In addition， after the awakening of ideology and exploring new life stages， American women have worked hard through ideology， theoryto free themselves from the shackles and oppression from the patriarchal society for their equality and liberation.
Key words：feminism; Little Women; Jo
1 Introduction
Feminism in the USA has a long history， from the colonial period to the present. Feminism and women’s writings have always been closely related because women’s writings is an important part. As women become more aware of their position and status in the society， some begin to struggle for a higher position. With the development of the feminist movement， feminism has an influence on culture and literature in the 20th century. Since 1920s， the feminist literature has been entering the stage of women： the stage of self-discovering and the stage of looking for the right status.
Little Women was completed in the third year of the American Civil War where more than a million deaths were involved. It was estimated that about 10% of the northern men aged between 20 to 45 and about30% of the northern white men aged between 18 to 40. The warended the division between the south and north of America and theslavery， also changed the people’s lives as well as the ideas so that liberty and democracy have become a tendency. The voices for eleminating the discrimination of traditional patriarchy aginst women and enhancing the equality between male and female had been growing. Both writers and their works hadthe ideas of the times，despite those writers’ consciousness influenced by ideas of their times like everyone else， Alcott was no exception. （Hao Ming， 2016（15）：177-179）
2 Introduction to Feminism
Generally speaking， feminism has brought a very important influence on women’s literature in lots of countries in the West. Female literary works in various countries have further promoted the development of feminism thoughts. Feminists believe that women and men are equal， meanwhile， women can participate in social activities as men， and start their own careers， so as to achieve material and spiritual independence， obtain freedom and self-improvement. 2.1Definition of Feminism
There are many scholars who have given different definitions of feminism. However， what the author adopts is from Beasley who argues that feminism contains political movements， ideologies，and social movements that share a common goal： to define， establish， and achieve equal political， economic， personal， and social rights for women. （Beasley，1999：3-11） it typically advocate or support the rights and equality of women. （Hooks，2000：78）
Feminism originated from France and then spread to other parts of Europe and the United States. It had been growing into wide-spread trend. The reason for and premise of producing the feminism thinking was that women at that time had been trapped with relative oppression and discrimination. In patriarchal societies， women had been subjected to political oppression， social exclusion， economic poverty and ideological suppression. With the rapid development and popularization of feminism， the emergence of female literature in various countries had encouraged feminism to some extent. Of those countries，the United Stateswas a representative.
2.2Development of Feminism in America
The late 19th century was an important turning point of feminism in America. Female positions， female social expectations and gender discrimination changed a lot in America.
The primary stage of development of feminism covered from the mid-19th century to the 1920s， during which the first wave of women’s liberation movements appeared. The characteristics of this stage were mainly marked with the awakening of feminism ideology. Withthe progress of the society， women increasingly realized that they had to struggle for their equal rights as one part of society.
The feminist movements in the 1960s and 1970s were also marked the second phase of the development of feminism originated in the United States. In a sense， the second wave of feminism is inevitable. During that period， American women were embodied with a new idea of their social roles， social rights， and status.
The third stage was during the 1980s and 1990s. Since the previous stage， feminism had beena cultural trend of the women’s liberation movement and had been a unique system of philosophy， principles， values， and methodology. It also led the advancement of many women. It has influented the culture， education， ethics， and value system for the whole society’. In addition， after the awakening of ideology and exploring new life stages， American women have worked hard through ideology， theoryto free themselves from the shackles and oppression from the patriarchal society for their equality and liberation.