Catie Smolinski ‘25
As women we are fed opinions about who we are meant to be from the moment we open our eyes. Expectations are plastered everywhere, embedded deeply in the core of the sphere where we reside. Our physical environment and the content we consume—whether that is social media or works of entertainment or education—all seem to have a profound image of what it looks like for a person, more specifically a woman, to find our sense of purpose in the short time we have on this earth.
From childhood fixations to classic literature, I now see how the stories I consumed shaped my evolving understanding of purpose.
Little Women is a timeless tale of growth and self-discovery through the narrative of four sisters. The story follows the lives of the four sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—as they navigate their independent lives in accordance with each other. Each with different passions and desires in life, they search for their place in this complex world. Their distinct paths and identities embody the question of what it means to be a woman. No matter the journey, each sister’s life was equally as important as the others.
I am five, watching Disney princess movies in my parents’ room, snuggled up between them under the covers. The screen radiates with images of the various princesses, each damned to a similar narrative. I watch, my mind captivated by the graceful, elegant, and beautiful depiction of these women. Each of them holds wit and talents, but all find a similar path in the end: love. The picture-perfect story, an intelligent woman with unattainable allure either saves or gets rescued. Watching these movies, I was taught the notion that to find purpose in my story, like Ariel or Cinderella, I eventually had to find love while maintaining this standard of refinement.
“Just because my dreams are different than yours doesn’t mean they’re unimportant. I want a home and a family and I’m willing to work and struggle, but I want to do it with John.”
Meg, the eldest March sister, is a vision of class, elegance, and tradition. She dreams of a simple life filled with family and love. She grapples with the societal expectations of the world around her, while balancing her personal desires. Her dreams of a stable, simple home life may not seem as ambitious as the rest of her sisters, but hold just as much importance. A path of love does not mean a lack of strength and power; it is a different form of bravery.
I am eight, reading my first fantasy series which thrust me into a deep spiral of analyzing heroines in novels. Annabeth the brave and mighty, the daughter of a goddess, a savior in the novel Percy Jackson. Hermione Granger, indescribably strong and resilient, the leading young woman in Harry Potter. They defy the rules, reach for greatness, and pursue their passions to the most extraordinary extents. Save the world, be intelligent, conquer kingdoms, slay beasts: all somewhat “easy tasks.” I attempted to mimic this, developing habits where I constantly seek to excel in everything I do, no matter the cost; that was what would make life meaningful. I strove for perfection, guided by the belief that a slip-up or a bad grade would be my damnation. If I didn’t excel, I wasn’t striving for greatness; I was wasting my so-called “purpose.”
“I do long to be master of my own fate.”
Jo, the second oldest of the little women, holds a fiery spirit that defies modern conventions. She aspires to become a great writer, finding freedom and self-expression through that path. Her refusal of social norms and gender roles are a radical view in her time. Her journey focuses on discovering herself, illustrating the vitality of individualism and passion even in a world that contains us. Her character is for the dreamers, and the ones with ambitious hearts, and for the restless souls.
I am thirteen, tucked into the corner of my bed from which I haven’t moved in ages, engrossed with my phone, the world around me going up in flames. Stuck in that room, with only the media to keep me connected to the world around me. TikTok, Instagram, YouTube now replaced the names of individuals I would see in person. Without anything else to do, I scrolled, opening the Pandora’s box of opinions, many unwanted and unwarranted. Scrolling through the various videos— “how to make,” “how to be more…,” “this is how I’m feeling” —I was stuck watching others describe what they hope to do in the future, drowning out my own thoughts. I was told: this is who you are now, this is who you should be, how you should live.
“There are many Beths in the world, shy and quiet, sitting in corners till needed, and living for others so cheerfully that no one sees the sacrifices till the little cricket on the hearth stops chirping, and the sweet, sunshiny presence vanishes, leaving silence and shadow behind.”
Beth, the third sister, is a gentle and selfless individual, often described as the heart or “glue” to the March family. She finds joy in the simple things in life: love, kindness, etc. Beth, being quiet and introspective, is often overlooked, and her storyline is not as highlighted as others. Although her life was short, she found purpose in quiet little lights, and impacting those around her. Sometimes the greatest form of meaning in life is derived from our connections with others and a quiet life.
I am fifteen, writing papers and taking tests that somehow define the path of my future. Satisfaction comes in the form of a number; happiness comes from success. Social groups seem to matter too, though there is an unspoken vow to ignore how much they impact our lives. Navigating this maze, friendships form and fracture under the weight of all around us. The system we live in tells us we need to know who we want to be and pushes us to unspeakable lengths to achieve that “greatness.”
“I want to be great or nothing.”
Amy, the youngest, is bold and forward in her desire for both love and greatness in all areas. Beauty, ambition, success, and love were all areas she sought to thrive in. Despite her dreams, she also had an integral understanding of the reality of the world around her, especially for the role of women in society. Her character is often misconstrued as whiny, when in actuality she has a hunger for meaning and is a picture of resilience and passion.
At seventeen I sit with the voices of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, an intertwining cacophony of desires and life paths, and am suddenly at peace with my unknowingness. Their stories assure me that there is no singular path to fulfillment. I am oblivious to what the future will hold, but what I do know is that no matter the path, or life I make for myself, it is worthy not because it’s deemed so by the rest of the world, but because I allow it to have meaning. Similar to how the March sisters found meaning in their unique ways, I embrace the narrative that purpose isn’t bound to set definitions, it is a personal and ever-evolving path for everyone.