In Louis May Alcott’s Little Women, four young girls in nineteenth-century New England live in a society where marriage comes before profession, and passivity is valued over independence. Financially challenged, the March sisters struggle to fit in when they are exposed to lavish events or are treated condescendingly on account of their family’s income. In Little Women, Alcott utilizes the symbols of gloves, burns, and flowers to explore the contrast between abiding by the traditions of society and