A Critical Analysis of Louisa May Alcott's 'Transcendental Wild Oats'

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of Louisa May Alcott's 'Transcendental Wild Oats,' focusing on its satirical elements and feminist underpinnings. The essay examines Alcott's use of literary devices, such as characterization, figurative language, irony, and connotation, to critique societal norms and the impracticality of utopian ideals. It explores the portrayal of characters, particularly the Alcott family's experiences at Fruitlands, highlighting the exploitation of women and male arrogance. The essay delves into the historical context of the story, connecting it to the rise of Utopian societies and the intersection of feminism and Transcendentalism. Through this analysis, the essay reveals Alcott's critical perspective on the roles of men and women, the failures of unrealistic ideals, and the challenges faced by families in such environments. The essay references Albinski, Alcott, Mills, Petrulionis, and Wayne to support its claims and provide a comprehensive understanding of the story's significance.

Running Head: ENGLISH 1
Transcendental Wild Oats
Author's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Introduction

EDUCATION 2
“Transcendental Wild Oats” by Louisa May Alcott offers a satirical insight into her
family’s life when she was a little girl. The author writes from the perspectives of an older
woman, and her writing can be looked upon as feminist statements and revolutionary
philosophies. Alcott takes advantage of literary elements to set the tone and irony of the story
and the stereotyping of characters.
Alcott’s point-of-view is to make brutal and bitter ridicule of the society through the
fictional account of her father’s experimental society (Mills, 2007). She was a child when she
moved to the Fruitlands. She was never able to understand her father’s ideology and philosophy.
In her story, she makes a comic rendering of the six months she spent with her family in 1843 in
Fruitlands. The humor and satire in the story are both cutting and critical.
Alcott shares the resentment of her own family situation by creating a utopian setting.
She places her mother in a Fruitland Utopian community experiment that was set up by her
father and his colleagues (Wayne. 2005). Her mother Abigail May Alcott was a domestic drudge
in the Utopian experiment. Through “Transcendental Wild Oats,” the author tells the satirical
story of a group who is now living in farmland that resembles a pastoral utopia. The nineteenth-
century feminism is linked with Transcendentalism through the project of self-culture (Wayne.
2005). The core of Transcendental thought is a theology of self-culture and get closer to nature
and universe through education and reflection. The United States saw growth in Utopian
societies and communities during the early and mid- ninetieth century (Albinski, 1988). Many
women writers documented those domestic experiments in their writings, and those Utopian
lands saw a role reversal in the genders. However, Alcott’s record of her childhood experiences
at Fruitlands show great inequality in the gender roles (Petrulionis, 1995).

EDUCATION 3
The author uses characterization to reveal the personality through his or her actions,
dialogues or motivations. The finely disguised autobiographical account of the Alcott family’s
time at Fruitlands and the struggles of the failed utopian farming community offers an
understanding of the fruitless labor of working towards unrealistic ideals. The characters
presented in “Transcendental Wild Oats” are caricatures of Transcendentalists. It is hard not to
smile or snigger at their impractical Utopian ideals (Alcott, 2011). Alcott disguises the real-life
people and incidents with pseudonyms. Her father and his partner are impractical dreamers who
spend most of their time in fruitless debates and discussions. She gives the name Sister Hope to
her mother who meekly obeys and works tirelessly for the family. Alcott offers the readers a
glimpse into female exploitation and male arrogance
Figurative language use can be seen in the story. For example, Tymon’s idea of "being,
not doing," for his divine growth" can be seen as a futile and unsatisfactory process. As the great
philosophers of the family built “new heaven,” the “mother's lamp" burned steadily.” Those
words show how the mother was actually doing something while the men were busy dreaming
and philosophizing. The myopic preoccupation of the man almost destroys the family because of
the reckless venture that goes on for seven months. His wife and four daughters have to face his
lifelong refusal of paid employment that only creates anxiety and poverty for his family (Mills,
2007). Use of metaphor can be seen in the story, for example,” blue cloak streaming out behind
him like a banner “or “duck-like satisfaction” or” nodding like a massive ghost.” Those
comparisons add satire to the story.
Use of connotation can be seen in plenty of places. When Sister Hope says "Hardest
things in the world to keep bright,” she conveys that while everyone desires the bright and good
things in life, it is hard to keep things that way. When Mrs. Hope makes a vain clutch at the

EDUCATION 4
mirror, the mirror is literally jolted out of her hands, and she is told by Timon, her father’s friend
that there is no place for any “false reflections” here. (Alcott, 2011). There is a sarcastic irony
used in the story. For example, "There is our new abode," the words by the enthusiast contrast
with the description of a steep hillside that ends into a “barren-looking valley.” (Alcott, 2011).
When the man of the house announces” About the time, the grain was ready to house,”
Sister Hope is able to organize help which comprises of three little girls and a boy. Nevertheless,
she still manages to save the crop. The mother always finds a way to survive and keep the family
together even amidst the absurdities imposed upon her by her husband. Towards the end, Abel
looks back at his “paradise” which is now dead and lies “white and chill” in a “shroud of snow.”
The note od satire can be seen till the end when his wife suggests “Apple Slump” as a name for
the Friuitlands in a half-satirical tone (Alcott, 2011).

EDUCATION 5
References
Albinski, N. B. (1988). Utopia reconsidered: Women novelists and nineteenth-century utopian
visions. Signs, 13(4), 830-841.
Alcott, L.M. (2011). Transcendental Wild Oats. Applewood Books, 1(1), 1– 100.
Mills, A. (2007). "A motley load": Reweighing humor's burden in louisa may alcott's
"transcendental wild oats". Studies in American Humor, 3(16), 5-23.
Petrulionis, S. H. (1995). By the light of her mother's lamp: Woman's work versus man's
philosophy in louisa may alcott's 'transcendental wild oats'. Studies in the American
Renaissance, , 69.
Wayne. T.K. (2005). Woman Thinking: Feminism and Transcendentalism in Nineteenth-Century
America. Lexington Books, 1(1), 1–156.