In Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, The four main characters desire to have luxury and be stress free. They also are tired of working and want leisure time. Their mother had set up a week where they didn't have to do any chores. They learned over that week that doing work is better than not doing any work at all. This experience teaches them that while chores may be tedious, doing your part can help everything run smoothly, and in turn help you.
The main characters didn't really know how to cook. This was a problem when it came to breakfast. Since the girls weren't going to be doing any work, their mother decided she wasn't either. The girls made breakfast and it came out horrible. "The boiled tea was very bitter, the omelet scorched, and the biscuits were speckled with saleratus" (Alcott 170). When one of the girls wanted to invite over a friend, they also had to make food for their guest. She had made food that "she had convinced herself she could not make fit to eat" (Alcott 175).
Things were quite a mess because no one was doing their chores. They became lazy and cleaned messes sometimes by "whisking the litter under the sofa" (Alcott 171). They also "shut the blinds, to save the trouble of dusting" (Alcott 171). The dishes piled up and after a while they got bored of lounging all day.
Their mother taught them a valuable lesson. That when we all do our part everything runs smoothly. All play and no work can be just as bad as all work and no play.
