The novel starts with a reference to John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, a Christian allegory. In essence, the whole story of Little Women is a pilgrimage, as the characters go through trials and tribulations before they are worthy of reaching their various versions of paradise.

To deal with the difficult absence of Mr. March, Mrs. March hands each of her children a guidebook to assist them in becoming “little women” (11), as they are meant to be in their father’s eyes. Mr. March’s character lacks a full fleshing out, and it is uncertain what his role is even upon his return. Yet, he is a vital figure in the women’s lives that “was still the head of the family, the household conscience, anchor, and comforter” (256). In this way, he can be seen as representative of God, or godlike—not truly there, but thoroughly felt. Assuming that Mr. March is the eyes that the girls see themselves through, they want to please their “God” by sacrificing their “burdens” to become the ideal women: selfless, gracious, and generous, among other divine qualities.

Throughout the novel, characters must choose either the worldly or the spiritual; one cannot have both, and the characters tend to gravitate toward the spiritual, as that is meant to be the lasting choice.