A Textual Study of Imagery Representing Female Characters in Little Women under the Theory of Signifier and Signified

Abstract

As a symbol, feminine imagery carries the character traits and conveys the author’s own ideology. There are many distinctive female characters in Little Women, but related previous studies mostly focus on the superficial analysis of female images in the book. Guided by the theory of signifier and signified in Saussurean linguistics, this paper starts with the traditional and transformed female images in Little Women and the reasons for their use, explores how the use of traditional and transformed feminine imagery and their signifier and signified in Little Women by American female writer Louisa May Alcott helps construct the novel’s main characters and thus expresses the author’s own feminist views. This could help readers have a deeper understanding of the text and a more generalized view of the protagonist.