Little Women is constructed as a series of episodes which are almost complete stories in their own right. Incidents in the lives of the March sisters act as fables, each illustrating a moral point. In her novel, Louisa May Alcott describes her characters' daily lives, creating a patchwork picture of genteel poverty in mid-19th-century America. Meg works as a governess, Jo as a companion and all the women of the family sew, knit, mend and engage in charitable works. So, Alcott creates a true-to-life backdrop to her engaging tale.