Written by Louisa May Alcott and published in 1878, Under the Lilacs is one of Alcott's standalone stories that still follows most of her best beats (such as starring plucky children). The story stars Ben Brown, the circus-trained young tramp who shows up in a small East Coastal town after the disappearance of his father some months before. Babs and Betty Moss, as well as their mother, take Ben into their care when they find him exhausted and hungry during a rainstorm. Soon, wealthy Miss Celia and her brother Thorny arrive to move into their family home and Celia hires Ben on as a manservant, though her attentions to the boy are more that of an adoptive sister. The book follows Ben and his friends from June to October and covers Ben's growth from a rough-and-tumble entertainer to a proper young man (according to Alcott's values, of course).
The book can be found for free on Project Gutenberg here
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Tropes
- All Dogs Are Purebred: All of the dogs mentioned in the story (including the one who is a major character) are purebred, with most being poodles.
- As the Good Book Says...: Alcott is a devout Christian, and takes several detours during the story to preach the glory of God. As well, one main character is training to become a minister’s wife and mentions bringing Ben into the fold of Christ.
- Beauty Equals Goodness: All of the good main characters are described as at least cute or nice to look at, and Miss Celia is specifically called out for being both beautiful as well as particularly moral. When Ben Brown Senior shows up, the little girls explicitly trust him because he has kind eyes.
- Big Damn Heroes: Betty shores up her courage to rescue a dog being tortured by a pack of wild boys in town. It’s lucky that she does as the dog turns out to be the long-missing Sancho.
- Big Friendly Dog: Sancho is a large poodle and very, very friendly (though mischievous). His temperament is soured some after his abduction, but he still remains friendly and sweet with children and people that he knows.
- Canine Companion: Sancho is Ben's, to the point that Ben has to shut Sancho up in the shed or tie Sancho to things when Ben wants to go somewhere without the dog. This bites Ben in the ass when Babs ties Sancho to a pole at the circus; Sancho unties himself to find Ben and gets abducted. Later on, after Betty saves Sancho from a pack of vicious boys Sancho becomes one to Betty.
- Clear My Name and Clear Their Name: Alcott really loves these tropes. When Celia and Thorny accuse Ben of stealing some money, both Ben (to clear his name) and Thorny (to solve the mystery) work to find the true culprit. Thorny is appropriately chastened when the thief is a mother mouse, using the paper bills as bedding for her nest.
- Disappeared Dad and Missing Mom: Babs and Betty’s father died years ago, while so did Ben’s mother. Ben is also looking for his missing father at the start of the book.
- Good Stepmother: There’s a few lines near the end of the book that imply that Mr. Brown (Ben’s father) and Mrs. Moss (Babs and Betty’s mother) will marry down the line. Mrs. Moss has already all-but-adopted Ben by this point.
- Heartwarming Orphan: Ben until his father turns up alive and well, Celia, and Thorny.
- Howl of Sorrow: Sancho gives several throughout the story, the largest when Ben refuses to take him to the circus.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Both Babs and Betty have blue eyes and are sweet little girls.
- Last-Minute Hookup and Pair the Spares: As the only unattached adults in the story, Mr. Brown and Mrs. Moss get paired up in a few lines in the penultimate chapter of the book.
- Psycho Poodle: Sancho is a very clear inversion, being entirely friendly and sweet.
- Shout-Out: In chapter 5, when Mrs. Moss calls the characters for breakfast......and for about twenty minutes little was said, as mush and milk vanished in a way that would have astonished even Jack the Giant Killer with his leather bag.
- Chapter 11: When Ben finds a book with a picture of a man cutting a giant's head off, he thinks it is Jack The Giant Killer, but it turns out to be actually David and Goliath.
- Spoiled Sweet: Like many of Alcott’s wealthy characters, Celia is beautiful, generous, and kind despite being rich. Alcott uses these kinds of characters to show that having money is no excuse for bad behavior.
- The Bully: Sam Kitteridge and Moses Towne are the bullies of the school, with Sam the gangleader of the big boys and who makes Ben his especial target.
- The Place: The book is named for the lane of lilacs that lead to Celia and Thorny’s ancestral home, where a good chunk of the book takes place.
- The Tramp: Ben is explicitly called this (and fits the archetype) and mentions tramping several times. Ben Brown Senior is one as well, though he also gives up the life when he returns to his son.
- The Unfavorite: Babs feels this way after losing Sancho at the circus. She feels this way even ‘’more’’ when Betty finds and rescues Sancho, as Babs feels that she was robbed of her chance to make amends. She eventually moves on, but is obviously hurt and upset for a couple of chapters.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: There’s a downplayed example with Babs and Betty. While neither is extremely girly or wild, Babs is explicitly braver, brasher, and more athletic than Betty, who prefers quieter pursuits (and likes dolls more) and is content to serve her older sister.
