A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
**Overview of "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett**
"A Little Princess" is a classic children's novel that tells the story of Sara Crewe, a young girl who is initially treated as a cherished 'little princess' due to her father's wealth. Set in a Victorian boarding school, the narrative shifts dramatically when Sara's father passes away, leading her to lose her comfortable life and face harsh treatment from Miss Minchin, the school's headmistress. Despite being relegated to the attic and subjected to grueling tasks alongside another orphan, Becky, Sara maintains her spirit and kindness, embodying resilience in the face of adversity.
The story explores themes of hope, friendship, and the triumph of goodness over cruelty. As Sara endures her trials, she finds solace in her imagination and the companionship of a rat named Melchisedec, while also nurturing relationships with her fellow students. The arrival of Mr. Carrisford, a former business partner of her father, signals a turn in her fortunes, ultimately leading to a resolution that emphasizes compassion and the importance of helping others.
With its rich emotional depth, "A Little Princess" resonates with readers across generations, reflecting on issues of poverty and the moral responsibilities of society, while advocating for the enduring power of kindness and hope.
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A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
First published:Sara Crewe: Or, What Happened at Miss Minchin’s, 1887; revised as A Little Princess: Being the Whole Story of Sara Crewe Now Told for the First Time, 1905
Type of work: Moral tale
Themes: Friendship, poverty, and social issues
Time of work: The late nineteenth century
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: London, England
Principal Characters:
Sara Crewe , the “little princess” of the story, who has come from India to attend schoolCaptain Ralph Crewe , Sara’s father, a wealthy Englishman, who dies shortly after placing his daughter at a London boarding schoolMaria Minchin , the heartless and cruel owner and operator of the boarding schoolErmengarde St. John , a friend of Sara, who is slow in her studies and who is helped by the astute “princess”Lottie Legh , another student at the school, one whom Sara befriends and pretends to adopt as her childBecky , the scullery maid, a young girl who becomes Sara’s friend as the two of them must live in the atticMr. Carrisford , an English gentleman who arrives from India to live next door to the boarding schoolRam Dass , a native of India who is servant to Mr. CarrisfordMr. Carmichael , another neighbor, who is also father of eight children and a friend of Mr. CarrisfordMelchisedec , a rat in Sara’s attic which she makes into a friend and companion
The Story
In terms of both the conception of the author and the enjoyment of readers, A Little Princess is a highly successful, formulaic rags-to-riches story. The main character, Sara Crewe, is fittingly referred to as the “little princess” by all who know her. She is overindulged but not spoiled. She spreads cheer and happiness to all who know and meet her—except to Maria Minchin, the director of the Miss Minchin Select Seminary, the school in which Sara is enrolled at the beginning of the story.
Sara’s father, Captain Ralph Crewe, returns to India after making arrangements for his daughter’s education. All goes well for a while: Sara is the centerpiece of activity within the school and the “showpiece” for the school outside it. Only Miss Minchin seemingly dislikes her, but she finds Sara useful for her own purposes and a peace between them is established for as long as Captain Crewe is alive to fund his daughter’s education. At his death, Sara immediately is banished to the attic to live with the scullery maid, Becky, another overworked orphan who spends most of her time wanting food. The two girls, under Sara’s leadership, make the most of a situation in which Burnett pulls out all the stops in order to capitalize on the pathos of the girls’ unfortunate circumstances. They cannot have time to themselves, nor can they play with the other girls in the school. They are sent to carry out hard chores and deliver messages at all hours of the day and night and in hopeless weather. They are denied food when they become too tired to perform the assigned tasks—a policy that only makes their problems worse.
Sara, however, finds hope and sustains her will to endure. She befriends a rat which she names Melchisedec; she is able to keep up her relationship with Ermengarde St. John, a slow student whom Sara helps with her French and history lessons; and she stays friends with Lottie Legh, a girl who recently lost her mother and who desperately, yet thankfully, lets Sara fill the void. The will of the “little princess” is never broken, for she steadfastly girds her spirit so as to control her attitude and behavior. She seldom cries or complains—she simply endures with faith that everything will eventually be all right if she does not give herself over to misery and to futility in the meantime.
The reader soon knows that help is close: In fact, it appears midway through the book when the gentleman from India, Mr. Carrisford, moves next door to the school. It turns out that he is not merely a friendly neighbor from India; he is also the former business partner of Sara’s father, and he is trying to locate Sara in order to take care of her. When this discovery is made, the story will come to an end, so it is first played to its fullest. Ram Dass, Mr. Carrisford’s Indian servant, secretly visits Sara’s attic, where he serves as a kind of genie: He leaves her food and playthings; he decorates the walls; and he makes her life as happy as he can by ridding it of hunger, dread, and cold.
When Mr. Carrisford finally learns that Sara is Ralph Crewe’s daughter, he restores her position in life, thereby providing a truly happy ending to the book. A Little Princess, though, has more than a happy ending; it has a meaningful one. The work ends, not as a triumph over Miss Minchin and her treacherous ways to those less fortunate than herself, but as a triumph of human goodness as Sara immediately begins to use her fortune (and money) to help other hungry orphans by providing them with bread.
Context
A Little Princess is clearly Dickensian in any number of ways: Primarily, the story itself is reminiscent of The Old Curiosity Shop (1841)—a point of comparison for which this is so specifically true is that the two main characters, Little Nell and Sara Crewe, are rather close in their personalities, outlooks, and fortunes and misfortunes. More important, perhaps, is the general formula that the Victorian society used to deal with orphans, the homeless, poverty, and hunger. For all of its arrogance and pretentiousness, the society was morally dysfunctional in taking care of those who needed even the most minimal amount of assistance. Those who should be responsible and kind are, too often, evil and self-serving.
Contemporary youth, however, will be just as enticed by the story as were its original Victorian readers. Burnett’s ability to depict a fear common to all children— that is, survival and struggle if confronted with the loss of both parents and all friends—is carried out in such a way that speaks to people of all times and ages. No society has ever dealt with problems of hunger and poverty with complete success. The Victorians, however, did a particularly miserable job of dealing with these unavoidable social difficulties, and so they provided a backdrop for a story that deals with children confronting such misfortunes. That Burnett’s approach is one of sentimentality rather than realism adds to the success of the story. A Little Princess is popular because it affirms that goodness in life will prevail so long as those victimized by moral villains do not weaken in their resolve to go on being good. Burnett proves that sentiment is a vital, constructive force in human affairs, and readers are attracted to the novel for this reason.