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Hannah Mullet is the March family’s longtime servant, living with and working to support them since Meg was born. Despite her quiet presence on the periphery of the novel’s action, she nevertheless plays an integral part in the day-to-day operations of the household and in the lives of the girls. Hannah is so reliable and kindhearted that the Marches consider her to be an extension of their family. She partakes in many of their joys and sorrows, celebrating Meg’s wedding and mourning Beth’s tragic death. The close relationship that she has with the girls in particular allows her to become another maternal figure in the household as well, and she lives up to this role when Marmee must leave to take care of Mr. March.
Besides serving as a figure of stability for the March family, including Hannah in the novel also allows Alcott to explore the social, cultural, and economic dynamics at play in the March family’s society. She uses her character to contextualize their loss of wealth and offer another example of the impact that nationality has on social standing in 19th-century America. The Marches first hired Hannah when they were well-off and able to afford the luxury of an in-home servant, but as Alcott reveals early in the novel, Mr. March loses the family property while trying to help a struggling friend. The fact that Hannah stays with the family despite this decline not only highlights her loyalty but also implies that the Marches are not completely destitute. They may be poor, but Hannah’s continued role in the home shows that their lives are nothing compared to those of immigrant families like the Hummels. Another reason that may explain Hannah’s choice to stay with the March family is her own status as an immigrant. Although Alcott stops short of explicitly identifying her as such, details such as her dialect suggest that she has Irish heritage. During this era, anti-Irish rhetoric was rampant, and many faced employment discrimination. The warm, open home of the Marches offers Hannah a sense of security and comfort that she would likely struggle to find elsewhere. Alcott emphasizes, however, that even with the Marches viewing her like a family member, her power in the household is not absolute. The clearest example of this dynamic is when Laurie goes against Hannah’s wishes and alerts Marmee about Beth’s illness. Moments like these hint at the complex nature of America’s sociopolitical landscape, especially as it relates to the domestic sphere.
