Characters often allude to John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. This story chronicles the journey of a man named Christian as he strives to conquer his sins and win salvation. Bunyan's text resembles Little Women in many ways. Firstly, it celebrates family life. Secondly, the plot unfolds in a similar sequence. Thirdly, it showcases the struggles necessary to produce a strong moral character. Alcott adapts the religious pilgrimage to the domestic sphere as the March sisters strive to conquer their less-good impulses and complete their journeys of moral development. 

The first allusion to Bunyan's work appears in the title of Chapter 1: "Playing Pilgrims." Marmee describes a game her daughters used to play and compares it to the way they must now strive to develop their feminine virtue.

"[...]Our burdens are here, our road is before us, and the longing for goodness and happiness is the guide that leads us through many troubles and mistakes to the peace which is a true Celestial City. Now, my little pilgrims, suppose you begin again, not in play, but in earnest, and see how far on you can get before Father comes home."

The book itself appears in Chapter 2, when every March sister receives a copy of it for Christmas.