Eight Cousins

The novel’s depiction of Uncle Alec’s year-long “experiment” in parenting the orphaned Rose promotes the progressive vision of the “real” woman that emerged in the mid-19th century over the conventional view of “ideal” womanhood. Upholding the contemporary belief that femininity and morality are constructed, Rose’s growth into a vibrant, skilled, and compassionate young woman is attributed to Uncle Alec’s bold parenting approach. His views outshine the disparate and conservative mothering styles of the aunts. The aunts are representative of the virtues of piety, purity, domesticity, and submissiveness associated with the ideals of womanhood: Aunt Plenty and Jane are responsible housekeepers, Aunt Peace is pious and pure, and all of them submit to Uncle Alec’s complete parental authority over Rose. Even Aunt Jessie, who possesses the insight to warn Rose of letting Uncle Alec spoil her, defers to Uncle Alec’s wisdom. Ultimately, the novel credits Uncle Alec with Rose’s improvement, as she becomes the “family flower” and central to her aunts and cousins’ happy homes, willing and able to fulfill her conventional role through Uncle Alec’s unusual methods.

Uncle Alec’s expectations of womanhood are modeled on a type retrospectively defined by Frances B.