Eight Cousins

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Eight Cousins, or The Aunt-Hill was published in 1875 by American novelist Louisa May Alcott. It is the story of Rose Campbell, a lonely and sickly girl who has been recently orphaned and must now reside with her maiden aunts, the matriarchs of her wealthy Boston family. When Rose's guardian, Uncle Alec, returns from abroad, he takes over her care. Through his unorthodox theories about child-rearing, and as she finds her place in her family of seven boy cousins and numerous aunts and uncles, Rose becomes happier and healthier. She also makes friends with Phebe, her aunts' young housemaid, whose cheerful attitude in the face of poverty helps Rose to understand and value her own good fortune.

[edit] Major themes

Each chapter describes an adventure in Rose's life, as she learns to help herself and others make good choices. Rose must begin to define for herself her role as a young woman in her family, as the only girl in her generation, and as an heiress in society, as she becomes acquainted with other girls of Boston's elite families.

The theme is that Rose learns to make better choices for herself and for others. She makes several sacrifices to help others, such as giving up her pierced ears so her cousins will quit smoking.

As do all of Alcott's works, the story exhibits a high moral tone. Alcott used the novel to promote some of the theories of the time which she supported, many of which appear in her other books. For example, Uncle Alec rejects women's fashions of the time, such as corsets, in favour of less restrictive clothing. He educates Rose in subjects such as physiology, typically thought inappropriate for girls at the time. Various chapters in the book illustrate the evils of cigar-smoking, slang, "yellow-back" novels, patent nostrums, and so on, while promoting exercise, a healthy diet, and wholesome educational experiences of many kinds for girls as well as boys.

The sequel to Eight Cousins is entitled Rose in Bloom (1876), and continues the story of Rose's young adulthood, depicting courtship and marriage, and death among her family and friends.