47 pages • 1 hour read
Louisa May AlcottEight Cousins
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1874A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 5, Chapters 20-24Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 5, Chapter 20 Summary: “Under the Mistletoe”
On Christmas morning, Phebe and Rose open their presents together in Rose’s room. Rose receives a pair of ice skates and a sled from Uncle Alec. While decorating the house for Christmas dinner, Charlie mischievously hangs mistletoe from a chandelier, challenging Rose to kiss someone, but Rose argues that she won’t fall for his trick. When Rose comes down for dinner, Aunt Jessie and Jane admire how pretty she is in her silk dress.
After dinner, Uncle Jem, a sailor, makes a surprise appearance, returning from a long voyage at sea to the delight of his family. At first, Rose feels left out and hides behind a curtain, but she feels included later when Uncle Jem greets her. He is struck by how much she reminds him of his dearly departed brother and feels immediate warmth and tenderness for her. They all dance together, and Rose loses a game to Charlie for which he challenges her to kiss “old Mac” under the mistletoe. She does, but she kisses Uncle Mac instead of her young cousin, cleverly using Charlie’s words against him. At the end of the night, Phebe begins to sing “Sweet Home” and the rest of the family joins in to finish the tune.
Part 5, Chapter 21 Summary: “A Scare”
One bitter winter day, Uncle Alec sends Rose out skating despite Aunt Myra’s advice that it is dangerously cold. Rose then keeps her promise to Mac to wait for him near the skating pond. However, Mac is late to their rendezvous on account of his own forgetfulness, and when he realizes, his mother forbids him from going outside in the wintery weather. Mac hopes that Rose is not waiting too long for him, but she dutifully waits for him until dinnertime. When she finally returns home that evening, she has caught pneumonia and must stay in bed because of a fever. Uncle Alec feels guilty for his prideful behavior, and Mac visits Rose in the middle of the night because he blames himself for her illness. Rose forgives Mac, blaming her own stubbornness and lack of sense for waiting so long.
Part 5, Chapter 22 Summary: “Something to Do”
After the danger of her illness has passed, Rose recovers enough to venture out of bed and visit Phebe in the kitchen. When she does, she is shocked to find Phebe trying to educate herself with almost no learning materials. Rose is embarrassed that, although she has adopted and cared for Phebe in many ways, she hasn’t thought to help Phebe gain an education. Rose decides to set up a “school” for Phebe in her bedroom and realizes that Phebe is intelligent, quick-witted, and more naturally talented at math than Rose is.
When Uncle Alec returns a week later and Rose explains what she has been doing, he recognizes his negligence in not educating Phebe and decides to send Phebe to school. Rose is upset about Phebe leaving until Uncle Alec explains that he will keep paying Phebe as Rose’s maid but lessen her duties so that she has time to study. Rose is very pleased with the plan, and Phebe accepts the offer with gratitude.
Part 5, Chapter 23 Summary: “Peace-Making”
Rose lends Steve some money to pay a gambling debt in exchange for information about Archie and Charlie’s quarrel so that she can help the two boys be friends again. Rose instinctively worries that without Archie’s guidance and moral compass, Charlie may end up in trouble. Steve explains that Archie does not approve of Charlie’s new friends, an ungentlemanly group of older boys.
After dinner that evening with Aunt Clara and some other young ladies, Rose is alone in the drawing room when Charlie walks in, apparently drunk. Rose is naive to the effects of alcohol, but she notices that Charlie seemed “sleepy and queer” and not his usual “merry” self (364). Rose begs him to forgive Archie, but Charlie is angry and stubborn and returns Rose’s earring to her, explaining that he has broken his promise to her to quit smoking. Rose tells him off and leaves in a huff, but Charlie insists on escorting her home safely. On the way, Rose apologizes, and they make up. Charlie confesses his desire to not be an only child, and Rose promises to be his little sister.
The next day, Rose visits Archie to convince him to abandon his pride and make up with Charlie, which he agrees to do. He also pays Rose back the money she lent Steve and warns her not to pay Steve’s debts again but instead to send him to see Archie. Rose promises. The next day, Charlie and Archie visit Rose to let her know that all is well between them again and thank her for her peace-making skills.
Part 5, Chapter 24 Summary: “Which?”
Rose and Uncle Alec discuss the positive effects that Rose’s presence has had on her boy cousins over the past year. Rose worries about Charlie and wonders how she can help him. Uncle Alec suggests that she lives with Charlie for a month to keep him out of trouble and from feeling lonely. After a month at Aunt Clara’s, the other boys are jealous, so Rose goes to stay at Aunt Jane’s, then Aunt Jessie’s, and finally even to Aunt Myra’s house.
When Rose finally returns home to Aunt Peace, Plenty, and Uncle Alec’s house in May, it has been one year since the start of Uncle Alec’s “experiment” as Rose’s guardian. He calls a meeting of the aunts to decide if it has been a success. They all agree that he has successfully improved Rose’s health. He proposes that now that Rose has stayed in each of their homes, they should give her the choice of where she stays in the future. Each aunt and set of boys plead a case to Rose as to why she should choose to stay with them, but ultimately, though she loves them all, Rose chooses Uncle Alec as he is “the one who I love best, who I’m happiest with” (390).
Part 5, Chapters 20-24 Analysis
This section of the novel emphasizes the immense change that Rose has undergone and establishes her status as a moral instructor and comfort to her family. Rose’s change is displayed through the way others view her. In the opening of the novel, at the first gathering of the aunts, Rose is considered a problem that they must solve. In Chapter 20, the aunts reflect aloud their changed opinions of the girl which are representative of each aunt’s perspective of The “Real” Versus “Ideal” Woman. Aunt Clara values Rose’s beauty and feminine attire, despite her criticism of Uncle Alec’s unusual ideas about fashion. Aunt Myra, who believes women to be weak, is shocked and reproachful of the healthy glow of Rose’s cheeks. Aunt Jane, who is a great reader and diligent housekeeper, remarks on Rose’s intelligence. Aunt Jessie, enamored with Rose, guiltily wishes that she was her own daughter. Uncle Alec’s unusual methods are proven successful in turning Rose from a sullen child into a model of modern womanhood.
Another virtuous quality that Rose has learned from her Uncle Alec’s modeling is her ability to admit her mistakes and sacrifice her pride for the good of others. When Mac comes to apologize to Rose about standing her up in the cold, he feels “like an outcast among men” (335). However, Rose does not use the opportunity to chide him but instead is compassionate and considers Mac’s feelings ahead of her own, “for Rose was spent with pain, but could not rest till she had said a word of comfort to her cousin” (338). Similarly, when Rose discovers that Phebe has been studying with a broken slate and rusty stationery, she blames herself for being self-centered and works to remedy her mistake. Then, when Rose and Charlie fight, Rose’s capacity for humility inspires him to forgive her and confide in her about his loneliness and troubles. Rose’s self-sacrificing attitude strengthens her relationships and has a positive moral effect on those she is close to, emphasizing her character development throughout the novel.
The success of Uncle Alec’s experiment is demonstrated by the sentimental portrait of a harmonious family conveyed in the final chapter of the novel. Uncle Alec highlights the mutually beneficial nature of Rose’s relationship with her cousins when he remarks that “in helping seven lads you are unconsciously doing much to improve one lass” (377). The novel emphasizes the real dangers of incorrect parenting through its portrayal of Charlie, who is foreshadowed to die through the exclamation, “how hard it was to wean a seventeen-year-old boy from his first taste of what is called ‘seeing life,’ which, alas! often ends in seeing death” (379-80). This undertone of fear makes Rose’s positive presence appear even more essential and is juxtaposed with the peaceful portrait of the happy family gathered to hear Rose’s decision to continue to live with Uncle Alec and grow as the “flower” of the Campbell clan.
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