A Whisper in the Dark

The beginning of A Whisper in the Dark starts off with Sybil learning that she is to marry her cousin through a letter. The first interpersonal relationship we see that is out of the ordinary is this one. Today in our society people it is not seen normal to marry someone that you are related to for it is simply incestial. When I first learned about Sybil and her cousin, I found it wierd and gross but after reading their relationship grew on me and I found myself really interested in their relationship. The relationship between Sybil and her uncle is one that I find extremely odd and Alcott uses many descriptive words to show the relationship between them. "Not yet, young lady. You came here for your own pleasure, but shall stay for mine, till I tame you as I see you must be tamed. It is a short process with me, and I possess experience in the work; for Guy, though by nature as wild as a hawk, has learned to come at my call as meekly as a dove. Chut! What a little fury it is!" Uncle (218) Later in the book we find that Sybil is placed in an insane asylum by her Uncle. This alters the idea of the relationships Sybil has. Are we reading through her head? Is she really insane or is she not? This reading we do not see a mother/daughter relationship and I believe this shows why Sybil doesn't really know how to maintain relationships. She has never had a mother so is it reasonable to have close relationships with men including her uncle and cousin soon after meeting? Is she really okay with the fact that she did not have a decision to whom she was to marry?