Why do you suppose Rosaline's mother wanted her to go to a convent? Why do you think she didn't tell Rosaline herself?

Why do you suppose Rosaline's mother wanted her to go to a convent? Why do you think she didn't tell Rosaline before her death?

Perhaps Rosaline's mother saw that most marriages of the time were loveless, and knew that her husband probably wouldn't care about Rosaline's feelings when setting up a match, so life in a convent would then prevent her from having an unhappy marriage. She may have seen that the relationships of the nuns in the convent were, in reality, more fulfilling than a marriage might be.

Ultimately I think her mother was trying to protect her of a life without love. Her mother was loved but so many women at that time did not have that and her mother knew it. Her mother also understood how awful her life could be with the wrong man. She didn't tell her because she knew she wouldn't understand and she didn't want that fight at the end of her life.

I agree with the comments above. In that time, a woman's options were obviously limited. I also think her mother was trying to protect her from being in loveless marriage, with perhaps a much older, wealthy, "gentleman." Women were treated as the man's property and I don't think Rosaline's mother wanted her daughter to suffer at the hands of any man. I was surprised and relieved to read the nuns at the convent had satisfying, fulfilling and safe lives.

I think she was looking out for Rosaline's best interest. The life at the convent was known. Rosaline's life could have taken many different turns with a man and her mother wouldn't want her to have an unhappy life.

I agree with the comments above. Her mother seemed to be aware of Rosaline’s desire to be herself. To be free. And while the convent would be confining, Rosaline’s mother knew that her sisters had found a satisfying life there [or she wouldn’t have brought Rosaline there so often as a child).

I agree with Melissa C. I think her mother died before she could explain her position to Rosalina -- the story suggests the death was sudden and unexpected.

I'm not sure I buy her mother's determination that she should go to a convent. Her mother never told her that - instead she promised to tell her what to expect when she married. I think she would have prepared her for the convent if she'd really intended that for her future. Her father doesn't want to pay a dowry and the convent is a convenient way out. I think he says that's what her mother wanted to bolster his case and prevent further argument.

I agree with Lyris
I think her mother was more inclined to help Rosalind find a good match so she could experience some happiness, I felt her father used the obvious explanation to convince Rosaline that it was what her mother wanted for her.

If it wasn't a complete and total lie by her father, her mother may have realized that her life would be better in the convent. Rosaline was pleasantly surprised at how "less than horrible" life in the convent actually was. I think her mother may have known this since several of her sisters were already there.

Her mother likely understood the life of a wife in those times was mostly an unhappy experience. The convent may have seemed a bit more neutral since her sisters shared that experience. Her sisters may have shared some secrets that we didn’t know about.

I think Rosaline's mother knew that Rosaline was not wife material because of her rebellious nature. She knew that the convent gave Rosaline more freedoms than she had as a wife and mother. I believe that her mother knew that Rosaline would not accept that future and so put off telling her. After she was dead, Rosaline's father really had no use for Rosaline any longer and took no time in carrying out her mother's wishes.

I'm not convinced that in fact her mother did actually want her to go to the convent. I do not trust the father's word on this.

I'm not so sure that her mother wanted Rosaline to go to a convent, but I don't think think that her father considered anything else for her. It seemed that he just wanted to get rid of the responsibility of having her around and she was so rebellious that he would have a hard time marrying her off. At that time, many Italians sent their daughters to convents.

Rosaline's mother was seeking a more predictable life for her daughter and one that might allow her to continue to pursue creative habits versus a traditional marriage at the time. Also her mother would have been able to visit her at the convent while a marriage might have taken her away from the village where they lived. Rosaline was still young and perhaps the current prospects were vile in mama's discerning eyes, but death occurred unexpectantly and her grieving father picked the most economical decision that had been discussed.

I think if her mother did really want her to go to the convent, she didn't tell her because she didn't get the chance. It might not have come as soon if her mother had lived. On the other hand, we only know this because of what other characters said about it, so maybe her mother would have listened to Rosaline's objections to going to the convent and found another way.

Because Rosaline is so bright and aware we tend to forget as we read this book how young she is too. Most mothers want their daughters to be happy and safe and able to pursue their interests and talants. For those with wealth entering a convent with a compassionate mother superior was a valid choice, almost like "Finishing school" as a choice when it was not possible for young women to go to college and university. For those young women from wealthy and powerful families for a donation to the sisterhood a young women could leave the convent at a chosen time. Entering a convent was not like being thrown into a dungeon, when one could buy their way out. The stories of Robin Hood and Maid Marion tell that Marion herself was safe in a convent while Robin was away fighting in the Crusader Wars. When he returned home he found where she was and she left the convent to be with him. Valerie

I agree with Galatea that her mother may have perceived, because of the aunts, that the convent was a place of freedom is some sense for women. The nuns played music and sang; they tended the garden and copied books. Perhaps this a lifestyle Rosaline's mother thought would appeal to Rosaline.