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The Theater
Wigs and hats symbolize artifice and falsehood. When Evelina first arrives in London and is still very innocent about fashionable society, she is taken for a makeover before her first trip out. During her makeover, the hairdresser gives Evelina a large, extravagant wig to wear. Evelina dislikes it and feels that the hairdressers and wigmakers are “affected” and false; they are just being polite to sell her things. Later on, Evelina also feels foolish wearing a large headdress to the theater. Her dislike of wigs and hats reflects her unpretentious and genuine temperament, compared with the false city-dwellers who care about what others think of them and try to trick others into seeing them as more beautiful or important than they really are. Madame Duval, for example, wears a wig, and is extremely embarrassed without one, because she tries to hide how old she is. She also wears a hat to a ball and dances with several young men—a sign that she is in denial about her age. Madame Duval is also dishonest and often hides her true motives for things, which is represented by her reliance on wigs and hats to hide her true appearance.
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Wigs and Hats Symbol Timeline in Evelina: or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World
The timeline below shows where the symbol Wigs and Hats appears in Evelina: or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Volume 1, Letter 10
...them to buy every dress they try on. When Evelina tries on makeup and a wig, she hardly recognizes herself in the mirror; she begins to feel nervous about the ball,...
(full context)
Volume 2, Letter 2
...tied up in a ditch, hysterical with rage and fright. Her clothes are ruined, her wig is missing, and she is bruised and covered in mud. When Evelina unties her, Madame...
(full context)
...to her room because she does not want Captain Mirvan to see her without her wig and make fun of her. Captain Mirvan is gleeful during dinner—while Madame Duval hides in...
(full context)
Volume 2, Letter 3
...agrees. Evelina spends the afternoon with Madame Duval, who is deeply concerned about her lost wig because she has not brought another one.
(full context)
Volume 3, Letter 21
...will make Mr. Lovel look tough, and Captain Mirvan says that Mr. Lovel wears a wig.
(full context)
