Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Evelina: or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Sensibility, Etiquette, and Appearances
Gender, Reputation, and Marriage
Inheritance, Class, and Nobility
Innocence, Guidance, and Experience
Summary
Analysis
Lady Howard writes to Sir John Belmont and explains that, although she only met him briefly, she was friends with Caroline and Caroline’s father, Mr. Evelyn. As she is sure Sir John knows, his daughter, Evelina, lives in England with her adoptive father, Mr. Villars. Lady Howard writes that Evelina has grown into a wonderful young woman and that, since she is nearly an adult, it is time for Sir John to decide what he will do with his inheritance.
In the 18th century, upper-class women like Evelina could not earn their own money— instead, they had to rely on their inheritance or find a wealthy husband to provide for them. However, as men often married women for their familial wealth or connections, it was hard for young women to find husbands without an inheritance of their own to make them desirable to potential suitors.
Themes
Lady Howard also says that Sir John could do a good deed by clearing Caroline’s name, as Caroline’s reputation was destroyed when Sir John denied his marriage to his her after she fell pregnant. Lady Howard further explains that Evelina is not interested in his money but only wants to be recognized by her real father. She hopes that Sir John will not be offended by the letter and will do his best by Evelina.
Eighteenth-century British society valued women’s purity and disapproved of premarital sex, which could ruin a woman’s reputation. Once a woman’s reputation was destroyed, it was almost impossible for her good name to recover. Because people believe that Caroline gave birth to Evelina while unmarried, this social stigma is still attached to Caroline’s name and can be passed down to Evelina. Britain was strictly organized by class at this time, and social mobility was virtually impossible. Because of this, social climbers often tried to claim family connections to nobles, like Sir John, to improve their own position or to claim inheritance that did not belong to them. Therefore, Lady Howard anticipates Sir John’s suspicions about Evelina’s claim.
Themes
