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
Evelina writes back to Mr. Villars and thanks him because Mr. Villars has sent her money to replace the amount she gave to Mr. Macartney. Evelina insists that she does not think Macartney has brought his poverty on himself but that he is a victim of misfortune. Evelina also thinks that she will have to see Sir Clement again, even though he insulted her. He is staying at Howard Grove with the Mirvans, where Evelina will travel soon.
In 18th-century Britain, people tended to view the nobility as honorable and deserving, and poor people as corrupt and undeserving. Evelina goes against this idea, instead suggesting that class and wealth are not markers of virtue but arbitrary societal roles assigned at birth.
Themes
The next morning, Mr. Smith arrives with tickets for the ball to which he has invited Evelina and Madame Duval. Evelina is disappointed that she must go with Mr. Smith and notices, at dinner with the Branghtons, that Miss Branghton seems jealous and moody. Mr. Smith, in contrast, is dressed very splendidly and seems proud, although Evelina thinks he looks awkward in his fine clothes.
Marriage was the primary aim for most young women in this period, and society encouraged women to compete for attention from men. Middle- and upper-class women, like Evelina and Miss Branghton, could not work to earn their own money and, therefore, relied on finding a husband to financially support them. This encourages women to compete for male attention and leads to Miss Branghton’s jealousy toward Evelina.
Themes
Madame Duval announces that she will dance at the ball with Mr. Smith—who looks alarmed—and Tom bursts out laughing. Mr. Smith says that he planned to dance with Evelina, but Evelina indignantly tells him that she never agreed to dance. Tom warns Evelina that Mr. Smith never plans to marry, and Mr. Smith replies that if he did marry, he would marry Evelina—much to Miss Branghton’s annoyance. Soon, the coach arrives to take Evelina, Mr. Smith, and Madame Duval to the ball. Miss Branghton refuses to say goodbye to Evelina because she believes that Evelina leads Mr. Smith on and encourages him on purpose.
Madame Duval flouts British etiquette conventions because she wants to dance—something that was considered a young woman’s activity. Although Mr. Smith pretends to be courteous and considerate toward women, he’s really self-interested and thoughtless. He flirts with women even though he does not intend to marry them—something that could seriously damage their reputations.
Themes
Evelina is relieved when, at the ball, Madame Duval says that she will dance the first two dances with Mr. Smith, who had planned to ask Evelina. Evelina is grateful that no one at the ball knows she is related to Madame Duval, as Madame Duval looks ridiculous dancing and only knows dance steps from several decades ago. While they are away, another young man asks Evelina to dance. She firmly turns him down, however, and does the same with several more. Mr. Smith returns and asks Evelina to dance. Evelina, however, remembers from the last ball she attended that she cannot refuse one man and then accept another. She tells Mr. Smith that several others have already asked her to dance, so she cannot dance at all.
When Evelina first came to London and attended her first ball, she was naïve and did not understand etiquette conventions, which often lead her into trouble. However, after gaining experience in the city, Evelina understands etiquette and can use it to her advantage. This suggests that growing up and gaining maturity involves trial and error, and that it’s important for people to make mistakes so that they can learn from them.
Themes
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Mr. Smith tells Evelina that he does plan to marry eventually—even though this will be very embarrassing for him—and Evelina tells him that this has nothing to do with her. Mr. Smith then tells Evelina that, besides herself and Miss Branghton, there are plenty of young women who wish to marry him—but he would choose Evelina above all. Evelina, annoyed at his presumptuous attitude, goes to stand with Madame Duval and refuses to dance or speak to Mr. Smith again for the rest of the night.
Although Mr. Smith claims to be courteous and refined, he is clearly selfish, arrogant, and thoughtless. He flirts with women even though he does not intend to marry them, and he doesn’t care that this could seriously damage their reputations. Furthermore, Mr. Smith does not respect Evelina and instead insinuates that she should be flattered by his attention. He’s unaware that Evelina is a noble by birth and is therefore Mr. Smith’s social superior, as he is middle-class.
Themes
