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 to Maria and tells her that she has left London and gone to Berry Hill. Evelina’s time in London has been so stressful and tiring that Mrs. Clinton thinks Evelina is ill when she comes to fetch her. Evelina cheers up, however, as soon as they reach Berry Hill and she is reunited with Mr. Villars. Still, Evelina notes that her good mood has since waned and, although she loves Mr. Villars and Berry Hill, she now feels unhappy and despondent there.
Berry Hill symbolizes Evelina’s innocence and naïveté about the world. Although Evelina is still attached to Berry Hill, she has been changed by her experiences in the city and cannot go back to being the carefree girl she was before she left. This suggests that Evelina’s trip to the city has made her wiser and more mature, if slightly less happy.
Themes
