Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Ambition vs. Morality
Femininity, Sexuality, and Power
Truth and Identity
Family
Summary
Analysis
Evelyn’s biography picks back up in the wake of her divorce from Don. Ari drops Evelyn from films at Sunset Studios and loans her to Columbia, where she stars in two bad romantic comedies, causing the other studios to lose interest in her. Meanwhile, Don gets his picture on the cover of Life magazine. The night of the Oscars, Harry calls Evelyn while she’s at Celia’s apartment to offer to take her with him, but she refuses, saying that’ll hurt his reputation. When Evelyn gets off the phone, Celia asks if Evelyn will still love her if she doesn’t win, and Evelyn tells her she’d love her even if she lived in a cardboard box.
Evelyn’s quick slide into mediocrity is a sign of significantly men control her career; meanwhile, those same men—no matter how poorly they’ve acted—will continue to enjoy social and professional stability. Harry’s offer to take Evelyn to the Oscars shows the lengths he’ll go to support her: he's willing to sacrifice his reputation to make her feel better.
Themes
Back at home, Evelyn makes herself a drink and turns the TV on to watch the Oscars. She notices the ceremony seems more glamorous on screen than it feels in person, and she feels markedly distanced from the social circles she was once at the heart of. By the time they announce Celia’s category, Evelyn is “drowning in self-pity,” but when Celia wins, Evelyn jumps out of her seat and kisses the TV, chipping her tooth.
When Evelyn sees people like her from the perspective of an outsider, they look more glamorous than Evelyn knows they are, which highlights the mismatch between appearances and reality. Still, she feels left out—it’s easy to get sucked in by those appearances, however false they may be. When Evelyn chips her tooth, she temporarily sacrifices her appearance for Celia, and it’s a rare moment in which she expresses her love without worrying how it’ll look to others.
Themes
Evelyn goes to bed alone but before she falls asleep, she hears a car pull into the driveway. Celia gets out and heads to Evelyn’s bedroom with her Oscar. Evelyn asks her why she’s not out celebrating, and Celia tells her, “Nothing means anything without you.” When Evelyn tells her what happened to her tooth, she laughs before undressing and getting into bed.
Celia would rather be at home with Evelyn than out celebrating: she obviously values her relationship with Evelyn more than the opportunity to network or show off.
Themes
Both of Evelyn’s romantic comedies flop at the box office, while Celia’s newest film sells out, Don stars in a blockbuster, and Ruby receives rave reviews for a role Ari took away from Evelyn. Eventually, after seeing the French film Breathless, Evelyn decides to go to Paris.
It seems like Evelyn is falling behind her peers. France is a place of possibility for her: she can envision opportunities there while doors are closing for her in Hollywood.
Themes
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