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 accepts an invitation to see Mick Riva perform at the Hollywood Bowl, and though she wants to go with just Celia, she takes Harry along as a buffer. When Mick takes the stage, Celia wonders what everyone sees in him. Evelyn says he’s handsome, and Harry agrees. At one point in the concert, Evelyn forgets she’s in public and grabs Celia’s hand. She sees a woman along the row looking and pulls away, but the woman whispers something in her husband’s ear and Evelyn knows she and Celia are in danger. She stands up and cheers wildly for Mick, who takes notice of her.
The friendship between Evelyn, Celia, and Harry is partially one of necessity—bound by the secrets of one another’s sexuality, the three must also work to keep one another safe. When Evelyn pulls her hand away from Celia’s and refocuses on Mick, she sacrifices a brief moment of happiness for her and Celia’s long-term safety—a sign that public perception will continue to threaten their relationship.
Themes
An article in Sub Rosa rumors that Evelyn and Celia are “quite a pair of… thespians.” The author questions why Celia’s car is parked outside Evelyn’s home every night, saying that whatever’s happening doesn’t seem to be “on the straight and narrow.”
The clumsily suggestive wordplay in this article (“thespians” as a substitute for “lesbians,” and “on the straight and narrow” as an additional allusion to Celia and Evelyn’s romance) suggest that the women’s romance is too scandalous even to print.
Themes
