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
Back in the present, Monique asks Evelyn if that was truly the end of her relationship with Celia. Evelyn says it was, and even though Three A.M. was a huge hit, it wasn’t worth it. Don won an Oscar for it, but Evelyn wasn’t nominated, even though she deserved it—her part was too explicit for the Academy to reward it. She’s still angry that she spent years being shamed for playing that role, despite it making money for so many people and enlightening the public about female pleasure.
This is a painful moment for Evelyn, mostly because of her own actions, but also partly for misogynistic attitudes beyond her control. It’s a moment that emphasizes her inability to hold onto happiness—not only due to her ambitious tendencies, but also because she’s never truly in charge of her own life.
Themes
Monique asks Evelyn whether her bisexuality affected her relationship with Celia, suggesting that she lost her due to her relationships with men. Evelyn rejects that idea: she lost Celia because she cared more about fame than her relationship. Being bisexual had nothing to do with her loyalty; she just couldn’t stop using her body to get what she wanted. Though Celia could be cruel, she tried hard to outweigh that cruelty with goodness, but Evelyn couldn’t give Celia more than 50 percent of herself. She trusts Monique to clearly communicate that it was her many failings, not her bisexuality, that ruined her relationship. She assures Monique that she’s not a good person. When Monique protests, Evelyn tells her she’ll change her mind very soon.
Evelyn blames herself for her failed relationship with Celia. Even though Celia never fully acknowledged or understood Evelyn’s bisexuality, that wasn’t the reason they broke up—they broke up because in choosing to film the sex scene, Evelyn showed that she couldn’t prioritize Celia over her career. Monique deems herself capable of appreciating a person’s good traits along with their bad ones, but it’s clear Evelyn will soon reveal something much harder for Monique to come to terms with.
Themes
