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
Six years after Evelyn performs the informal wedding ceremony, Celia dies in her arms in their bed. Evelyn’s mind goes blank, and later she remembers saying, “We didn’t have enough time.” When the paramedics take Celia away, Evelyn feels like they’re ripping out her soul. Once they’ve gone, she falls to the floor and weeps; Robert does the same.
Robert and Evelyn weep next to each other. Neither one of them holds the other, which emphasizes that they’re connected through their shared love of Celia (and not their love for each other). This is the third time Evelyn loses Celia.
Themes
An article in Now This announces Celia’s death, detailing her “girl-next-door allure” and saying that after her marriage to John Braverman, she never remarried.
The article focuses on Celia’s attachment to men, a sign that society is still dominated by men, and also that the media’s version of the truth is never accurate. Celia’s symbolic marriage to Evelyn is especially precious to Evelyn because the media can’t report on it.
Themes
