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Chapter 11
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
Don continues to hit Evelyn when he’s stressed out. When they both lose at the Oscars, Evelyn tries to console Don by telling him she lost too, but he tells her it’s different for her because her parents are “trash” and nobody expects her to succeed. When she tries to argue with him, he pushes her out of the parked car they’re in. Evelyn continues to forgive Don, even though she’s stopped believing he’ll change.
Don’s reply confirms that he doesn’t see Evelyn as his equal—her career is merely something for her to do until she starts having children. Don consistently uses bodily force instead of attempting to remedy a situation verbally—it’s possible he relies on being physically stronger than Evelyn because he knows he might not match her intellectually.
Themes
One day, Harry visits Evelyn’s dressing room to tell her that Little Women is going ahead. But when he says that Celia St. James will be playing Beth, Evelyn worries that Celia will overshadow her and Ruby Reilly, another of her co-stars. She tells Harry she’s ready to do the film. He agrees. As she hugs him, he notices the bruise on her face and becomes angry. She tells him there’s nothing he can do to help: she still loves Don, and he ensures her fame and success. Ruby comes in to discuss Celia with Evelyn, reiterating Evelyn’s worry that Celia’s going to steal their thunder.
Professional success is never an easy road for Evelyn: even when she secures her breakout role, she needs to compete with a better actor if she wants to stand out. Though Harry is on Evelyn’s side when it comes to her relationship with Don, he, like Evelyn, is still beholden to the unwritten rules of the movie industry, in which ambition and fame are paramount. The scene introduces a conflict that’ll continue throughout Evelyn’s life: she’ll continue to put herself in physical and emotional danger if it’ll help advance her career.
Themes
