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Chapter 17
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
Celia, wearing a low-cut black dress and a diamond necklace that Evelyn asked Don to procure for her, tells Evelyn she doesn’t want to go to the Little Women premiere with Robert Logan. Evelyn is dressed in emerald green, which is becoming her signature color. She tells Celia she has to go with Robert, even though she hates him: she can’t go without a date. She asks Celia why she’s here if she’s unwilling to take the necessary steps to become famous. Celia storms out of the room, but when she reaches Robert in the living room, she’s smiling widely.
Here, Evelyn’s realistic attitude—shown by her awareness that Celia will have a better chance at fame and success if she’s seen with a male date—clashes with Celia’s idealism. However, once she accepts the necessity of going with Robert, Celia (like Evelyn) finds it easy to lean on her acting skills in order to construct an image of her personal life that will appeal to the public.
Themes
Evelyn walks up to Don, who she’s beginning to tire of. As the two couples get ready to leave, Don says, “Let’s see our little women in Little Women, shall we?” Evelyn resists the urge to smack him. When they get out of the car at the theater, Evelyn waits a little longer than the others before emerging onto the red carpet. Don tells her she’s the most beautiful woman there, and Evelyn feels frustrated that he loves her for something she didn’t earn.
Don’s comment belittles Evelyn and Celia, and Evelyn’s patience with him has clearly run out. Evelyn loved Don for seeing her whole self, not just her appearance, so Don’s admiration of her beauty in this moment is a sign that his attitude toward her has changed dramatically—and as a result, Evelyn’s love for him fades.
Themes
When a reporter on the red carpet asks Evelyn whether Celia and Robert are getting serious, she evades the question. Then, when he asks Don when he and Evelyn will start a family, Don steers her into the theater. Just as they’re about to go through the doors, Evelyn takes Celia’s hand, and they wave to the crowd together. Don tells Evelyn that, in a few months, they’ll both win Oscars. Evelyn reminds him that Celia will also be nominated, which irritates Don, who asks her to stop talking about Celia.
Evelyn’s relationship with the media is built on evasion—though she’s not prone to lying outright, she’d rather skip a question than tell the truth. Don’s certainty that they’ll both win Oscars highlights his self-involved attitude, which he further emphasizes by his lack of interest in anything to do with Celia, despite—or perhaps because of—Evelyn’s obvious affection for her.
Themes
When the film starts, Evelyn quickly realizes that Celia has stolen the show and will be the only one people talk about. Instead of feeling jealous, she feels happy, and when Celia’s character dies in the film, Evelyn reaches over to hold Celia’s hand, at which Don rolls his eyes. Evelyn knows Don will make up an excuse when he hits her later—but that it’ll really be because she held Celia’s hand.
This film is Evelyn’s chance to break out as an actor—meaning that her career is at stake; despite this, Evelyn chooses to celebrate Celia rather than nurse her own jealous feelings, which demonstrates her deep affection for Celia. Conversely, Don’s jealous anger is an immediate reaction and a clear sign that his relationship with Evelyn is falling apart.
Themes
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After the premiere, Evelyn stands alone in Ari Sullivan’s mansion. Don disappeared as soon as they arrived at the party, and Evelyn looks for Celia instead. She runs into Ruby, who pulls her into the laundry room and asks her what they’re going to do about Celia overshadowing them. Evelyn tells Ruby to move on and accept that Celia was better than her in the film. Ruby tells Evelyn that people have been spreading rumors about her and Celia. When Evelyn is confused, Ruby tells her that Celia is a lesbian. Evelyn is shocked and doesn’t register much of what Ruby says after that, only refocusing when she tells her that Don is in Ari’s bedroom cheating on her. But instead of wanting to address the situation with Don, she wants to find Celia.
Despite her fame and success, Evelyn actually has very few friends; this suggests that she only gets along with people she trusts—and in a place like Hollywood, there aren’t many of those people. Meanwhile, Evelyn’s affection for Celia seems to have interfered with her tendency to control the rumors people spread about her. Though she understood what Harry meant when he implied he was gay, she takes a long time to realize that Celia experiences same-sex attraction, too, and this suggests two things: first, female sexuality is less acknowledged in the 1950s, and second, Evelyn understands homosexuality as a distant concept rather than a part of her own life.
Themes
