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Chapter 68
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
Monique enters the subway station, wondering whether she should try to stop Evelyn or call 911. But she remembers that Evelyn chose her because she read her right-to-die piece and knows she understands the importance of a dignified death. Monique feels that Evelyn trusts her. A train arrives, opens its doors, then closes its doors and leaves; Monique doesn’t get on the train—she’s frozen by the decision she needs to make. At last, she decides that it would be a betrayal to interfere in the death that Evelyn chose. Monique realizes she stepped into the train carriage unconsciously.
Monique’s still reeling from Evelyn’s revelation about her father, but in this moment, her personal feelings take a back seat to her desire to help Evelyn. Against her first instinct, she understands that Evelyn would appreciate being left alone more than she’d like anyone’s help, a sign that her time with Evelyn has taught her to second-guess her immediate assumptions about people.
Themes
Monique changes to the AirTrain, arrives at the airport, and finds Monique’s mother at the arrivals gate. When she reaches her mother, she holds her and cries. Her mother asks her what’s wrong; Monique doesn’t know how to begin to explain. They hail a cab and Monique calms down enough to tell her mother that she and David are getting divorced, and she misses her Monique’s father. She asks about her parents’ relationship; her mother tells her that her father was very romantic and made up a special holiday just to celebrate her. It wasn’t a passionate marriage, but they enjoyed each other’s company and worked well as a team.
Monique’s mother is a comfort to her, but her arrival means Monique can’t escape thinking about what she’s learned about her father. Her father’s identity is no longer the theoretical question it was when Monique sat in Evelyn’s study—it’s something that directly affects her mother, which means Monique has to wrestle with how much of the truth to share. For now, she skirts around that subject. Her mother’s description of the relationship she had with Monique’s father echoes what Monique learned about Evelyn’s relationship with Harry, and it’s possible that this similarity allows Monique to see the value in her own parents’ relationship more clearly, even if Evelyn’s revelation has changed what she knows about that relationship.
Themes
Monique doesn’t know whether she’ll tell Monique’s mother the truth she learned from Evelyn, or whether she’ll even include it in Evelyn’s biography. She knows that whatever she decides will be based on what she thinks is best for her mother. She doesn’t know how Monique’s father identified—straight, gay, bisexual—but what matters is that he loved her and her mother, and those are two things that won’t ever change. The driver stops outside Monique’s apartment. Monique and her mother go inside and order pizza. Monique’s mother suggests they watch All for Us. A few minutes in, Monique feels the urge to knock down Evelyn’s door and talk her out of her chosen death, but she represses the urge and falls asleep to Evelyn’s voice from the movie. When she wakes up in the morning, she realizes that one day, she’ll forgive Evelyn.
Monique is willing to lie to protect her mother, which is the same decision Evelyn made when she lied about Monique’s father’s death to protect Harry. The fact that Monique is stuck with the same decision Evelyn had to make emphasizes their unbreakable bond. Monique’s mother’s ignorance about Monique’s father results in a moment of dramatic irony when she suggests watching one of Evelyn’s films, but it also lightens the mood, suggesting that Monique might be able to enjoy a pleasant evening with her mother and leave the difficult decisions until later.
Themes
