Previous
Chapter 8
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
Father and Daughter is a big hit. On opening night, Evelyn imagines telling Evelyn’s mother, “We’re both out of there.” She expects Sunset Studios to move ahead with Little Women immediately, but they put her in another film with essentially the same plot as Father and Daughter. During the film’s shoot, Don visits the set during his lunch breaks. Evelyn finds she’s fallen in love with him, and Harry, who’s become Evelyn’s closest friend, gets sick of hearing her talk about him. Evelyn values Harry’s friendship because she knows he wants her to succeed as much as she does.
Despite all her internal and external transformations, Evelyn remains anchored to her past by the dream she inherited from her mother. Harry’s response to Evelyn’s infatuation suggests that he isn’t as won over by Don as Evelyn is. But even when Harry and Evelyn irritate each other, their friendship stays strong, and it’s clear that they have each other’s best interests at heart.
Themes
Evelyn asks Harry why Ari is moving so slowly with Little Women. He tells her it’d be better if they start filming in a few months’ time. After she’s done a few similar, romantic roles, people will begin to think she can only do one thing—and then, when they see her as Jo, they’ll be delighted by her unpredictability. Evelyn knows she can’t argue: Sunset Studios essentially owns her. Harry tells her she needs to focus on making her relationship with Don official.
Even though Evelyn can’t do anything to move her career forward faster, Harry’s suggestion about her relationship with Don emphasizes that Evelyn’s love life is its own kind of professional obligation. Taking steps in her relationship with a famous actor will be just as helpful for her career as securing a big role.
Themes
The night of the premiere of Don’s new movie, he picks Evelyn up and shows her a huge diamond ring. She expected that he’d propose soon, mostly because he wants to have sex with her so badly—a feeling she reciprocates. But he shuts the ring box before she can touch it. Just as Evelyn begins to feel bitter, he tells her he’s going to propose tonight, in front of everyone at the premiere, but he wanted to make sure she’d say yes. She confirms that she will, feeling the furthest from Hell’s Kitchen she could imagine, and he kisses her passionately. When Don proposes on the red carpet, Evelyn sees Harry clapping and he gives her a wink.
Sex before marriage is the subject of severe societal disapproval in the 1950s, so for Evelyn and Don, marriage is bound up with the idea of sex. Don’s behavior here emphasizes the fact that, no matter how genuine the relationship is, he and Evelyn are perpetually aware of how their fans and the media see them, so they need to capitalize on every moment that could give them positive press coverage. Harry’s wink suggests he knows the proposal was planned to be a spectacle, and it also serves as a reminder that, in many ways, Harry is as close to Evelyn as Don is, if not closer.
Themes
An article in Sub Rosa titled “Don and Ev, Forev!” announces Don and Evelyn’s engagement and spreads the rumor that Don’s parents are delighted to welcome Evelyn to the family. The article suggests that the wedding will be “the event of the season.”
It's clear from the playful headline and gossipy tone of the article that Sub Rosa is a publication whose purpose is to entertain and entice the reader rather than to offer well-researched facts.
Themes
Get the entire The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo LitChart as a printable PDF.
