Summary
The narrative shifts to Evelyn's first-person voice, and she recaps some information about her childhood. Evelyn's parents were Cuban, and immigrated before she was born. Evelyn was close to her mother, but not her father, and felt very alone after her mother died. Evelyn's beautiful and alluring appearance also began to attract a lot of attention as she got older. One day, when she was 13, a 16-year-old boy who worked at the five and dime store kissed her against her will. Evelyn was strategic, and allowed the boy to kiss her and fondle her breasts in exchange for giving her free candy from the store. This event marked the beginning of her seeing her body as a commodity she could capitalize upon.
Because Evelyn longed to get out of Hell's Kitchen and go to Hollywood, she introduced herself to Ernie Diaz, and lied about her age. She and Ernie got married on February 14, 1953; within a few months, they moved to Los Angeles, and Ernie began working on film sets. Although Evelyn was technically supposed to be finishing high school, she began spending all of her time at a diner next to a movie studio. The owner of the diner gave her a job as a waitress, and one day, Evelyn waited on a table where a producer named Harry Cameron was sitting. Harry was struck by Evelyn's beauty, and offered her a contract at Sunset Studios. Evelyn began her acting career in late 1954, when she was almost 17.
Evelyn began appearing in small film roles, learning as she went, and eventually pursuing acting classes. Ernie was mostly disinterested, but he did like that she was earning money, and Evelyn was careful to hide her true ambitions. After a few months, Evelyn met with Harry, and told him she wanted bigger parts, offering a few examples of roles she was interested in. Harry told her that Evelyn's appearance and Cuban heritage made it improbable to cast her in these more significant roles. Annoyed, Evelyn sought out the attention of Ari Sullivan, a senior studio executive who was much older than her, and known to be interested in younger girls. Ari and Evelyn had sex and a short time later, Harry let Evelyn know that Ari agreed she could move on to bigger roles. Evelyn's first big role was Jo March in a film adaptation of Little Women.
To prepare for her increased exposure, Evelyn's aesthetic was modified (coloring her hair and losing weight), and she took many publicity photos. She also had to choose a new stage name, and chose Evelyn Hugo because she wanted the same initials as her birth name (Evelyn Herrera). Harry also told Evelyn that in order to start cultivating her Hollywood image, she should start dating handsome young actors. Evelyn immediately agreed to divorce Ernie, who reluctantly agreed. Evelyn reflects on this experience, conceding that she hurt Ernie, but also that using him was the only option to escape an unhappy future. Ernie also went on to have a happy life, remarrying and using the money he received in the divorce settlement to buy a home for himself and his new family.
Evelyn and Monique's interview wraps up, and Monique heads home to her apartment. Monique's mother calls, and tells her that she is planning to come to visit. Monique confides to her mother that Evelyn wants her to write a biography, and that Monique thinks Evelyn has chosen her for a specific reason. The next day, Evelyn and Monique continue their interview.
Evelyn explains how, after Sunset Studios agreed to give her larger roles, production did not immediately begin on Little Women. Instead, she was given other starring roles, mostly in romantic comedies. Evelyn also began going on heavily staged dates with other actors, providing photo ops and publicity for the studio. She didn't initially like this, but everything changed when she was set up on a date with Don Adler. Don was an extremely handsome young actor, and Evelyn was immediately attracted to him. While their first date was staged, they both felt a mutual attraction, and agreed to begin dating for real. Evelyn's first starring role, in the comedy Father and Daughter, was also very successful.
Evelyn was impatient to start filming Little Women, but Harry urged her to be patient, explaining that she could establish her track record with other films first. He also suggested that she and Don could star in a film together. Especially since Evelyn was under a contract with the studio, she had limited control over these decisions. In March 1957, Don proposed to Evelyn on the red carpet at the premiere of his latest film. She was very happy and excited, and eager to begin a sexual relationship with Don.
Don and Evelyn had a lavish and beautiful Hollywood wedding. At the wedding, Evelyn and Harry talked, and she asked him why he never pursued her romantically. Harry hinted to Evelyn that he was not attracted to women. The wedding represented an extremely happy moment in Evelyn's life, but Evelyn notes that the marriage quickly became abusive.
Analysis
As a character, Evelyn has a number of defining attributes: she is self-aware, pragmatic, and unapologetic. These characteristics emerge clearly as Evelyn reflects on her childhood, first marriage, and how she launched her career. As a young girl growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, Evelyn would likely have been expected primarily to marry and have a family; opportunities for education and a career were still quite limited at the time. As a historical novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo spans the entire second half of the 20th century, and extends into the 21st. This span of time allows the plot to explore the significant evolution of social norms during this period, particularly for women and members of the LGTBQ community.
Evelyn's economic and cultural background further disadvantaged her, and make her success all the more remarkable. As Harry makes clear when Evelyn pushes for larger roles, even with her beauty and charisma, as a Cuban-American woman, Evelyn is unlikely to become popular with primarily white audiences. It is notable that when Evelyn is given the opportunity to act in larger roles, her appearance is modified to better conform with normative, white beauty standards, including losing weight and dyeing her hair blonde. Evelyn's striking physical beauty relies on a delicate balance of appearing "exotic" without disrupting normative beauty standards; it also explains why Evelyn chooses to pursue a career in film, a visual medium that is accessible with limited education and training. In order to succeed as an actress, Evelyn has to be beautiful and good at pretending, two qualities she has already cultivated in her early life. She steps naturally and willingly into what film theorist Laura Mulvey has described as the "traditional exhibitionist role, [in which] women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact, so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness" (809).
The number of odds stacked against her provide context for something Evelyn makes clear from the beginning: she was willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted. This unapologetic and amoral ambition is somewhat unusual in a female protagonist, particularly since Evelyn is clearly aware of the societal expectations for a woman to be modest, self-effacing, and likable. What Evelyn highlights in her narrative is the impossibility of reconciling those expectations with the ruthlessness actually required to succeed. The gap between her persona and her true identity began when Evelyn had to separate what she presented as her public persona, and what she was actually like. This split in her identity was symbolized by Evelyn choosing a new name for herself; in a sense, "Evelyn Hugo" has always been a fiction and a facade, constructed to appeal to audiences.
One specific aspect of Evelyn's pragmatic and ambitious attitude centers on her perspective towards using her body to get what she wants. Evelyn is somewhat inconsistent and contradictory on this topic; at times, she seems completely unapologetic and even proud of how she traded her body to get what she wanted. Notably, some of these incidents, such as Evelyn's interactions with the store clerk, her first marriage, and her experience with Ari, occur when Evelyn was extremely young. Her defiant attitude might mask the trauma she experienced, or represent a way that she is internalized these events. Given that she was afraid of her father sexually abusing her, and that she frames her decision to trade exposing her breasts for candy as a way to avoid being sexually assaulted, these experiences don't take place in a context in which Evelyn has much agency, or other options. They also set the stage for Evelyn's enduring belief that her success is dependent on her sex appeal, which will subsequently cause problems in both her career and her personal life.
Evelyn's Hollywood career is launched within the context of the waning studio system, and the Hayes code (the Motion Picture Production Code). Between 1927 (the introduction of motion pictures with sound) and 1948 (when a Supreme Court ruling upheld antitrust laws), 5 major studios produced the vast majority of Hollywood films and controlled aspects ranging from film production to distribution and theatre chains where the films would be screened. Most performers entered into contracts with studios, but ceded a great deal of creative and personal control as a result. The studio system began to decline in the mid-1950s, and more and more stars worked freelance.
Evelyn's early career reveals the support she received from a major studio's investment into turning her into a star, but also the control they wielded as a result. The Hayes code refers to a set of guidelines governing content in motion pictures, which was in effect between 1934 and 1968. It restricted representation of sexuality and violence in response to fears about motion pictures impacting public morality. Evelyn's early casting and persona highlights a simultaneous expectation of her appearing innocent but also alluring at the same time.
