The House of Eve

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-7

Part 1, Chapters 8-14

Part 2, Chapters 15-23

Part 3, Chapters 24-37

Part 4, Chapter 38-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Book Club Questions

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Lavender

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses child loss and racism.

The color lavender or purple is often symbolic of royalty in art. In The House of Eve, it represents all that Eleanor wants but is barred from, namely a place in upper-class Black society. Members of the Alpha Beta Chi (ABC) sorority at Howard University wear lavender scarves. Eleanor is rejected from this sorority, demonstrating how she is rejected from the inner circles at Howard. Her roommate Nadine says she was likely rejected because of her darker skin.

When Eleanor meets William Pride, she is wearing lavender perfume to fit in with her fellow students. When William invites her to the prestigious Lincoln Theater, she borrows a lavender dress from Nadine—marking her entry into upper-class Black society. As such, lavender is associated with the Pride home, which feels unwelcoming to Eleanor because William’s mother Rose believes she isn’t good enough for her son. When Eleanor delivers her stillborn child, all she can see is their purple foot. The baby is purple from a lack of blood, the color reinforcing Eleanor’s distance from the Prides. She believes that if she gives William a child, Rose will accept her as part of the family. However, this chance is taken from her.

Green

While lavender represents privilege within the Black community, green represents that of the white world. This privilege is first shown through Shimmy’s green eyes. While Shimmy loves Ruby, he doesn’t understand her struggles as he is a white boy of some means. Later, when Shimmy and Ruby’s baby, Grace (later renamed Wilhelmina), is born, she is wrapped in a green blanket. This green symbolizes the white world of Grace’s father. Ruby cannot hold the baby at first, this distance representing the discrepancy of privilege between her and Shimmy. She is kept from all things white, including Shimmy and their half-white daughter.

Green also applies to the Prides, as Rose comments on Wilhelmina’s green eyes coming from her side of the family; she says this despite knowing Wilhelmina is adopted. The Prides’ green eyes stem from an assault, as Rose’s grandmother Birdie was born of an enslaved person and a white slave-jail owner. When Rose comments on Wilhelmina’s eyes, Eleanor assumes the baby is William’s baby by another woman and feels excluded. However, Rose assuages her doubts, as she has come to respect her.

Ruby’s Stockings

The stockings that Aunt Marie purchases for Ruby symbolize Ruby’s maturity and the ways in which the world seeks to punish her for it. Ruby wants to wear stockings to a ceremony related to the We Rise program. She earned her spot in the program and works hard to maintain her grades. She manages to do so despite outside obstacles and wants to look the part with stockings. However, Aunt Marie believes these stockings are a threat because they will sexualize Ruby. Ruby is sexualized by men regardless of her attire, but her aunt still wants to protect her in some way. Rather than eliciting sexual harassment, the stockings lead to Ruby’s first experience with blatant racism: When she exits the store, a white woman uses a racial slur against her on the street. Thus, the purchase of the stockings embodies both joy and pain.