POR QUE AS MULHERES CASAM?: desvelando o véu do casamento em The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017) à luz dos estudos feministas

Abstract

Feminist Studies analyze marriage from a perspective that questions its social, cultural, and political implications, particularly with regard to female oppression and submission. These nuances are also the subject of the literary work that is the corpus of this research, Evelyn Hugo and her seven husbands, written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, in English, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017). In other words, this study deals with the multiple features that permeate not only the act of getting married, going beyond the reasons traditionally associated with such an event, but also marriage itself, in the light of Feminist Studies. In this sense, we seek to answer the following question: How do the seven marriages experienced by Evelyn Hugo, narrated in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017), reflect the motivations and social expectations about marriage, in the light of Feminist Studies? To answer this question, the following general objective was defined: to investigate how the seven marriages experienced by Evelyn Hugo, narrated in The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017), reflect the motivations and social expectations about marriage, in light of Feminist Studies. In order to achieve this, the following specific objectives were established: (i) to discuss the theoretical assumptions of Feminist Studies, with an emphasis on the concept of marriage; (ii) to analyze the motivation for each of Evelyn Hugo's seven marriages; and (iii) to reflect on the relationship between social expectations and Evelyn Hugo's seven marriages. To achieve these objectives, a qualitative investigation was carried out, in the bibliographic modality, of an exploratory nature, based on Lois Tyson (2023), Simone de Beauvoir (2013), Heleieth Saffioti (2015), among others. The research findings reveal how women, particularly those in prominent positions like Evelyn Hugo, are often forced to conform to and/or manipulate social expectations in order to survive and thrive. This perspective illustrates how Hugo’s narrative can act as a critical mirror for today’s society, questioning the extent to which women truly have autonomy over their decisions in scenarios of strong social pressure.