50 pages • 1 hour read
Sadeqa JohnsonA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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.
Black History Month Reads
View Collection
Books that Feature the Theme of...
View Collection
Challenging Authority
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Education
View Collection
Family
View Collection
Historical Fiction
View Collection
Marriage
View Collection
Mothers
View Collection
New York Times Best Sellers
View Collection
Popular Book Club Picks
View Collection
Power
View Collection
Pride Month Reads
View Collection
Pride & Shame
View Collection
Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine...
View Collection
Romance
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
Valentine's Day Reads: The Theme of Love
View Collection