The House of Eve

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.