We Need To Talk About Jevin Analysis

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver chronicles letters between Eva Khatchadourian and her dead husband Franklin as she recounts the childhood, adolescence and eventual imprisonment of her psychopath son, Kevin. While at first, one may believe that the novel would solely be about Kevin, its namesake; the novel also follows Eva. Shriver brings great attention to detail and outlines extremely specific events to portray Eva’s progression as a mother coming to terms with her antisocial son. This story is very much a tale about a mother loving a child when they deserve it the least.
Within the first chapter in the story, Eva is introduced as living in a dilapidated house with extremely precarious living conditions. Her décor “evokes a quality of mockery”. Her floors creak and she does not even own a proper stove. Eva describes her house as not feeling quite real and even states that “[she] lives in a dollhouse”. This analogy gives the readers the image of Eva as a doll. She is fragile and sees her condition as being forced upon her as a land of make believe just as children create lands of make believe when they play with their toys. Eva …show more content…
It was at that moment that Eva realized that she DID do everything. What Loretta said was true. Eva takes what Loretta tells her and not only thinks about it, but also confronts Kevin about it. Later on that day when she goes in to see him she asks him “I need to know. Do you blame me?” Kevin scathingly responds saying “Why should you get all the credit?.” This small but poignant exchange gives Eva the answer that she needed to hear all these years. It is not her fault. Finally realizing this, Eva is able to move towards healing. She has not yet decded that she is completely off the hook but nevertheless the burden of somehow wronging Kevin or being fully culpable of his behavior is somewhat eased from her