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Chapter 1: November 8, 2000
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in We Need to Talk About Kevin, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Guilt and Accountability
Marriage, Family, and Social Norms
Nature vs. Nurture
Idealism vs. Reality
Forgiveness and Empathy
Summary
Analysis
Eva and Franklin’s son, Kevin, ultimately divided the couple. Eva struggles to find words to describe the day Kevin committed mass murder. Eva remembers a lunch she and Franklin once had with another couple. In Eva’s recollection, she and Franklin have a nice time at the lunch, though she finds it mundane and boring. When they leave the lunch, the couple discusses whether they should have a child. Eva is an avid traveler, but going to new places is starting to bore her. She thinks that having a child would give her something new to talk about.
Eva is bored by both the lunch with friends and her travels, so it seems that she is easily bored and seeks out adventure. At this point, she thinks that having a baby just to add excitement to her life is a legitimate reason, but it is actually selfish—she doesn’t think at all about what kind of life she will provide a child.
Themes
