We Need to Talk About Kevin: Chapter 3: November 28, 2000 Summary & Analysis

Before having children, Eva lists the reasons she is unsure of becoming a mother. She thinks that having a child would be a lot of work and would detract from her career, travels, marriage, and finances. She also thinks that children are boring. Eva considers that these reasons seem selfish, but she also acknowledges that they are practical. She doesn’t believe that there are any good reasons to have children, and she has never felt a primal urge to be a mother. However, she knows that Franklin wants kids. One day, Franklin expresses that he is unhappy that Eva is always traveling. He thinks that her frequent willingness to leave him behind to explore new places is proof that she loves him different than he loves her.

Before having Kevin, Eva started a successful company called Wing and a Prayer that publishes travel guides. Eva’s mother is reclusive, and Eva relates to her even though Eva is well traveled. Going someplace new is always difficult, and though Eva initially dreaded traveling to new places, she also craved the challenge. Eventually, Eva traveled so much that she no longer feared it. Instead, she began to fear staying in one place, afraid that she would turn into her mother. This is also why she initially feared motherhood in general—being a parent means staying in one place. In the present, Eva considers that the great challenge that motherhood presented was exactly what drew her to it.