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Red and Blue
Celia’s glass eye symbolizes both Franklin and Celia’s naivety about Kevin’s violent and nefarious nature. Eva spends years trying to convince Franklin that Kevin wants everyone around him (but particularly Eva) to suffer, but Franklin won’t entertain the idea, defending his son at all costs. Celia turns out to be like Franklin, and she fully trusts Kevin even after he blatantly tortures her. Kevin’s most heinous act before his mass murder is burning Celia’s face with drain cleaner, which destroys one of her eyes (or so Eva suspects). Kevin’s malicious intentions are obvious to Eva, but, to her frustration, the rest of her family seems to ignore these intentions. In turn, Celia’s physical inability to see ultimately parallels her (and Franklin’s) inability to see Kevin for who he is.
The novel closes with Kevin returning Celia’s replacement glass eye to Eva and apologizing for his murders. This is meaningful for Eva, as it’s the only time Kevin has ever owned up for the pain he has caused. In fact, since Franklin and Celia were always ignorant of the truth about Kevin, it’s one of the only instances in which anyone in Eva’s life truly recognizes what Eva has gone through—though it is, of course, sadly ironic that Kevin is the one to acknowledge this.
Celia’s Glass Eye Quotes in We Need to Talk About Kevin
The We Need to Talk About Kevin quotes below all refer to the symbol of Celia’s Glass Eye. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 27: April 8, 2001
Quotes
Because after three days short of eighteen years, I can finally announce that I am too exhausted and too confused and too lonely to keep fighting, and if only out of desperation or even laziness I love my son. He has five grim years left to serve in an adult penitentiary, and I cannot vouch for what will walk out the other side. But in the meantime, there is a second bedroom in my serviceable apartment. The bedspread is plain. A copy of Robin Hood lies on the bookshelf. And the sheets are clean.
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Celia’s Glass Eye Symbol Timeline in We Need to Talk About Kevin
The timeline below shows where the symbol Celia’s Glass Eye appears in We Need to Talk About Kevin. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 22: March 8, 2001
Franklin tells Kevin that Celia will have a glass eye and that she’ll need Kevin’s help and support. As Franklin speaks, Kevin gets a bag...
(full context)
Chapter 27: April 8, 2001
...was trying to exact revenge on her. During one of Eva’s initial visits, Kevin holds Celia’s glass eye in his hand. Eva is horrified and warns him that if he ever shows her...
(full context)
...know anymore. He gives Eva a tiny wooden coffin that he made. Eva knows that Celia’s eye is inside. Eva hugs Kevin as she leaves, and she thinks she hears him apologize.
(full context)
