43 pages • 1 hour read
Lionel ShriverWe Need To Talk About Kevin
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2003A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
We Need to Talk About Kevin is an exploration of the nature versus nurture debate. Discuss the reasons Kevin could and couldn’t be a product of his environment.
At times, Eva believes she is a bad mother. When do you think she might be right and when do you think she is being too hard on herself?
Why does Eva decide to get pregnant again against Franklin’s wishes?
Why is leaving Eva alive an act of revenge?
Discuss the relationship between entertainment and violence in the novel.
What role do the many other American school shootings play in Kevin’s story?
Why does Kevin give Celia’s eye back to Eva?
Why do other children mimic Kevin’s behaviors, such as regressing into wearing diapers and wearing clothes that are far too small?
What are Kevin’s reasons for targeting Vicki Pagorski?
At the end of the novel, Eva implies she will allow Kevin back into her home if he makes it out of prison. How did you react to this? Why might she do that?
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