We Need to Talk About Kevin
discussion
Did Kevin respect his Mum after all?
Good question. I think love and respect can be separated. Kevin may have loved her and not respected her or vice versa. I think there was erotic love on his part, not only because of the bathroom stunts, but because he was so overt about the teacher incident. Also, by creating the bridge between himself and his mother with all their inside knowledge of one another, they alienated the father and thus it was Kevin and Eva who were coupled. The respect may have been narcissistic. She had led an amazing life and he felt touched by its greatness. If he didn't want to discuss her on TV it was more from not wanting to have to share credit for his actions.
I really think Kevin did respect his mum -maybe love, but in a seperate way to most people- I think I mostly because he gave Eva his sister's glass eye in the coffin/box right at the end, as a kind of peace offering. Thats also why i didnt like the film (if you've seen it), as this scene didn't happen and you didnt even get a sense of his regret -i also think he regretted it, as he said he didn't know why he did it anymore. And the hug, in my opinon, Kevin wouldnt show so much emotion as to hug someone, even if he respected/loved them.
I watched the film just last week - and I found myself filling in a lot of gaps for my boyfriend as he hasn't read the book, and I didn't think the film conveyed a lot of the points properly. I am surprised they hadn't added some kind of narration, as extracts from her letters to strengthen the delivery of some of her thoughts and feelings. They touched on his regret in the film - but no where near to the extent you felt it from the book, it wasn't strong enough. I think he begun to mature by the end of the book - which made him question everything for sure but I agree - I think he had alienated himself from everyone so long, I don't think he would ever be capable of a hug or much emotion.
I would even say: Kevin did love his mother, it's just that he had no idea what love is or how to express this feeling. Because Eva could never give him real love, kids can detect it from a very young age if you are not honest about something.And he couldn't get real love from his father either, even though he tried to bond with him, it felt just awkward or made up. If you love someone (eg. your kids) then you are there for them and try to make them a better person, lead them to a good path in life. He just closed his eyes whenever something bad came up that Kevin did.
As Kevin said himself: he let Eva live because he wanted the audience to be alive for the show. What he did was basically a cry for attention from Eva. In my opinion, Kevin loves Eva more than Eva loves Kevin..
Oh, and about the erotic love - I agree, just think about Freud and the Oedipus-complex.
I watched an interview with the author where she said that they did think about adding narration, but then they didn't like the idea because they wanted to create something different from the novel but yet similar to it in the atmosphere.
I believe Kevin tested his mother all of his life. She was the narcissistic one who believed she was better than Americans, although she was one herself and Kevin is just like her. He criticizes all of the other school shooting/killings etc, although he wasn't the first, and felt as though he was superior. The word "trite" is very important to this novel. The juxtaposition is great in the way that she uses it at dinner and he uses it in the television interview. I think Kevin spared his mother because, in his mind, they were so much alike and maybe he actually hated sharing her all of his life - and now that she has been there for him after he did such a horrendous thing, she has proven that her maternal instincts have been there all along he just made it difficult for her to be a mother to him. There may have been an Oedipal thing going on. At the end, they both came to realize their own flaws and stupid behaviors and seem to accept each other for who they are individually etc...
This is just a short thought, probably disorganized - I hope it makes a little sense. :)
He loves her. He was just so keen to test her love for him as he already knew her mother's dislike of him at a very young age. It is just after the massacre that he believed his mother's love because, maybe, he thought, could she still love him despite of what he have done? As for respect, not sure if he respected her as a mother, but he sure did respect her for her achievements. He's proud of her. Couldn't agree with the erotic love, though. I think the bathroom stunt was just to irritate his mother even more. Can't compare this to the movie because I love both equally.
I can see I'm in a minority here but I found Kevin's apparent change of heart towards his mother whom he'd tormented his entire life completely unconvincing. If anything I think he would have kept her alive in order to watch her suffer, but I don't think you can discuss realistic motivations for characters which are so one-dimensional.
The way I see it, Franklin's attempts to bond with him were, from Kevin's point of view, attempts to bond with his ideal son. This ideal son didn't necessarily align with who Kevin had grown up to be. There's a point in the book where his dislike for his father becomes evident, when the entire family is discussing the shootings, and it's almost as if Kevin's anger is growing due to the fact that his father almost... underestimates him. And, I mean, he had definitely tormented Eva his entire childhood, I won't dispute that, but Eva never underestimated her son.
His love for her is obvious towards the end. In the interview, he just seems so proud of her accomplishments, which is the one thing Eva seemed to really want.
The last scene of the movie/her last visit with Kevin always touches me, because even though he committed these horrid crimes, killed her husband and daughter, she managed to forgive him... and, well, he forgave her, in a sense, too.
His love for her is obvious towards the end. In the interview, he just seems so proud of her accomplishments, which is the one thing Eva seemed to really want.
The last scene of the movie/her last visit with Kevin always touches me, because even though he committed these horrid crimes, killed her husband and daughter, she managed to forgive him... and, well, he forgave her, in a sense, too.
Francene wrote: "I can see I'm in a minority here but I found Kevin's apparent change of heart towards his mother whom he'd tormented his entire life completely unconvincing. If anything I think he would have kept ..."I think that's it exactly. I'm also convinced that Kevin was on the Autism spectrum.
From very early on I was convinced Kevin was on the Autism spectrum. I feel the reason he didn't kill Eva was, in his own mind, he believed her to be a kindred spirit. In their own warped ways, they were very similar only they channeled their disgust with world in very different ways. To me there was one major difference in their personalities, Kevin took responsibility for his actions whereas Eva did not. Pretty much when the going got tough, she got going!
i think he wanted his mother to live the rest of her life with the pain of knowing he took everything from her. i agree with francene.
I don't think he 'loved' her at all in the conventional sense. His behaviour as a child had made it impossible for her to even begin to express real love for him, so it would not be possible for him to feel proper love, having never experienced it. What he did feel, and what was a driving force which directed his actions from the start of his life to the end, was a huge NEED for her to pay attention to him. In the end, her observation of his actions was the only dependable, common thread that kept him going. And she never lets him down, in that sense; even at the point where she could walk away, following the final murders. The two are bound together. This would have to be one of the strongest and most complex books I've read in a decade. It left a huge impression.
I would like to believe that he came to respect his mother as part of his demise. I had the same reaction as Francene after finishing the book, but thinking about it, he was a flawless villain at 15 - a perfect character. With his time inside, maybe this perfection starts to deteriorate and that's where the television manifesto comes from and, for the same reasons, his growing respect for his mother. It must have been painful for him to be in the same category of people as the boy who eviscerated his neighbours because they complained that he blasted The Monkees at stupid am, so he starts to detach himself from that: finding a "real" reason for his actions, respecting his mother, in the end, regretting what he did.
as much bas I admire this book, the one aspect of it I didn't buy into was the depiction of Kevin. Eva is so finely wrought as a 3-dimensional character, yet Kevin remains utterly opaque and one-dimensional. I would say he wanted to punish her, by leaving her alive as a witness and condemned to guilt for the rest of her life. But it's a guess
I think it's more that Kevin craved something from his mother that she could not or would not deliver. She never handed him the tools to be able to communicate properly the fact that he was still a boy who needed his mother, and his father wasn't the person to communicate that need with either, since he was such an "All American Man". I think Kevin internalised that to the extent you see. I wouldn't argue about love, or respect, but a child's need. He refused to be interviewed about his mother because he needed the hard outer shell persona that he'd created - he understood that you had to stick to your story, and make it a valid one, after all - and questions with his mother would undermine that. Like Eva, he would not be seen as weak. That was the life skill that she did manage to impart.
To me he was born evil or bad and I just don't buy that I'm afraid. Eva couldn't relate to him, couldn't understand or communicate with him, because he was utterly impenetrable. He was already set in his ways by the time his sister was born, why should he react to her as if he was no longer getting love/attention from his mother, because he didn't seem to want them from her anyway. I think he just saw his sister as something to practise and experiment on as if she was inanimate. Like a living doll. As I say, I did find his characterisation weak, almost as if the author had just given up trying to justify his motives.
I don't think Kevin was capable of respect, or love, or any other feeling that we would recognise as normal. I think he's impenetrable because his mind is warped. OK, Eva didn't parent him in the way he needed to be parented, but I'm not sure that anyone could have. I sense whatever kind of mum he'd had, he would have still turned out the way he did. I agree with Marc's observation that he's opaque, but to me that didn't make him one-dimensional. It just made him hard to understand and therefore rather fascinating and frightening.I've not seen the movie yet.
Ruth wrote: "I don't think Kevin was capable of respect, or love, or any other feeling that we would recognise as normal. I think he's impenetrable because his mind is warped. OK, Eva didn't parent him in the w..."the movie is very interesting stylistically. It stays reasonably true to the book, but used visual imagery to take you inside Eva's mind
But to blame Kevin, you need to blame Eva. To that extent I mean, even in the womb, chemical surges affect a child. She spent her entire pregnancy resentful of her child, her new body, the expectations of pregnant women. Kevin was born by an angry woman. He was neglected by the same woman who refused to seek help for obvious post-partum depression, who couldn't recognise her own child's needs because of that depression. So yes, by that measure, Kevin was not given the tools necessary to explain what he needed.She abused him badly as a child as well. The one food he likes to eat she is derisive over (and I'm talking as a mother to a small boy, who refuses to eat much past fruit. You have to roll with the punches of children's food fads), the one toy he attaches himself to she destroys and blames him for. He uses the one thing he has control over to try to establish himself - another common action for children - by toileting in his pants, rather than learning to use the toilet. And she breaks his arm for doing so. Every action comes from Eva's catalyst. Kevin is what Eva made him.
Kevin, is a very complicated character. I think that Kevin did love his mother. However, even as a young child he knew that Eva didn't want him, i think he did want a mother to want him and love him,but he didn't have that, and he resented her for that. He resented her, but that doesn't mean he didn't respect her. He had no respect for his father or sister, because they just didn't see what he was, they were nothing but mere people he had no connection with on an emotional level. However, with Eva, he knew that she saw what he really was. She knew he was evil, he knew it was true, aswell. He knew that his father and sister didn't see him for what he truly was, he didn't care about them. But he kept Eva alive, he meant something to her. Eva did love Kevin, but in her own unusual way.
Kevin loved Eva so much that he wanted her all to himself and ultimately that is what he achieved with his actions. The last paragraph of the book really says it all doesn't it?
Davida wrote: "From very early on I was convinced Kevin was on the Autism spectrum. I feel the reason he didn't kill Eva was, in his own mind, he believed her to be a kindred spirit. In their own warped ways, t..."Linda wrote: "Francene wrote: "I can see I'm in a minority here but I found Kevin's apparent change of heart towards his mother whom he'd tormented his entire life completely unconvincing. If anything I think he..."
Kevin was nowhere NEAR the autism spectrum. He knew perfectly well how to interact with people and, if he chose to, did it very well. The problem was he didn't WANT to interact with people. I work with autistic people and for them, as much as they WANT to interact with people, they find it difficult/impossible to do so.
Shay wrote: "Kevin was nowhere NEAR the autism spectrum. He knew perfectly well how to interact with people and, if he chose to, did it very well. The problem was he didn't WANT to interact with people. I work with autistic people and for them, as much as they WANT to interact with people, they find it difficult/impossible to do so."Agree with Shay. He maintains this "tough loner" persona the whole time except when he was sick. It takes a lot of work to do so. He can be charming & intelligent if he wants to (just like to his dad). Thus I don't believe he has autism.
In the book Franklin was an ***hole, undermining Eva at every turn. He was a horrible parent and a horrible husband. In the movie, they cast a big homely cuddly actor to play Franklin and he was much less horrible than as portrayed in the book. I didn't like the movie.
I just read the book, very gripping. Franklin must have been wilfully blind to Kevin's behaviour, so determined was he to have the "ideal" American family. However, he couldn't find it in himself to extend that tolerance to his wife or daughter. He ignored or misinterpreted Eva's PND and later, often belittled Eva's attachment to Celia.Both children seemed to have personality disorders, whether by inept parenting or what, is hard to say.
One thing, if Kevin had done that bathroom business to me, the next time he would have copped a bucket of ice water, and to hell with Franklin's opinion.
Kevin is opaque because Eva doesn't really understand him, and she's the narrator. Everything that happens in this book is from her perspective, and she may not be the most reliable narrator.
emberzmars wrote: "Shay wrote: "Kevin was nowhere NEAR the autism spectrum. He knew perfectly well how to interact with people and, if he chose to, did it very well. The problem was he didn't WANT to interact with pe..."Shay wrote: "Davida wrote: "From very early on I was convinced Kevin was on the Autism spectrum. I feel the reason he didn't kill Eva was, in his own mind, he believed her to be a kindred spirit. In their own..."
No way is Kevin on the spectrum for the reasons clearly outlined above. Funny though, I felt from the moment Celia was born that she was on the spectrum - she never cried, limited interactions and reactions to those around here, intense fears of the world around her etc. In retrospect it wouldn't have changed anything in the story if this had been the case I guess but I felt the author was setting it up for a diagnosis of ASD.
Perhaps if she had done so Franklin would not have gotten away with being so disparaging of Celia's fears and behaviours and it would have allowed for more understanding of Eva's protectiveness towards her daughter.
I'm reading a lot of, IMO, wishful thinking about Kevin 'loving' his mother. I'm sorry, just because he is good looking and from a typical upper middle class family doesn't make him a whole human being. There are literally hundreds of evil people in this world, in the prison system. There is no rehabilitating many of those killers. Kevin is one of those people who was born damaged to the extent that no therapy, drug, understanding from family members was ever going to cure. Just change a few of the circumstances with theKevin of the film- imagine him an ugly dirty man of say over 40. Will you still see him as warm and fuzzy and loving his mother? He lived to torture...everyone one. And his mother the ultimate target. Torture for the entire length of a presumably long life.
I just finished this book and I think Kevin turned out to admire his mom, though in some twisted way. I think he was always keenly aware of her detachment from him and he admired her coldness as much as he resented her for it. As for respecting his mom...absolutely not. I don't think there's any supporting content for that. In the end, he may have clung to her out of fear for what was to come of him in prison.
'If you've met one person with Autism , you've met one person with Autism.' the spectrum is broad and for Say and others to said they've worked with a couple if them who..../therefore....is a little pointless. Kevin could easily meet enough criteria on DSM-IV or V.
Being a psychopath, Kevin is incapable of love.
I think the whole point that he left Eva alive and proceeded to kill his sister and father is open to interpretation. I subscribe to the view that Kevin sought to be an individual! the only way he succeeded in this through the fifteen years before "Thursday" was the constant battle with his mother. Therefore I truly believe that the emotion that Kevin feels for his mother is not love but one of respect. Eva makes something of the fact that she did not consider herself American in the traditional sense a need to make herself an individual, it-so-facto I believe the pair share quite a lot in common.
I think Kevin came to the realization at some point that he and his mother are very alike in so many ways. Like her, he sees himself as a cut above the rest and has very little respect or patience for people he doesn't deem 'worthy' of his attention.He's also been a manipulative shit since childhood considering that when Eva broke his arm he used her guilt and shame to spin the whole situation to his advantage by using it as a blackmail tool.
(I've only seen the film) I couldn't work out if Eva was abusive, but the film didn't show it because the story was told from her view. However, from these comments, I'm getting the sense that she found it hard to love him and she was resentful and whatnot. Although, I found it weird that Kevin responds to pain. There's a part in the film where he gets sick, and he's a sweet little boy with no attitude to his mother. She smiles in fact, and seems to be enjoying reading to him. Bit odd for a mother who apparently can't stand Kevin. Does Eva only give him attention because he is sick?
What confuses me also, is that he's cold with his father when he's sick. There seems to be something psychologically wrong here, like people are commenting: Kevin seems to have a learning difficulty.
Jess wrote: "(I've only seen the film) I couldn't work out if Eva was abusive, but the film didn't show it because the story was told from her view. However, from these comments, I'm getting the sense that she ..."I would highly recommend that you read the book. It gives a much clearer interpretation of the family's history and the difficulties between Kevin and every other member of his family.
I thought a lot of the story was lost in the artistic presentation of the film. Those techniques have their place but in this case it sacrificed the clarity of the story being told, IMO.
Jess wrote: "(I've only seen the film) I couldn't work out if Eva was abusive, but the film didn't show it because the story was told from her view. However, from these comments, I'm getting the sense that she ..."I really think that the part where Eva was happy taking care of a sick Kevin was that she was happy about finally being a 'good, normal' mother for once, and that Kevin was just too tired to put on his good boy act for his father.
i think kevin is just a criminal sociopath with a really really twisted unresolved oedipus complex.
I think that he did respect her and that she was probably the only one he ever felt any kind of attachment to despite the derision throughout his life. I think that Kevin fixated on her as the only one worthy of his attention as she was the only one who was on the same plane that he was, albeit at a different end of the spectrum. Kevin and Eva are very similar in a lot of ways as they're both manipulative, both selfish and both take no real joy in anything. They both enjoy the idea of things more than the actual having it, Eva in having Kevin and Kevin in his massacre.
I think they both respect one another and even love one another in a primal, possessive kind of way.
I think answering the questions about Kevin and his mum's relationship is difficult because we only have her side of the story. And how accurate is that? I mean could she have been a little unbalanced herself anyway? She had a child that she really didn't want. Is that a normal thing to do when you have such a strong aversion to becoming a mother? And then after she's given up on Kevin and discusses having another child with her husband who emphatically refuses, she goes and gets pregnant on the sly anyway!! Spooky.I believe Kevin was quite simply a 'bad seed'. He showed interest in school killings long before he committed his deed. He had his victims carefully chosen, apart from the cafeteria worker.
He liked to be different. From his way of wearing undersized clothes to the manner of his massacre. Arrows - who's ever done that before?
As several people stated during the novel, Kevin is very clever.
But he believed in doing the time for his crime. Which I kind of gave him some credit for.
As for the emotion towards his mother at the end, I think this was simply because he was shortly about to be transferred to real prison and now feared life was going to become a whole lot harder for him.
I think the real twist in the story is that Kevin is not/was not as 'bad' as Eva would have us believe. By the end of the book we know Kevin is carrying out terrible actions but until that point we only have Eva's word and we know she in unreliable because babies aren't bad, they don't hatch plans to alienate their parents. At some point between being a baby and shooting his peers Kevin became, at least partially, what she imagined him to be. I am always surprised that people go for the simple (and wholly ridiculous) explanation that Kevin was born bad. I suppose that could be what Shriver is going for but it would be very uninteresting if it were true.
Apologies in advance for the length.I think the jealousy and desire for the other’s attention is a strong theme in both Kevin and Eva. Remember how Eva felt jealous when Kevin specifically ordered to only speak with Franklin over what happened with his drama teacher? I think this acted as a type of ‘revenge’ for Eva showing disinterest towards him through pregnancy and as an infant. Kevin’s behaviour as previously stated by others could act as a constant test of boundaries and Eva’s ‘love’ for him i.e. how much can I do to mom until she finally snaps or admits she doesn’t love me?’. In the same way that only Eva really knew Kevin’s true personality, he knew the same of her. Although Franklin was aware that Eva’s displays of affection towards Kevin were somewhat forced, I think Kevin knew that Eva really was trying at points to connect with him e.g. the scene with him as a toddler, rolling the ball back and forth; he could see Eva’s joy and excitement over his response. Once he’d received this reaction and learnt what she desires from him, he denies it from her by not repeating the action at request. Kevin knows that Eva is aware of this denial; she knows he can give it to her which is exactly why he doesn’t.
Kevin also shows strong psychopathic traits. I have been close with a psychopath, a fact which I was not privy to until the damage was done and what I would ultimately say about this boy/man is 1. They want to be in control and 2. They never want to be ignored; if you ignore them, they lose their power of manipulation because you are giving them no emotion to ‘work’ with (which Eva tests unknowingly at times as of her ‘straight-faced’, distant nature). Kevin’s desire to be in control and independent is shown by his refusal of the food Eva provides and learning to read in secret to make Eva feel as if she is useless and denying her of her maternal capabilities. This is shown to be an act as Eva states how if would catch Kevin eating the food she had made, he would spit it out. He does need the food, but he doesn’t want to be seen to be needing it.
His attitude to her is much the same. This is shown in her prison visits; he resents her arrival and applauds her departure. However, if he truly resented her visits he knows he has the power to make her leave i.e. when he reveals possession of Celia’s eye, Eva assertively states that if he ever does that again she will never return and he seems to take this threat seriously as he ceases to goad her with it. Also remember that Eva questions herself as to why she never leaves the family before Celia’s born as Franklin and Kevin make her feel isolated, excluded. She’s also unsure as to why she continues her visits to Claverack when she dreads them but feels urged to go even if they sit in silence for the entirety of the visit, with Kevin showing nothing but disinterest and disdain for her. A large theme that isn’t really explored in much depth from what I’ve seen is what I interpret as Kevin’s fascination of Eva. To revert back to my personal experience of psychopaths, they begin as amoral not immoral. The man who I knew would make cry, but didn’t necessarily enjoy seeing me cry but was more so fascinated with my animated emotion which I believe he was incapable of. Regarding this, I think because Kevin feels no emotion or passion (apart from his likes/preference to archery, salty food and small clothing) he’s both resentful and fascinated of Eva’s emotions, passion and interest. She may not be the most pleasant of characters but she is certainly colourful; her passion for travel, she’s opinionated and difficult but very human, she’s sentimental and nostalgic and sees so much beauty in the world. It’s not that Kevin doesn’t want to feel, I think he craves feeling but is incapable of it. His plain room represents his hollow, unfeeling interior although it could also represent his willingness to lock out others; psychopaths don’t like letting their guard down and revealing their ‘secrets’ i.e. true self, if Eva knew what Kevin truly enjoyed, she would be able to ‘manipulate’ and control his feelings . Because he feels nothing he plays with her emotions as they seem to be the only thing that entertains him coupled with his longing for her attention. Remember when she breaks his arm in the novel, present day Kevin states how he was ‘proud’ of her which could mean that he was proud of her finally expressing her true feelings for him rather than repressing her anger. He wants to feel hence why he might enjoy such odd sensations e.g. the arm breaking, he may be thankful to her for allowing him to feel something even if it is pain. He also oddly states that rather than the full diapers feeling uncomfortable, as Eva suggests, that they felt ‘warm’. The donning of small, tight fitting clothing may have been uncomfortable but they make him feel something even if it is discomfort. Overall, however much I would like their relationship to boil down to desire of the others love and respect, I think it is a little more cold of an emotion. I’m not quite sure what they really want from each other but my best bet is approval as both a son and a mother.
he could see Eva’s joy and excitement over his response. Once he’d received this reaction and learnt what she desires from him, he denies it from her by not repeating the action at request. This is my problem with that reading of this book- How old is Kevin then? Do we really think he has manipulation skills on this level? That's insane. Kids are, of course, manipulative but this is something else.
He was about two or three then, wasn't he? Probably not old enough for proper manipulation, but old enough to know to do the opposite of what people want him to.
Fair enough Ren but that's hardly unusual for a 2/3 year old. I think the real challenge of the book is to work out when he 'turned'. He clearly was not always evil, his behaviour clearly wasn't always motivated by hatred for Eva or a deep seated nihilism or whatever else she posits as the reason.
I think that Kevin thought that killing his mom would be nicer than how he left her in prolonged torture . The ultimate revenge was that she had to live life as his mom. Death would have been an easy release from the day to day hell of being his mom--ostracized, bullied, grieving and feeling guilty, He was never a nice child--a bad seed from the beginning. Was Franklin really the dad or did Eva have a "this is really happening!" Rosemary's Baby type of conception? That would have explained a lot. Notice that Kevin looks nothing like Franklin, just a crueler, harder, version of Eva There are some states of life worse than death and Kevin dealt out a living hell to his mom, the one he wanted to punish the most. Just my opinion.
Kevin saw society as sheep especially the weaker ones ie, young kids, his average dad. I mean the cover up was so clever he was the WOLF in sheep's clothing since the day of his birth. Kevin wanted the burst every single bubble of false hope and joy which he witnessed growing up. He hated the exchange of words because of his selective mutism however he was smart enough to conquer his own disease, but all words he spoke seemed as if they were someone else's. His choice of a weapon was a longbow and there is a saying about archers being cowards which probably is some kind of metaphor of sort too.
I think Kevin respected his mother enormously. It's clear even before the last scene in the book. I think when it first came out that he in fact may have admired her was when she flung him across the room. During the incident, he didn't cry but instead obeyed what she said and even after, he told her he was proud of her as that was her most honest moment.Her respect is again highlighted when he falls sick. Since he didn't have enough energy to continue with his apathetic pretense, he let it fall. And it's revealed to us that he indeed may have 'liked' his mother and despised his father. He was even considerably nice to his sister!
Another fact that makes it certain he wanted her around was that he didn't show her Celia's glass eye once Eva told him she'll never come again if he shows it to her again. Even in the end, he tells her hurriedly, almost as if in panic, to not open the box with the eye in it. He did want her to keep visiting him.
Coming to the most obvious incident that told us he was actually proud of her and respected his mother was in the end. I do believe he was being honest, because lying about himself was not something he ever did with his mother. He never 'faked' positive emotions in front of her. Hence, I'm convinced this was not just another manipulative move. Also, if nothing else, Eva could somehow always sense he was lying. And she did truly believe he was being genuine.
It truly baffles me that so many of you, and other readers of the book, just decide that Eva's role as the narrator means it happened exactly the way she describes. Her being the narrator confirms literally nothing at all. Not just the events, but Kevin's reactions to them. Especially as a small child. Is that really how Kevin was, or how she saw Kevin? She was angry before he was born, and resented him when he finally was born. Her view is heavily grounded in Kevin as an evil infant, constantly crying for nothing. Her view of nothing, or his? Same goes for the toilet situation, for me that sincerely just felt like a child unable to cope with an abusive environment; as did most of his childhood evils, such as the daycare situations. To me, that would've been quite a good warning sign for a kid badly in need of help. For example, sexually abused children sometimes sexually abuse other kids; to cope, out of anger, etc. Kevin definitely needed help, and something was "up" for sure; and the responsibility for his murders lies solely on him. But to utterly believe all the reasons for his actions lies in him, a bad seed in nature... I think you all need to reflect over your critically view of a narrator. A narrator does not equal truth, or a reliable perspective.
I suspect Kevin leaves his mother alive out of sadism, but he also respected her. Enemies can still grudgingly admire each other.From his dismissive comments and cynical demeanor in the novel, Kevin appears to hate easy, superficial, cowardly behaviour (He doesn't care about being popular, for example). So when the interviewer starts trying to spin the image of Kevin's mother, he reacts abruptly and defensively. Or perhaps he simply doesn't want his mother being blamed for his actions - he wants the full credit to go to himself.
It's what makes the novel so chilling and memorable - we all have different gut instincts about the characters.
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He had the opportunity to make her part of the sick ending, and wiping ut his whole family - as she was present at breakfast that morning - so why did he let her leave? Was it out of respect, and a type of love and fondness? Or did he just want Eva to suffer even further by leaving her alive?
In the interview she stumbles across on the TV, Kevin becomes very defensive when his mother is mentioned - he doesn't want to discuss her, and there does seem to be a hint of respect in this action.
I am unsure if Kevin was capable of love - but he clearly didn't respect his father or sister, but even though he made Eva's life hell, he knew she knew him better than anyone, and she had been successful in her life before him, so did he admire her in his own sick way? Or did he just hate her as much as he liked her to think?