Name Meanings in We Need to Talk About Kevin

[Shelby Hallenbeck]

When I find a book that I absolutely love, it's sometimes fun to look up the origins and meanings of the character's first names. In this case, the names are awesome symbols, and they definitely weren't chosen by accident. Here are some of the character names and their meanings, according to name-meanings.com:

Eva: Giver of Life
Celia: Blind
Kevin: Handsome, Beautiful
Franklin: Free Man

Interesting, huh?

[Sammi]

Very interesting!

[Ariel]

Wow, that is interesting! Especially Kevin meaning handsome or beautiful. Eva was always commenting on how good looking he was! Celia's name meaning is obvious. Not only did the poor thing lose an eye, but she was very naive and too trusting of her brother.

Franklin meaning free man is odd though. Free of what? The ability to see the truth?

[Hayley]

Ariel wrote: "Wow, that is interesting! Especially Kevin meaning handsome or beautiful. Eva was always commenting on how good looking he was! Celia's name meaning is obvious. Not only did the poor thing lose an ..."

Maybe the meaning of 'free man' is to do with the fact that Eva considered him to still be freely able to travel round the country as a location scout while she was confined to the house looking after Kevin.

Or maybe because Eva felt that Franklin was free to love Kevin in a way that she wasn't.

[Ariel]

Hayley wrote: "Ariel wrote: "Wow, that is interesting! Especially Kevin meaning handsome or beautiful. Eva was always commenting on how good looking he was! Celia's name meaning is obvious. Not only did the poor ..."

I didn't even think about it that way, but it makes sense. Either way, I like the idea of looking up the meaning of character names after finishing a book. I'll have to try it!

[Shelby Hallenbeck]

I was thinking that Franklin's name could refer to a few things. Perhaps in death he's "free" from his unhappy marriage with Eva, especially considering that they were about to get a divorce.

[Kanchana]

Wow this is pretty cool. Eva is fairly straightforward. Except that she created a life that led to the destruction of many others.
Celia's name fits her both literally and figuratively. Kevin was handsome, from what Eva says. But that isn't by any means the most striking aspect of his personality.
Franklin- that's a tricky one. The freedom could refer to his inability to see Kevin for what he really was. So I guess that would be a freedom from reality then. Also, Kevin actually grants him freedom by killing him, while Eva is forced to live with the aftermath of Kevin's actions.

[Laura]

Celia as "blind" is good, I believe I'm considering innocence in that.

[Sharon]

Shelby, I found this to be very interesting. I did not give the meanings of the names any thought, since it was based on a true story, it is strange how the meanings of them suited so well to the recipients. Now of course, my eyes have been opened. I loved this book and the movie. Thank goodness I had read the book prior to the viewing because I fear I would not have understood the depth of the story line. Love as only a Mother can......a very strong indication of love in all it's glory.

[Heather]

I never thought about looking up the meaning of character names before... I may start now!

[Bookiemom]

Those name meanings were interesting! I thought they really fit the characters. This book stayed with me for a long time.

[James (JD)]

Ariel wrote: "Wow, that is interesting! Especially Kevin meaning handsome or beautiful. Eva was always commenting on how good looking he was! Celia's name meaning is obvious. Not only did the poor thing lose an ..."

Free to drive around scouting locations all day, every day, I would think;)

[Sam]

Wow, that's so eerie!

[Andrea]

WOAH I agree with heather i'm definitely going to start searching up name meanings from now on

[Lucinda]

I agree about what a great idea it is to look up name meanings; I have never done it.

When I think of Franklin as "free man," I think of the ironic American ideal of a "free" people. Eva described Franklin as quintessentially American and found it odd that she ended up marrying a man like him. I think it is also interesting to think about his freedom in terms of his work and in terms of his fate at the end of the novel, as some of you have mentioned.

Great idea and discussion!

[Sue]

I immediately thought of this book when the Newtown tragedy occurred.

[Beth]

One of my all-time favorite books. Great info about the names too! I agree that Franklin's name could refer to Eva feeling so trapped in her role as a mother, and the resulting resentment of her husband's easygoing fathering style. He is free to see Kevin as his son, and love him for that, while Eva is plagued by a detachment and suspicion of someone she is supposed to adore.

[☯Emily]

Lucinda wrote: "I agree about what a great idea it is to look up name meanings; I have never done it.

When I think of Franklin as "free man," I think of the ironic American ideal of a "free" people. Eva describe..."

When I think of Franklin, I think of Ben Franklin, the quintessential American who fought for America's freedom.

[Lucinda]

Good point, Emily!

[Kristine]

Kanchana wrote: "Wow this is pretty cool. Eva is fairly straightforward. Except that she created a life that led to the destruction of many others.
Celia's name fits her both literally and figuratively. Kevin was h..."

I completely agree with you, Kanchana! Couldn't have put it better myself!

[Iain]

According to Wikipedia (I know always reliable :-p) Celia can also be:
The name is often derived from the Roman family name Caelius, thought to originate in the Latin caelum ("heaven")
Aside from (view spoiler)[the obvious angle regarding her fate in the novel (hide spoiler)] could we take it to also represent purity/being angelic?

[Lucinda]

I think so, Iain There is an obvious contrast in the novel between what rearing Kevin is like for Eva and what rearing Celia is like. Celia walks up to her parents and Kevin and says, "You're my friends." She plays with each of her stuffed animals every day so that none of them feel neglected. She adores Kevin despite the way he treats her. Definitely a figure of innocence!