We Need To Talk About Kevin

Even as a toddler, Kevin prefers salt to sugar. He is able to make more messes with salt, as shown when he sucks the cheese doodles and then leaves their soggy remnants on the seats of their vehicle. By eschewing sugar, the author reinforces the fact that there is nothing light or sweet in Kevin. It is also another way for him to set himself apart from the masses. Most people can find salt and sugar enjoyable, even though they might have a preference for one. Kevin never even pretends to enjoy sweetness.

Kevin uses the crossbow to commit the massacre at his high school. The crossbow serves several literal and thematic functions. It is the literal murder weapon. Franklin gives Kevin the crossbow for Christmas since he has shown an interest in archery. It is another attempt to bond his son to him and to encourage him in one of the few things he shows enthusiasm for. Ironically, Kevin uses a Christmas gift to kill, not only the students, but his sister and father. The crossbow sets Kevin apart from other killers; it is a unique weapon in the epidemic of school shootings. On an ideological level, the use of the crossbow forbids anyone from using Kevin and the shooting as a talking point for gun control. It represents Kevin’s ability to corrupt anything and the weapon of choice does not matter. Even a Christmas gift becomes a symbol of violence in his hands.

Kevin disdains fashion in the same way he ridicules everything else. Even as a child, he wears clothing that is several sizes too small. This sets him apart from everyone else but also shows the world that appearances are meaningless to Kevin. The clothes are also a symbol of Kevin’s ability to pressure other kids. Whenever he spends time in a small group setting, eventually at least one other child mimics his clothing choices. For onlookers, Kevin’s eccentric style also raises the question of why his parents care so little for his appearance, implicating them as neglectful or unconcerned with his needs and image.

Celia loses her eye after Kevin pours Liquid-Plumr in her eye or pressures her into using it on herself. She is fitted with a glass eye that makes it difficult to tell she is missing the eye. After he kills his sister, Kevin takes her glass eye and keeps it, which he reveals to Eva when he shows it to her at Chatham, and she asks him to never show it to her again. During their final conversation in the novel, Kevin gives the eye to Eva as a gift, contained in a small wooden box that looks like a coffin. However, rather than being merely another act of cruelty, the eye symbolizes that Kevin might actually feel remorse. He says he feels as if Celia is always watching him, and shortly after returning it to Eva, he hugs her. The eye then becomes a representation of whatever guilt or regret Kevin might have for his crimes. While this may seem like Kevin may be moving forward and there is some chance of reform, it is important to note that he passes the eye to Eva, which is effect is passing the guilt and regret on to her. He can no longer tolerate the heaviness of his act, but Eva has shouldered it all along and by accepting the morbid souvenir she accepts the continued burden of Kevin in her life.