We Need to Talk about Shame : The Concept of Shame in Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk about Kevin

Abstract: This essay analyses Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about Kevin (2003) from a feminist perspective. The objective of the essay is to demonstrate that a feminist reading of We Need to Talk about Kevin sheds light on the concept of shame and generates a discussion on the implications of the expectations that are placed upon a woman when she becomes a mother. The essay draws on the work of cultural feminists, such as Elspeth Probyn and Adrienne Rich, to demonstrate how shame and motherhood are entwined in the novel. This approach illuminates how patriarchal patterns in today’s society can restrict women’s abilities to lead a full life by blaming and by making them feel ashamed of not only their own actions but also of those of their children. The concept of shame is outlined as a gendered emotion, and the essay then examines the novel’s description of a mother’s responsibilities. These are then contrasted with the way in which shame functions for the community. The conclusion of the essay is that patriarchal structures are ever present in the novel and in society as a whole, and the location of shame in the mother, brought on by other members of the community as well as by the protagonist herself, results in the community being unable to heal itself.