Comparing The Sweet Hereafter And We Need To Talk About Kevin

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Grief, whether felt by a community or personal, is an important theme used by many authors. The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks and We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver explore the devastating impacts of a traumatic event in a community and in individual lives through the use of multiple perspectives. While Banks' novel examines the collective grief and search for meaning following a school bus accident, Shriver's narrative delves into the complex dynamics of familial guilt and societal blame after a school shooting. Both books explore themes of guilt, responsibility, and the impact of death on the community. Guilt is a pervasive theme in both The Sweet Hereafter and We Need to Talk About Kevin, serving as a way to shape the character’s …show more content…

Stephen’s quest for justice and reparations reveals the complexities of attributing responsibility in the face of a tragic event, implying that the urge for healing is sometimes overtaken by the search for blame. Similarly in We Need to Talk About Kevin, the expectations of society and the dynamics of families are used to illustrate the idea of responsibility. Eva and her husband Franklin represent contrasting approaches to parenting and accountability. While Franklin often dismisses Kevin's troubling behavior as typical young rebellion, Eva senses something deeply wrong but struggles to assert her concerns. Eva’s reflection, "He dismissed my fears as hysteria" (Shriver, 73). This quote underscores the challenges she faces in taking responsibility for Kevin's upbringing, in between denial and conflict. The novel digs deep into the extent to which parents are responsible for their children's actions and the role that denial and willful ignorance play in the escalation of destructive behavior, challenging readers to consider the limits of parental influence and the broader societal responsibility in preventing such

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