The theme of motherhood is a key one in both the novel We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver and the collection of poems The Worlds Wife by Carol Ann Duffy. Motherhood is seen as a key element of the female experience, and both texts explore the connection between motherhood, femininity, and the way in which women navigate motherhood in a patriarchal society. In the novel We Need to Talk About Kevin, Shriver uses the epistolary narrative through the perspective of Eva Khatchadourian, mother to Kevin, to tell the story of Kevins childhood and the events leading up to him committing a horrific school shooting in which he murders nine people. Eva comes to terms with her own ambivalence towards motherhood, and the role this may have played in driving Kevin to extremity, sparking a nature vs nurture debate. This debate focuses on whether and to what extent human behavior is determined by environmental factors, such as their childhood and the way they were raised, or by genetic factors, such as DNA, exploring the complexity of parenting, and in this case, motherhood. Similarly, in the collection of poems The Worlds Wife, Duffy creates female counterparts to prominent male figures from history and mythology, exploring both through the perspective of women. This allows her to tackle motherhood in its extremes and intricacies through her use of the female narrative, as a way to reinsert women and their perspectives into these great stories. Motherhood and feminist theory have many complex intersections, and feminism cannot remain relevant without acknowledging motherhood in all its contradictions and complexities, which both Dufy and Shriver do not shy away from tackling. The poems in particular in which Duff
y tackles motherhood are Queen Herod, Thetis, Demeter and Pope Joan. In the poem Queen Herod, Duffy subverts the biblical tale of King Herod, which tells the story of the king ordering the murder of all the boys in Bethlehem aged two or under after hearing the prophecy that a new king has been born. He views this new king as a threat to his own leadership and therefore orders the killing of all the newborn boys. Similarly, in Queen Herod, Duffy tells a story in which the Queen is instead visited by three wise women who warn her of a man who will threaten her daughters well-being. In response to this, Queen Herod orders the killing of all the newborn sons, to protect her daughter. This is significant because it presents the extreme lengths of motherhood and motherly love in contrast to Evas ambivalence. Both the poems Thetis and Demeter are based on mothers from Greek mythology. Thetis was a notably ambitious and protective mother to her son and would go to extreme lengths to ensure his protection. At the end of the poem, Thetis reflects on the impact and changes motherhood has had upon her, especially in relation to the expectations placed upon her by the patriarchal society. Similarly, Demeter is also a retelling of the Greek myth, in which the goddess Demeter plunges the world into winter to deal with the grief of her daughter being kidnapped. In Pope Joan, Pope Joan begins by living as the only female pope within the Catholic religion before deciding that she no longer wants to be a part of this male-dominated religion. She eventually becomes the closest to God when she gives birth to her baby at the end of the poem, and realizes that womens power through motherhood is more meaningful than any male power.