The Lincoln Lawyer: A Literary Analysis

Lionel Shriver and her 2003 novel, We Need to Talk About Kevin and Michael Connelly’s 2005 novel, The Lincoln Lawyer establish that conflict often arises when a sense of duty is bestowed on the characters. Both texts are written in relation to a crime, however Shriver’s text scrutinizes the aftermath of a sinister crime and how the crime occurred whereas Connelly depicts Mickey Hallar attempting to prevent a serious crime in his role as a defense lawyer. We Need To Talk About Kevin is a novel about a mother trying to love her difficult child, detailing her experiences before and after Kevin’s life leading up to his school massacre. The novel is written with a combination of past and present tense whereas The Lincoln Lawyer is a first person
Shriver however has written the text in a letter format, showing Eva writing letters to her late husband. Each letter begins with a moment before Kevin was born, often a story of an exotic location, drinking alcohol and having a loving relationship with her husband. This method of writing allows the readers to understand the contrast between what her life was like before and after Kevin and how he affected and destroyed their marriage and family. Connelly’s use of emotional manipulation over Mickey Hallar generates a sense of guilt over the protagonist as well as generating sympathy in the reader. Both writing styles intrigue the reader into continuing to follow the journeys to forgiveness and happiness.

The authors of both texts create tension in the central characters paternal relationships to propose the idea that the children may have a stronger influence on the parents development than they may know. Eva conceived her son Kevin so she “wasn’t left out”, and the sheer fear being a mother is what made her want to become one.” Once Eva conceives her first born, Kevin, she ironically feels left out of