Never Let Me Go-20-Theme

“...and I half-closed my eyes and imagined this was the spot where everything I'd ever lost since my childhood had washed up, and I was now standing here in front of it...” (pg. 287)

When I first finished the novel I just sat there. I really did despise the first half of the book, but the last few chapters blew my mind. I just can't fathom that kind of world, even though I know in some ways it's similar to the one we live in. A connection that comes to mind is abortion. People abort their babies for many reasons, and though I can sympathize with many of the emotions of fear or helplessness, that doesn't make it right. Maybe Ishiguro doesn't want us to look at clones necessarily, but the way we treat people in general. I think the theme is more about taking advantage of people than anything. There are so many minorities and poor that society uses carelessly and then throws them away. Maybe our worlds are really similar, and that's just a scary thought.

Never Let Me Go-19

“I saw a new world coming rapidly. More scientific, efficient, yes. More cures for the old sicknesses. Very good. But a harsh, cruel world.” (pg. 272)

This chapter started with a heart breaker. I didn't actually think they would get the deferral, but I would have at least imagined that they would be given a shot. The entire chapter continues that way from one depressing tale to another. I guess I got all the answers, although I can't say I'm happy about any of them. I think that's what makes a book real though. Answers and endings that aren't happy. They don't have to be unhappy necessarily, but it can't be forced. These explanations felt natural. The logic, the chances, the whims of people, it's all so unexplainable, but so true. I mean, as awful as it is, there are people in this world who are racist and sexist and every other type of prejudice, so it's no shock that people would be so cruel to people just because they're clones. I'm definitely not happy about it, and I wish I could say the last chapter will change everything, but I know that can't be. Tommy will have his fourth donation and complete. Kathy will end her time as a donor and everything will be exactly the same for the rest of the world.  

Never Let Me Go-18

“The figure in the wheelchair was frail and contorted, and it was the voice more than anything that helped me recognise her.” (pg. 255)

What's Madame's deal? When the girls did their “experiment,” she seemed thoroughly disgusted by them. Now though, she speaks to Kathy and Tommy almost normally. She welcomed, maybe not particularly warmly, them into her home. She got really passionate about her gallery, and although Tommy has his theory, she didn't confirm what he thought. Hopefully we'll get some answers in the next chapters, but I feel like Miss Emily will be the one to give them, even though Madame was the one in charge.

The first half of the book was pretty dreadful, but I have to say I'm kind of into it now. It's not going to make my list of favorite books, but as far as books that I've had to read for English, this one's pretty good.  

Never Let Me Go-17

“So that feeling came again, even though I tried to keep it out: that we were doing all of this too late; that there'd once been a time for it, but we'd let it go by, and there was something ridiculous, reprehensible even, about the way we were now thinking and planning.” (pg. 241-242)

Kathy and Tommy do finally get together, but its not until after Tommy's third donation. The book mentioned that Tommy would receive a notification for his fourth. How many organs do they have to give? The way the book has been, the way people treat them, I wouldn't be surprised if they just have to keep giving until their bodies give out. I guess I'm just stuck on what I mentioned in my previous blog. It's just all so hopeless. Kathy found Madame, but I can't honestly believe they'll be able to get a deferral. Even if they did, Tommy's given three vital organs, and his body probably won't be able to hold out much longer. Given the depressing nature of the story, I don't foresee a happy ending for either character.

Never Let Me Go-16

“'I was pretty much ready when I became a donor. It felt right. After all, it's what we're supposed to be doing, isn't it?” (pg. 227)

Not that its been any different so far in the book, but the characters' nonchalance about organ donation really hit me in the beginning of this. They're maybe mid-thirties, and they're about to start giving up vital organs, and they're probably going to “complete.” There's no argument, no cries of unfairness, of cruelty. They just take it. I'd think that one of them would stand up and say, “Hey, we may be clones, but we're people too,” but no, there's no one like that.

This was obviously a huge chapter. What Ruth said didn't surprise me, although the fact that she said it did. I said a few blogs ago that I thought Tommy and Kathy went together far better than a Tommy and Ruth did. Ruth's death happened so fast; it reiterates my point above. It wasn't like she fell asleep and didn't wake up. Her last few days were pure agony. Maybe that's the way Ishiguro imagines it, but I really can't believe that these people have suffered for who knows how many generations and no one ever rebelled or tried to outrun the donations.  

Never Let Me Go-15

“I thought about Hailsham closing, and how it was like someone coming along with a pair of shears and snipping the balloon strings just where they entwined above the man's fist. Once that happened, there'd be no real sense in which those balloons belonged with each other any more.” (pg. 213)

It was revealed in this chapter that Hailsham closed down. Kathy reflected on that for a long time, and I guess if I put it into perspective and thought about my own school closing, I would be pretty upset, but I don't really understand exactly how she feels. As much time as we spend at Roncalli with our class, its nothing like the time Kathy and her peers spent at Hailsham. The balloon analogy was really vivid, and that helped me picture it, but its still hard to fathom that feeling of being lost. I think Hailsham closing is going to somehow be important for the rest of the book.

Kathy officially becomes Ruth's carer, and at first things are alright between them, although it is kind of awkward. It's kind of a role reversal, with Kathy in the authoritative seat. Ruth was always the one telling other people what to do, but now she's a donor who doesn't get much say in anything. They're going to visit Tommy, which will be a really interesting encounter after the way everything ended between them.

Never Let Me Go-14

“I behaved towards both Tommy and Ruth as though nothing special had occurred, and they did much the same. But there was always something there now, and it wasn't just between me and them.” (pg. 198)

This last section was a huge turning point for the story. A lot happened in just a few chapters. I guess its been a long time coming though. Ruth is just awful. Maybe she thinks she's doing the right thing, but I think she's terrible. Leading up to these last few fights, she's treated Kathy and Tommy with no respect. Tommy needs to get away from her, and I commend Kathy's decision to do so. Maybe it was a bit rash, but I can't really blame her. Obviously, Kathy and Ruth meet up again in the future and work things out, but for now, the friendship is basically ruined, and I can't say its anyone's fault but Ruth's.

Never Let Me Go-13

“'It's just that, well, I wish I'd found it.' Then he did a small laugh and went on: 'Back then, when you lost it, I used to think about it, in my head, what it would be like, if I found it and brought it to you. What you'd say, your face, all of that.'” (pg. 172-173)

It was really cute how Tommy went out of his way to help Kathy find her tape. I think Tommy is a really good guy, although he can seem a bit dopey at times. I don't really understand why he is with Ruth. They've been together since Hailsham, and maybe its just a relationship of convenience, because I don't see what the connection is between the two of them. Tommy seems to get along with Kathy a lot better, and she's so much nicer than Ruth. He obviously really trusts Kathy, as she is the first person he tells about his theory about the gallery. Ruth finally pulls the theory out of Tommy, but then she mocks him and twists it so it seems Kathy finds him ridiculous. Honestly, I think Ruth is a bit jealous of Kathy's and Tommy's friendship.

Never Let Me Go-12-Foreshadowing

“'What they were saying was that some Hailsham students in the past, in special circumstances, had managed to get a deferral. That this was something you could do if you were a Hailsham student. You could ask for your donations to be put back by three, even four years. It wasn't easy, but just sometimes they'd let you do it. So long as you could convince them. So long as you qualified.'” (pg. 153)

The idea of a deferral immediately intrigued me. Apparently, the applicants had to prove they were truly in love, but nobody knows the specifics. Ruth says she knows what Chrissie is talking about, but I bet she's just making it up. I think the author is foreshadowing that two characters, Ruth and Tommy, are going to try to get a deferral. Whether or not they'll succeed, I have no clue. This idea that only Hailsham students can defer reiterates that Hailsham was different than all the other schools.

Ruth's outburst after the woman was not her possible, was really intriguing. I think she may have a point. Most successful people in life wouldn't want a clone of themselves running around. Chances are that people were in need of money, so they let themselves be cloned, much like college kids are paid to test out medicines or give blood.

Last note for this section is that Ruth is really starting to tick me off. She just keeps being awful to Tommy and Kathy, but they just take it. Hopefully, one of them will step up and stop letting Ruth treat them like that.

Never Let Me Go-11-Motivation

“I could see that Ruth was making a big effort to present not just herself, but all of us, in the right way to Chrissie and Rodney; and here I was, threatening to undermine her and start an embarrassing scene.” (pg. 148)

Throughout the novel, it has been apparent that Ruth wants to be well-liked by her peers. In many ways, she's the girl who will do anything to be “popular.” Even when the girls were younger, Ruth was obsessed with being the center of attention. She is even willing to be rude to Kathy and Tommy to do so. Kathy believes Ruth is doing it for the good of everyone, but if that were so, why would she be so cruel to them and make a point to belittle them in front of all the veterans? No matter what Kathy thinks, I feel that Ruth's main motivation isn't the good of the group, but the good of herself.

The idea of “possibles” are mentioned in this section. A while ago, I thought about how if they were clones, then they had to be cloned from someone. I'm not surprised at all that they had speculated about it, but I personally don't see the interest in finding one's “possible.” It wouldn't change anything about their lives or being forced into organ donation, so I guess I don't really see a point in searching.  

Never Let Me Go-10

"What I'm saying is that we were all of us struggling to adjust to our new life, and I suppose we all did things back then we later regretted." (pg. 131)

Looking back, Kathy is able to sort out why she was so upset with Ruth. At the time, it was obviously a huge problem, and Kathy doesn't really say how the friendship was after that fight. The quote is a universal feeling. Anytime someone goes through a major change, he or she has to cope in some way. The event that comes to mind is the transition from grade school to high school. We were all accustomed to these small schools, and Roncalli is relatively large. A lot of people were like Ruth and had to show off to feel cool. Others were more like Kathy, and they just stuck to people they knew, and kind of branched out, but not really. Again, I'm struck by how average these characters are. They're clones, but in a way, they're just regular people. It's cruel that they're forced to be organ donors for non-clones. I'm hoping this plot somehow takes Kathy away from the prejudice and mistreatment that probably faces clones in the regular world.

Never Let Me Go-9-Simile

"We could see hills in the distance that reminded us of the ones in the distance at Hailsham, but they seemed to us oddly crooked, like when you draw a picture of a friend and it's almost right but not quite, and the face on the sheet gives you the creeps." (pg. 118-119)

Kathy and all the other students are feeling homesick for Hailsham. That's the only home they've ever known, and all of a sudden they're thrown into this whole new environment. I can't relate to that, and I don't even think college kids can because they can call or go home. This simile tries to compare the feeling the kids have to something we would recognize. While I can't cite a specific time when that happened to me, I kind of understand that feeling.

The most significant thing in this chapter is the conversation Kathy and Ruth have. In the beginning of the novel, Kathy mentioned the "differences" she and Ruth had, and while there were small issues at Hailsham, I have a feeling the problems are just beginning for the two. Ruth might be on to something with by noting Kathy doesn't talk to anyone unless they're from Hailsham. I think this is going to play a big part in the future, and that Kathy will be begin to branch out.

Never Let Me Go-8

"Miss Lucy had left Hailsham and wouldn't be returning." (pg. 111)

The characters feel very real at this point. I thought a lot of the description and going on about sex was pretty unnecessary and uncomfortable, but I feel like most people around this age can relate to the feelings that she and her classmates are going through. There aren't any parents involved in these kids lives at all, which is something I'm not familiar with, so I can't relate on that. I guess a lot of the circumstances are very different, like being at a boarding school, but the whole "wanting to be a couple" or "being the odd man out" feelings are something that every teen goes through at one point.

Something big happened in this section; Miss Lucy left soon after her very important conversation with Tommy. From the beginning I noted how everyone placed such importance on creativity, and Miss Lucy's talk with Tommy strengthens that, although I still don't know what the big deal is about artwork and the Gallery. The revelation about them being clones is probably the explanation for Madame's reaction to the girls a few chapters back. I'm not really sure how the scene with her watching Kathy and crying has to do with anything. I think that these things somehow all fit together, though.

Never Let Me Go-7-Parallelism

"None of you will go to America, none of you will be film stars. And none of you will be working in supermarkets as I heard some of you planning the other day." (pg. 81)

The above sentence is an example of parallelism since the author repeats the phrase "none of you." This use of parallelism adds to the weight of what Miss Lucy is telling the kids. This gives the reader an image of how she would say it, with emphasis on the word "none." This image drives home the message for both the reader and the kids.

Finally some answers! The kids are destined for organ donation. That explains the carer and donor question. Though it doesn't come right out and say it, I'm assuming they're clones. The page with the copyright information says that's one of the topics, and I've kind of had that suspicion throughout. The author leaves it up for us to figure out, which is partially really frustrating and partially really intriguing.

Never Let Me Go-6-Flashback

"But what you must understand is that for you, all of you, it's much, much worse to smoke than it ever was for me." (pg. 68)
The entire book has been told in flashbacks, which was fine, but now I'm starting to get frustrated by it. Kathy knows everything. She knows how this turns out, and she knows the answers to all the speculation going on. It's not like most books where we're waiting for the protagonist to figure it out. She needs to just come out and say whatever this big secret is. From the end of this quote to the page break on pg. 69, Kathy's even more cryptic about whatever it is that makes her and the other kids so special. She hints at it, but she doesn't say anything new. There are so many little stories and occurrences, and they don't seem to go together at all. Kathy is just spending a lot of time telling seemingly meaningless stories, and I'm ready for there to be some direction to what she's telling us. I thought the incident with Madame a few chapters ago would kick it off, but nothing major has happened since then. There have been the hints and little teases, but that's it. It's really frustrating, and I'm ready for Kathy to quit dragging the secret out.

Never Let Me Go-5-Rhetorical Questions

"So what if she'd fibbed a little about her pencil case? Didn't we all dream from time to time about one guardian or other bending the rules and doing something special for us? A spontaneous hug, a secret letter, a gift?" (pg. 60)

Ishiguro has used rhetorical questions many times throughout the book so far. These definitely help give the novel a personal touch by bringing the reader into the story to experience what Kathy is experiencing. Kathy was furious at Ruth, but she comes to understand how her friend feels. As Kathy noted in the beginning, she's a good carer because of how understanding she is, and this is just another example of that personality trait.

Another important part of this chapter was the secret guard and the plot to kidnap Miss Geraldine. When I was a kid, I used to play spies with my friends, and we would basically do all the things Ruth, Kathy, and the rest of the group did to try to expose the would-be kidnappers. They just seem like regular girls, but something about Hailsham is just a bit off, and I want to know why these girls were put here. I have a hunch that this plot to kidnap Miss Geraldine might have some truth to it. At first, I just thought it was the girls' imaginations, and maybe Ruth was making up about all "the stuff from before," but I wouldn't be surprised if someone really did plan to kidnap her.

Never Let Me Go-4-Stream of Consciousness

"I won't be a carer any more come the end of the year, and though I've got a lot out of it, I have to admit I'll welcome the chance to rest-to stop and think and remember." (pg. 37)

The plot hasn't really been following any specific timeline. It goes in whatever order Kathy decides, and to me, it seems very random. This style of stream of consciousness makes the work that much more mysterious, because the flow is unpredictable, and I have no clue what to expect next. In this chapter, Kathy reflects on the token controversy, which is between the story of the pond and the story of Madame. Then there was the random story of when Miss Emily saw Kathy on the path. Maybe that was just part of characterizing Miss Emily, but the actual story could be very relevant. Somehow, it all has to fit together, but that will come later.

Another really interesting thing I noticed is that no one has last names. The guardians are all Miss something, Madame doesn't even have a first name, and the children have one initial for their last name. To me, it almost seems as if they're being labeled simply as a way to tell them apart.

Never Let Me Go-3-Characterization

"...you realise that you really are different to them; that there are people out there, like Madame, who don't hate you or wish you any harm, but who nevertheless shudder at the very thought of you-of how you were brought into this world and why..." (pg. 36)

Though Miss Lucy is mentioned in Chapter 2, she is not fully introduced until Chapter 3. She is directly described on page 26 as being very athletically, and then she is indirectly characterized as being kind and caring in the way she talks to Tommy. Ishiguro spends a lot of time describing the conversation between Miss Lucy and Tommy. Miss Lucy hints at something about Donations to Tommy, and going along with my earlier prediction, I believe she is talking about organ donations. I have a feeling she will very influential in coming chapters.

Madame is also introduced and characterized in this chapter. Kathy comes out and says that Madame never talks to them, but it is not until later in the chapter, when the girls run their experiment that the full extent of Madame's separation becomes apparent.  The quote above is from after said experiment, and I think the story is just starting to pick up, and though I'm sure there will be many more questions, I'm hoping there might be some answers too.

Never Let Me Go-2-Point of View

"What she said was that if I didn't want to be creative, if I really didn't feel like it, that was perfectly all right. Nothing wrong with it, she said." (pg. 23)

The story is being told from Kathy's point of view.  She is speculating and reflecting on things that happened in the past. It seems that the whole story will be told from this perspective. While we get Kathy's take on things, we don't get to see how the other characters are affected by the events at Hailsham.

One thing that struck me in this chapter was how important creativity is to everyone. The guardians and the students seem to place it very high, if not highest, in a list of desirable attributes. We know that not everyone is creative, but in the story, the kids and guardians shun Tommy mostly just because he isn't creative. If creativity wasn't so important, it wouldn't have been such a big deal that Miss Lucy told Tommy he didn't have to be creative. What's the big deal if a kid isn't creative? Why does that matter so much?

Never Let Me Go-1

"What he wanted was not just to hear about Hailsham, but to remember Hailsham, just like it had been his own childhood." (pg. 5)

Finishing Chapter 1, I was left with a lot of questions. Most importantly, though, was why Hailsham is or was so special. Kathy H.'s patient to whom the quote refers obviously felt Hailsham was far superior to his own childhood, so my prediction is that pleasantries of Hailsham and treatment of its students was not the norm. That leads to the questions, what is the norm and why were some children more privileged than others? It could be money, but there have been no mention of parents or homes away from Hailsham.

The other major question I have is what are carers and donors? There isn't much to go on about that so far, as it is only mentioned in the first few pages, but it seems that it will be an important part of the story. The page with the copyright information notes that one of the topics in the book is organ donation, so donors could be organ donors, but the previously mentioned patient has been through three donations. He probably isn't going to make it, so why would he put himself through that? I have a feeling, though, that things are going to get much more confusing before there's any explanation.