Never Let Me Go, Section 4: The Return of Miss Emily

In section four of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, Never Let Me Go, a character from the past returns to answer some questions. Miss Emily was an old Guardian at Hailsham, sort of like a headmistress, and Tommy and Kathy finally meet her again at the house of Madame. However, when they broach the topic of deferrals, Miss Emily explains more than just that. She explains that the entire purpose of Hailsham was to prove to the world and the scientists that the clones they had created were human and did have souls. The Gallery that confused both the Hailsham students and the reader for so long is finally explained as a way to support this argument. Miss Emily states, “…we demonstrated to the world that if students were reared in humane, cultivated environments, it was possible for them to grow up to be as sensitive and intelligent as any ordinary human being,’ (Ishiguro, 261). However, Miss Emily’s delivery of this message is what threw me off. Throughout her whole explanation, she treats the situation as one of frivolity or little importance. While her answers are determining the way Kathy and Tommy’s lives will play out, she is treating it as a way to pass time until a visitor comes to move furniture for her. Furthermore, her attitude comes forth as very condescending. She treats Madame like a child, and her way of speaking to Kathy and Tommy is almost as if they are still young students. Her attitude seems to say that even though Hailsham was created to prove the humanity of the clones, it did not work, so it was over. It seems as though she really did not care that much about her cause, as she would not have dropped it so quickly if she truly did care.