Never Let Me Go, Section 4: A Controlled Story

In many reviews, including that of The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly, of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, Never Let Me Go, the story is described as “controlled.” After thinking over this idea, there is really no better way to describe the style of the progression of the novel than controlled. Ishiguro slowly feeds the reader certain details or bits of information about the story, but at very specific times and only when he wants to. Throughout the entire book, details are revealed little by little, only granting the reader enough information to keep one curious but not enlightened. He does in fact reveal certain aspects of the students at Hailsham, such as the fact that they were clones or their unavoidable fates as donors, but these are not told immediately. The reader has to wait a while to figure out that Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth are clones, and then one has to wait even longer to understand their predetermined purpose. It seems as though Ishiguro was treating the reader as a student from Hailsham and feeding him just enough information to understand something, but not enough to understand the whole picture. The Hailsham students were slowly told information about their lives over time, but the delivery of it was planned out so that they would not fully grasp what was being told to them, creating a kind of blind acceptance. However, while Ishiguro was dragging us along the entire time, he reveals everything in the end, exactly as he wanted to. The students’ encounter with Miss Emily explains it all to them, but also to the reader. Miss Emily states, “Why should you have done, knowing what lay in store for each of you?” (Ishiguro, 268). Her simple statement proves the controlled aspect of the novel. What would the students have done if all of the information about their lives was revealed at once? What would the reader have done if the same thing happened to us?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Never Let Me Go, Section 4: The Tragedy of the Truth

Section four of Never Let Me Go, a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, revealed an unexpected answer to a longstanding question I had. After much discussion between the characters in the novel, it is finally announced that the idea of deferrals, a few years away from carers and donations for a student couple truly in love, was non-existent and a rumor. The reason I had not expected this to be true was because, without the deferrals, there is nothing left for Kathy and Tommy to hope for. Madame states, “…I saw a little girl…holding to her breast the old kind world, one she knew in her heart could not remain, and she was holding it and pleading, never to let her go,” (Ishiguro, 272). For such a long time they still had the hope that and the attachment to the idea that they would be able to take off together for a few years, yet now there is no mystery left, nothing to wish for. Without a deferral, the only thing left for Kathy and Tommy to really do is accept their fate and just let go. They will become carers, perform donations, and then complete, just like every other student before and after them. A deferral was the only way to temporarily avoid this sequence, yet that barrier is no longer in place. I found this to be the true tragedy of the novel – the loss of hope. Up until this point in the novel, there was something to live for, but any anticipation of change or of a life together vanishes with the idea of deferrals. One conversation removes the reason to live, yet Tommy and Kathy remain behind, trapped into their fate.

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.

Never Let Me Go, Section 4; Ruth's Conversion

After reading section four of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, Never Let Me Go, one event that stood out to me was the conversion of Ruth. Throughout the entire novel, Ruth would constantly antagonize Kathy and Tommy, often mocking or lying to them. However, as Ruth has now donated and Kathy is her carer, the roles reverse. It almost seemed as though Kathy finally took power in the relationship, and she turned that newfound power against Ruth to get back at her. Tommy also fed Kathy’s attitude, either agreeing with her and supporting her opinions or discrediting Ruth’s. After being manipulated and treaded upon for years, Tommy and Kathy chose to not let Ruth manipulate and control them any longer. Furthermore, the most important part of Ruth’s conversion is her request for forgiveness from Kathy. While she had lied to her, Ruth especially wanted forgiveness for keeping Kathy from Tommy for so long. This request really proves Ruth’s true desire to be forgiven. Tommy was a sort of pet to her for so long, something she would not give up, and by finally letting go, it shows how truly sorry she really is. Ruth also went through the trouble to find Madame’s address so that Tommy and Kathy could try and get a deferral. In the end, I believe that this was Ruth’s way of trying to make things right. She was obviously near death, and oftentimes people try and tie up loose ends or repair relationships before the cannot anymore. By giving her blessing to Tommy and Kathy, Ruth tried to repair their relationship.

Something so important in this novel related to Ruth’s conversion is Kathy’s reaction to it. She and Tommy eventually discover that deferrals do not exist and are unattainable, which one would imagine would bring back ugly feelings towards Ruth. However, while Kathy seems to wish that Ruth died knowing the deferrals were not real, her wish is not mean spirited. Kathy states, “When I say I wish she’d found out the whole score, it’s more because I feel sad at the idea of her finishing up different from me and Tommy,” (Ishiguro, 285). It was not the anger over the non-existence of deferrals that upset Kathy; it was the fact that Ruth lost part of her connection to Kathy and Tommy. It was always the three of them together, and in death, Ruth lost some knowledge, some information that connected her to the other two students. Because of her conversion, the relationship between Ruth, Kathy, and Tommy was healed.

Never Let Me Go, Section 2 - The Fate of the Hailsham Students

After reading section two of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, Never Let Me Go, the true identity of the students of Hailsham is revealed. Miss Lucy tells of how each student was cloned from another person, and their purpose in life is to donate their organs to others in a few years. After I discovered what was going on within the novel, the unethical nature of the whole plot shocked me. Children would sit around, planning their lives, future occupations, or begin to form relationships, never knowing that all of these things would never become available to them. This revelation also seems to explain Miss Lucy’s later departure and the fear Madame, a mysterious woman who often visits the school, shows towards the students. For Miss Lucy, it is very likely that she could just not deal with seeing her students have such hope for their futures that they would never be able to carry out. However, Madame’s fears are now explained. If she was aware that the student were clones and knew of their purpose, it could be a very touchy or strange idea to her, instilling her fear. However, the other part of the situation that I found confusing was that, even after Miss Lucy’s revelation, the topic of their futures does not really seem to bother the students. Kathy states after Miss Lucy’s talk, “But as I say there was surprisingly little discussion about what she’d said,” (Ishiguro, 82). One would assume that such a life changing topic of discussion would cause a riot among the students or provoke some people to try and escape, but nothing along those lines happens. It seems as though the students have come to terms with their fates, which is even harder to understand as they are teenagers with their whole lives ahead of them.

Never Let Me Go, Section 2 - The Relationship of Ruth and Tommy

Section two of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, Never Let Me Go, introduces the reader to a relationship between two characters, Ruth and Tommy. After getting to know both characters, it truly seems to be an odd combination of people to form a relationship. Ruth, one of Kathy’s friends, is characteristically arrogant and obnoxious. It seems as though the only thing that really matters to her is to be accepted by her peers and those around her, regardless of whether she hurts her friends or even Tommy in the process. Kathy states about Ruth, “Anyway, my point is, it wasn’t long before Ruth realized the way shed been carrying on with Timmy was all wrong…and she set about changing how they did things in front of people,” (Ishiguro, 121). Ruth needed the acceptance of the others, so she would search for ways that she could change in order to reflect what other people did. She would gather clues from the older student on “how to act,” then incorporate them into her own actions. Furthermore, Ruth is incredibly manipulative. When problems occur in their relationship, she guilt trips Kathy into fixing her and Tommy’s relationship for her. Ruth also constantly mocks Kathy or puts her down, but then expects Kathy to do whatever she asks her to. Now while all of these characteristics reflect Ruth, Tommy seems to be very different in manner. After being made fun of and mocked when he was younger, Tommy has no need to be the center of attention. He has a rather calm attitude, and gets riled up over very few things. Tommy, unlike Ruth, is not bothered by the way he appears to others, and he is kind and respectful to other people. After seeing both personas in action, one would not assume the two characters would get along well or work as a couple. However, it is possible that the only reason it works is Tommy’s calm attitude balances out Ruth’s more devious one.

Never Let Me Go, Section 2 - The Characterization of Miss Lucy

While the reader is introduced to Miss Lucy, a guardian, of students at Hailsham, a school in England, in the first few chapters of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go, she truly begins to evolve an interesting and different character in the second section of the novel. Throughout the book, the idea of being creative and having creative talent is held in high esteem. It is expected of students to do well creatively and perform to the best of their abilities – an intriguing but confusing prospect. However, Miss Lucy tells a student named Tommy who is struggling with creativity that it is okay to not be overly creative. As Tommy and his friend Kathy, the speaker, get over the initial shock of this statement, Miss Lucy surprises them yet again in the second section. While it is hinted throughout the entire book that the students of Hailsham are different, the reader never truly figures out what is going on until Miss Lucy lays it on the table. While the topic has been kept a secret or a taboo subject by the other guardians, Miss Lucy finally tells her students that they are all copied from living people, and their purpose in life is to later donate their vital organs. Her statement makes me curious as to why Miss Lucy shared this information. It seems as though she was not supposed to talk about it, so if the risk of losing her job was a possibility, why did she tell her students of their fate? It seems as though she may have felt a sense of guilt over the unknown situation. Students would talk of their future plans to travel or begin to form relationships, all of which she knew would not be permitted to last.

Furthermore, Miss Lucy’s character further develops as, out of the blue, she retracts her previous statement to Tommy about creativity. Ishiguro writes, “Then she’s saying I should forget everything she told me before. That she’s done me a big disservice telling me not to worry about being creative,” (Ishiguro, 107). This statement makes me wonder as to whether something will happen to Tommy if he cannot contribute acceptable art, or whether Miss Lucy was told something would happen to her if she did not retract her previous statement. Perhaps her job is being threatened, which would explain the random reverse of opinion.

Lastly, the final shock over Miss Lucy occurs when the students discover she has left Hailsham. It seems as though he controversial opinions or statements finally got to her, or perhaps she could not deal with the guild over the futures of her students. Throughout section two, Miss Lucy’s true character is developed.

 

Never Let Me Go, Section 2 - The Sequence of Events

After reading farther into Never Let Me Go, a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, one detail that becomes more and more apparent over time is the semi-confusing sequence of events within the story. The speaker often switches from one event at a certain time to an event much later very quickly, creating an interesting story to follow. It seems as though Ishiguro was almost trying to make his novel read like a collection of memories put together. People do not remember everything that has happened to them in perfect order. Rather, a person’s memories usually come in snip-its when something that occurs in the present reminds us of something that happened in our past. Ishiguro chose this style for his novel quite simply because the novel is the story of the speaker’s life. Kathy, a young woman now, is telling the story of her intriguing past, and as she speaks, certain memories trigger others. This causes both skips in the timing of events and a confusing plot line. Ishiguro writes, “And that’s how it was…I came to notice various odd little things she said or did that my friends missed altogether. There was the time, for example…,” (Ishiguro, 78). This quote shows exactly how one of the speaker’s memories within the story quickly blends into another, creating an interesting sequence of events.