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.