Never Let Me Go - Twenty

"'I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast.  And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it's just too much.  The currents too strong.  They've got to let go, drift apart.  That's how I think it is with us.  It's a shame, Kath, because we've loved each other ll our lives.  But in the end, we can't stay together forever'" (pg 282).

Why must every book end with the main characters parting ways, dying or both?  This metaphor used by Tommy to explain Kathy and his departure really brought the friendship to a nice conclusion.  It really reminded me of the clown and balloon metaphor from when Ruth was ill.  I hate how the entire book had had such an upbeat mood, but in order to truly show the themes, Ishiguro decided to end the book with such a powerful statement.  The entire novel, I was dead set that the major theme was that wisdom comes with time and experience, but now I almost think that it could be more within the power of knowledge.

When Kathy and Tommy actually learned about their pasts, instead of being appreciatory about all that had been done for them, they seemed to just let it roll off their sleeves and almost seemed offended.  I really see this novel as a warning sign for the present way that the scientific community seems to be progressing.

I just read the questions at the end of the novel and one of them talked about the power of the group that was stressed at Hailsham.  I just realized how that differs from what I had previously thought.  It seems that throughout the novel, people were stronger when others were with them.  This seems to be a different take on Huxley's Brave New World where they wanted solitude by the end.

Now that I am done with my blogs, I feel like summer is over.  So sad.

Never Let Me Go - Nineteen

"'When I watched you dancing that day, I saw something else.  I saw a new world coming rapidly.  More scientific, efficient, yes.  More cures for the old sicknesses.  Very good.  But a harsh, cruel world.  And I saw a little girl, her eyes tightly closed, holding to her breast the old kind world, one that she knew in her heart could not remain, and she was holding it and pleading, never to let her go.  That is what I saw.  It wasn't really you, what you were doing, I know that.  But I saw you and it broke my heart.  And I've never forgotten'" (pg 272).

The entire novel I have been wondering if, much like Brave New World, this was supposed to be a satirical book.  This quote from Madame really made me realize that this entire novel was made to mock the world's current values in scientific advances no matter the cost.  The world is so caught up in what we could do, such as cloning a perfect society, that we do not look around and see how unnecessary the changes would be.  I have often wondered if it would really be worth finding a cure for cancer if it brought our world to its demise.

When I got to this part in the novel, I really started to see the connections in the themes between the two novels.  Both societies are striving for a perfect way of life no matter what the cost, but neither are looking at the long term implications.  In Brave New World, the Savage was the outsider who everyone feared.  He thought his life was better when it had some chaos than when he entered the perfect society.  In Never Let Me Go, Kathy thought her life was great when she was at Hailsham, but as she learned about the society she had always dreamt of living with, she was more and more drawn back by the idea.

As I type this, I realize that i have eight more pages left in the book, but absolutely no clue how it could end in eight pages unless someone dies.  Here goes nothing.

Edit:  There were twelve.  Math is my friend.

Never Let Me Go - Eighteen

"Then something changed in [Madame's] expression.  It didn't become warmer exactly.  But that revulsion got put away somewhere, and she studied us carefully, squinting in the setting sun" (pg 248).

This alliteration really drew me to the detailed diction that had been going on throughout the book.  I had not realized (or "realised") until now that whenever something was really important, Kathy would go into extra detail to describe everything from the weather to the time of day to people's reactions.  Alliterations usually are used to make you stop and realize the importance of something while making it easier to read.

I noticed how this detailed diction really carried on throughout chapter twenty-one when Kathy was describing Madame and her house.  She kept describing the chairs and darkness of the house which created a sort of suspense.  I kept knowing that something was going to happen because of how the rooms were dark and Madame was standing opposite Kathy and Tommy to where she could peer into the darkness.  All of these details in the room structure made me realize the magnitude of the situation with Madame.

So in the end of these two chapters, Miss Emily appears from the shadows on a wheelchair.  I have to think about how this may have to relate to why Hailsham finally went away.  Since Miss Emily was the "principal" of sorts, her leaving may have meant that the entire "school" was forced to go away.  I also have to wonder where the rest of the guardians went or if they will be making a guest appearance.

To relate this to Brave New World I have to talk about the want of living in solitude.  Kathy and Tommy grew up in Hailsham, which was like the Hatchery in that they strive to be the perfect society where there was peace and community, but when Kathy and Tommy left, they just wanted to live in peace and solitude.

Never Let Me Go - Seventeen

"Of course, I'll never know for sure, but I think she did understand.  And even if she didn't, what occurs to me now that she probably knew all along, even before I did, that I'd become Tommy's carer, and that we'd 'give it a try,' just as she'd told us to in the car that day" (pg 236).

So earlier I pointed out that I hate how so many books, like Brave New World, seem to get to that point where the author does not really know where to go so they start killing off the main characters until the ending just finds itself.  Never Let Me Go has given small hints the entire way that this would be the way the book would end, but with four chapters to go, I really do not think that this is novel will end on a sad note.

With Ruth's "completion," the mood of the novel has taken a large step forward.  When Ruth was still alive, her and Kathy got into many debates, leading to an uncomfortable reading.  Ruth's diminishing health seemed to have Kathy reanalyzing their friendship and seemed to have given herself more hope for the future.

The excerpt also foreshadows to a nice relationship between Tommy and Kathy for the upcoming chapters.  I will be very disappointed if these last four chapters become a "Debby-Downer," but I really do not think that it will.  If I remember correctly, the novel did allude earlier to Tommy's death, so I could see that happening, but I do think that the novel will end up being in the present time which would not allow for Kathy to die.

Never Let Me Go - Sixteen

"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" (pg 213).

Much like in Brave New World, this novel seems to describe all the major events through some sort of comparison.  This simile shows the actual importance of Hailsham for the students.  While Hailsham may have seemed like a school for all the students, it really just gave everyone the chance to live a semi-normal life.  When Kathy has this experience with the clown with a briefcase, it kind of seems to be a representation of how foolish everyone was when they were little.  Clowns always represent humor and mockery, while the briefcase seems to deny that idea.  The briefcase may show how they have all matured through time (the most prominent theme I have seen thus far), but could also show how they used to think they were mature.  When the balloon strings get cut, not only does it show us that they all scatter, only to see each other should a higher power direct them to each other, but also shows us leaving behind the safety of home.  They each go off on their own paths where any decision could be bad and anyway they go could be wrong.  Like a balloon, each student from Hailsham can only take so many hits before they have to give up, only so many donations before their bodies shut down.  The combination of the balloons, clown and briefcase made for a very detailed illustration on how Kathy feels about her past and future endeavors.

Oh, and the balloons had faces which not only makes them look five times better, but also really shows how tight-knit the community was and how much they are meant to portray the Hailsham lifestyle.

Never Let Me Go - Fifteen

"But I kept a certain distance from her, just as I did from Tommy.  We didn't really talk properly again at the Cottages, and before I knew it, I was saying my goodbyes" (pg 203).

Part Two of the novel ends with a bittersweet conclusion, complete with its very own dramatic irony!  Ruth and Kathy had been great friends during the Hailsham years, but during the Cottages years, their friendship has dwindled down to where Kathy decided to leave early.  The irony is in Kathy's thought that she would be saying goodbye for seemingly forever.  It has been alluded to earlier in the novel that Kathy would later in the novel be Ruth's carer.  Also, it seems that at that point, they have forgiven each other and really enjoined looking back at their past.  I realize (or should I say "realise?") that time would have made them wiser, but I have to wonder if something has helped them to come closer.

My prediction:  I foresee Ruth being a donor in the care of Kathy before her death.  I am kind of dreading this part three of the novel because I hate death and all that comes with it, but I suppose that it will be a necessary evil in this novel.

Part one of the novel described many stories from Kathy's time at Hailsham, while part two really described one or two big events from Kathy's time at the Cottages.  I predict part three to start out with a small overview of what a carer is, but then transition into a reunion with two parts:  Kathy with Tommy, then Kathy with Ruth.

Never Let Me Go - Fourteen

"And then there was the way Ruth kept pretending to forget things about Hailsham" (page 189).

This is an indirect characterization of Ruth.  Kathy is really showing us that Ruth has moved on past her childhood years and is trying to strive towards the future.  This also could be an indirect characterization of Kathy, though.  Since the story is in Kathy's first person point of view, Kathy is actually the one who is deciding what is important to the plot line (in a sense).  As I said in my last post (I think?), Kathy really reminisces in her childhood and uses it as a way to learn about her future.

So now we have what I call "the Mr. North question," because I told you the "no duh," but not the "Why does it matter?" -  That sentence makes no sense.

Anyways, I finally realized that Ruth and Kathy seem to be foil characters.

• Kathy embraces her past, while Ruth tries to move on.
• Kathy is sympathetic to others, while Ruth is brutally honest.
• Kathy values friendship, while Ruth is always looking for an upgrade.
• Kathy thinks, while Ruth lives in the moment.
• Kathy has an experimental mind, while Ruth is a go-getter.
• Kathy goes through with plans, while Ruth is a theorizer. (No Mozilla, I did not mean terrorist!)

That cannot be all of them, but that would be a long list.

Never Let Me Go - Thirteen

"She told Roy that things like pictures, poetry, all that kind of stuff, she said they revealed what you were like inside.  She said they revealed your soul" (pg 175).

Chapter 15 and its fifteen pages of fun seemed to have many references to former chapter plots.  These flashbacks were unlike previous chapters though.  While every chapter is a flashback to Kathy's childhood, these flashbacks were Kathy figuring out life.  Kathy has seemed to me like a very analytical teenager, but in this chapter, she is talking from her 31-year-old self more than from her early teen self.  This chapter was set up as though she was writing a book for her childhood self to read to know how to react to the situations she is in, or in this case, how not to act.

Personally, I found all of this adult analysis to be fairly jumpy, but at the same time really did seem to have some good advice.  In the above excerpt, Tommy is referencing the Gallery from Madame, which had been really harped upon during the early chapters of the book, but had seemed to magically disappear from memory during part two of the novel.  These recurring images back up what I have noticed to be the main theme of this novel which is the power of time on wisdom.  Every chapter has a very similar set up where Kathy recollects one or two major events from her childhood, then she analyses them from her grown up perspective along with how she interpreted them when they actually happened.

Now I have to wonder.  When I grow up, how will I interpret my childhood choices?

P.S.  Did you happen to take a random trip to Germany or Ukraine?

Never Let Me Go - Twelve

"'We all know it.  We're modelled from trash.  Junkies, prostitutes, winos, tramps.  Convicts, maybe, just so long as they aren't psychos.  That's what we come from.  We all know it, so why don't we say it?  A woman like that?'" (pg 166).

This excerpt from Ruth has such a nice array of strategies that I just had to use it.

First, it is a fine example of British vernacular with the word "modelled."  I realized it early on that this book has other words like "realise" where Ishiguro is using that sort of talk.  This is probably just because the author is British, but I did not really notice this much vernacular in Brave New World.  It does give this novel more of a sense that it takes place outside of the United States though (seeing that it is in the United Kingdom, it makes sense).

Also, the term "winos" is a very informal, colloquial term to use.  Using a colloquial term in parallelism with more common terms made me stop to figure out what exactly a wino was.  I feel like it probably is more of a British term, but all the dictionaries say that it is informal.

The italicization of "trash" made it emphasized before Ruth expounded beyond the already insulting nature.  This really hammered in that the tone associated with possibles is one of disgust.  While everyone secretly wants to know who they were cloned was (so it seems), no one actually wants to know who they were cloned from out of fear that they are magically going to turn into the prostitute which they were made from.  Here is one of those moments where I start to wonder about nature versus nurture.

The phrase "just as long as they aren't psychos" kind of appears to be a litotes.  She definitely negated a negative form for a certain attitude that would not have been felt had she said "just as long as they are normal."  For some reason, psychos made me feel more strongly about the situation than had she just stated a positive.

In the words of Mrs. Sander, "a dark chocolate paragraph."

Never Let Me Go - Eleven

"The others filed out behind me, and while I was waiting for the change, I watched them through one of the big misty windows, shuffling about in the sunshine, not talking, looking down at the sea" (pg 155).

I have noticed throughout this entire novel that each chapter basically ends with the start of the next chapter's story, creating suspense.  It cannot be coincidence that every chapter ends this way, but the question is why would Ishiguro choose to particularly end every chapter with a teaser.  Typically, suspense is used only a few times throughout a novel to really emphasize an upcoming event, which makes this common suspense seem fairly bland.  I feel like the reason for this might be to keep the reader interested.  In a book like this, there is not really a dynamic plot with some obvious climax to it, but rather just an assortment of anecdotes which tell the story of a girl trying to find her place in this made up society.

Had the book been something like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, then the suspense would be carefully placed before Edmond joins the White Witch and before the great battle of Narnia.  I cannot believe I just compared this with Narnia, but that was the first book of which I thought.

Personally, I feel like the suspense is not really that great, because I really do not feel some uncontrollable urge to pick up the book and read the next chapter.  I somewhat contribute that to the fact that I really do not want to type another blog or do another few reading journal entries.

Never Let Me Go - Ten (Double Digits - take two!)

"There was one Ruth who was always trying to impress the veterans... But the Ruth who sat beside me in my little attic room at the day's close, legs outstretched over the edge of my mattress, her steaming mug held in both her hands, that was the Ruth from Hailsham...  And until that afternoon in the field, there'd been a definite understanding these two Ruths wouldn't merge" (pg 129).

While reading this Stream of Consciousness by Kathy, I almost felt like she was confiding with me information that she would tell Ruth at one of their nightly meetings.  This seems to be Ishiguro's way of characterizing the new Ruth at The Cottages.  I suppose that this is direct characterization, but I cannot really tell since it does leave some room for interpretation.  The stream of consciousness feels like a small rant from Kathy trying to figure out who Ruth truly is.  Up to this point in the novel, Ruth and Kathy seemed to be really good friends, and this was really shown by their "future" (though I guess current?) relationship as a donor and carer.

From this betrayal, I saw a shift in attitude in Kathy.  She went off into the barn to look at porn magazines, but she only was looking at the faces.  I assume that she was looking at the expressions displayed by the people's faces to try to feel happiness from them.  Honestly, it kind of shocked me when Kathy went off to look at the magazines since she seemed to be really keen on Miss Emily's advice in waiting and avoiding the harms associated with sex.

You know last blog how I commented on the awkwardness of this book?  Well, it is still awkward.

Never Let Me Go - Nine

"But just like with the sex at Hailsham, there was an unspoken agreement for a mysterious dimension where we went off and did all this reading" (pg 123).

This analogy comparing the Cottages with Hailsham is very boggling on first appearance.  Kathy is basically comparing the importance of sex during Hailsham with the struggle to become accustomed to new life in the Cottages.  During Hailsham, sex education seemed to have been vital to the guardians in showing the students how they differ from normal people.  In the Cottages, staging a routine life quickly appears to be the ultimate sign of maturity and seems to correspond with how many friends one has.  Another correlation in these subjects becomes apparent in the talk of media.  At Hailsham, Kathy learned how to have proper sex through watching videos.  In the Cottages, reading is apparently the ultimate source of comfort in the person's new surroundings.

Ishiguro also decided to directly use War and Peace as a book read by Kathy.  I really see no specific use for this novel in the current context, but I feel like there has to have been some reason.  Until I figure that out, I really just hope that all the mushy-gushy relationship talk goes away.  Nothing is stranger than reading about kids' relationships knowing that I will later have to blog about it.  It is truly uncomfortable.

Never Let Me Go - Eight

"'She started shaking her head again after that, though not as bad as before, and she say: 'But why should you be any different?  The students who leave here, they never find out much.  Why should you be any different?''" (pg 109).

The rhetorical questions posed by Miss Lucy to Tommy clearly show the purpose of herself asking herself and not Tommy.  Miss Lucy is the guardian who really seems to love her students and want them to know about how they are different, but feels like she is not worthy or allowed to be the one the break the news.  These questions symbolize herself realizing that she is not cut out for her job of teaching the students if she cannot teach them what they actually need to know.  This seemed to foreshadow her upcoming retirement from Hailsham.

Her departure seems ironic to me, but I really am trying to decide if it is irony at all.  In one sense, she seems to have been in a mental slump since she told Tommy to not worry about his art, but at the same time she seemed to pride herself on being the only guardian who would help the students in learning about their future adventures.  Miss Lucy's leaving came only a few weeks before the students at Hailsham would be leaving the school for good which seems like an odd time for her to leave.  Wouldn't Tommy's leaving have been a good way for Miss Lucy to forget?  I had assumed for awhile that Miss Emily would fire Miss Lucy had she ever found out about what she had told her students, but it baffles me that Miss Lucy would succumb to so much guilt that she would choose to leave.

I really hope that part two does not further confuse me, but I think we all know how confused I will get.

P.S.  How do you punctuate someone quoting someone else when you quote them?