In the End

With Tommy and Kathy being split apart at the end, I feel a little emptiness inside. I feel pain for all of the clones who have to go through what they did in their society. Kathy stayed true to the end, and I now understand why she was ready for donations. Without hope for anything more, without her friends, without anybody close to her, she is ready to complete. Her final years will be very depressing. The memories will keep her company, but they can only do so much. Ishiguro made me feel sorrowful for the clones who must run their course in life. Overall, the book was good, but the ending was fantastic. I appreciate Ishiguro's message about the downsides of cloning, and I don't regret having to read this book.

Fantastic Second to Last Chapter

Chapter 22 was absolutely fantastic. Ishiguro amazed me with the way she wrapped everything up. I very much appreciate the rest of the book now. Great save Ishiguro! Her message about cloning is something the world needs to take into account. While it may seem beneficial to us, we have to take into account how the clones are treated. To me, raising clones is an issue that would be too difficult to deal with. Our society could fall apart with the different arguments. I hope that our society never clones humans. The idea is repulsive and the repurcussions are extreme. Thank you Ishiguro for a fantastic ending to the book.

Suspense? Finally!

After 250 pages, I finally encountered real suspense in Never Let Me Go. The entire time Kathy and Tommy were with Madame, I was hanging from suspense. The book really needed it in order to keep me awake on the drive home from Georgia. The majority of this book was boring childhood drama with a slightly odd twist to it. The suspense saved the book from being a complete dud. I was genuinely surprised when Miss Emily entered the scene. Too bad the rest of the book didn't make me feel this way. Unlike her childhood (since I knew she'd survive and make up with her friends), I'm not sure what is going to happen next and I'm interested. Ishiguro is a good, talented writer, and she did well with suspense.

JUXTAPOSITION!

About time! Throughout the lengthy Chapter 19, Ishiguro juxtaposes the old and the new Ruth. The author compares how the new Ruth is calmer and less easily provoked than the old Ruth. The new Ruth accepts when Kathy and Tommy gang up on her. Why juxtapose? By juxtaposing the old and the new Ruth, the author is able to explain what is different now and how issues were resolved. Juxtaposing the Ruths effectively showed Ruth's newly gained maturity. It's disappointing that Ruth died so young. She'd just turned her life around.

I Can't Carer

Life as a carer seems difficult. I wouldn't be able to take care of donors if I knew that was my fate, too. I'm impressed with how Kathy handles it. I understand what Laura is going through. It's not an easy job. I simply can't fathom how Kathy does it. I guess she enjoys life while she can. She tends to have a good attitude about life. If I was a donor, I'd want Kathy as my carer.

Simile =)

"It was like being given a maths problem when your brain's exhausted, and you know there's some far-off solution, but you can't work up the energy even to give it a go." Simile! This analogy is a wonderful comparison. As a student myself, I can feel her brain just telling her, 'no.' The situation she was in had multiple variables, and chosing the wrong method could send her down along a frustrating road. But unlike a math problem, Kathy couldn't try multiple methods. She went with the one most students would go with - walk away to deal with it later. Ishiguro's simile works on multiple levels. I'm starting to have that feeling with this book.

Say Bye-Bye

If Tommy was BA, then his theme song would be Deuces. He's stuck with Ruth who complains and is obnoxious to him. Yes, she puts up with his slower nature, but not in the way Kathy does. Kathy has been Tommy's good friend for a long time. They've had rough stretches, but it's been much better than Ruth's relationship with Tommy. I think Tommy is beginning to realize this. Kathy makes Tommy "want to say bye-bye, say bye-bye, say bye-bye to her (Ruth)."  I don't see how Tommy puts up with Ruth. He should throw down the gauntlet!

mmm skittles =D

Mood

Chapter 14 is a moody chapter. Once we, as the readers, realize that Ruth didn't find her possible, we get a sense of "uh-oh." We feel the awkwardness in the air. Ruth's speech on the bottom of page 166 gives the reader a feeling of the tension between the characters. As Kathy and Ruth go their separate ways at the end, we feel the angst and resentment. The mood Ishiguro puts us in is very profound. We sense a turning point, a switchback, in the friendship of Kathy and Ruth. This mood isn't going to leave for a while. At least it seems like I'm in a real conflict for the first time.

Switchbacks!!!

Page 148! 3rd full paragraph! "Zigzagging footpaths" - There are switchbacks in fantasy England! Oh, how I miss Summer Field Studies. It was absolutely the best experience of my life. I even miss the switchbacks. Even when Cubby announced we were on the last one, even though it may have been the first. And I miss sleeping under the blanket of stars! Even if it meant being covered in frost on our final morning. And Dirtbag, the sweet feeling of scoring a ten. I'm looking forward to next year! Now, to relate it to the book... Well, I feel like Kathy's and Ruth's relationship is littered with switchbacks. Now they're friends, now they're not. I feel like their destination in life is like a frozen Thunder Lake. So, they best enjoy the journey. Good news - they don't have to drive through Kansas to get to Norfolk!

Happy I'm in This Parallel Universe

The society that Kathy and Ruth are in is disgusting. They clone people, send them through specific boarding schools, use their vital organs, and leave them to die. I'm very disturbed by it. As a clone, I would feel hopeless and worthless. I don't see how they still live happily. At this point I would just run away, but maybe the clones are tracked. I'm disgusted by that! I don't see how any society could justify it. I feel horrible for Kathy and the other clones. And why is Hailsham so special?

Who is the antagonist?

Kathy seems to be facing a large number of antagonists and not one central opponent. First, Hailsham and the situation she is born into can be seen as a roadblock. The gaurdians sheltered her too much, so she didn't fully understand the world she's up against. But it doesn't stop there; Tommy could also be seen as an antagonist at times. He was a pain in his early years and hurt Kathy's reputation. But I wouldn't put him high on the list. Ruth, however, could be seen as a more frequent antagonist. While she was Kathy's best and most trusted friend, she goes to the extent of extreme embarassment in public. Kathy follows all of Ruth's rules. Kathy suffers through them constantly. But, there doesn't seem to be a single antagonist - the group of smaller challenges does pile up for Kathy, though.

Round Character

Ruth is a frustrating round character. She doesn't understand who her real friends are. She keeps conforming to fit in wherever she is. She doesn't consistently respect Kathy as a true best friend. She puts Tommy through a lot of interesting twists and turns. Ruth needs to realize that the world doesn't revolve around her. While it's good for her to open her little box, she can't abandon her old friends. I don't see how Kathy deals with it. Ruth, in the end, will do whatever she can to be the center of attention.

Motivation

I find Chapter 8 as an appropriate time to discuss motivation. The entire chapter is about sex. The students didn't ulnderstand what the gaurdians wanted them to do about sex. The reason this misunderstanding existed is that each side had different motivations for sex. The gaurdians believed, for themselves, that "sex was for when you wanted babies." The students had sex if they were close to somebody, or if they wanted practice. They didn't face nearly as serious consequences. Clearly, this civilization doesn't have a set moral standard regarding sex, so differences arise between the "normals" and the students. Kathy's motivation for sex is for practice for later on. Not exactly moral.

Ps. Take a took at the last sentence on the 4th full paragraph of page 97. "Parallel universe" - a fun physics theory like Hyperspace!

Anecdotes!

They fill the book! The author has built the entire book off of anecdotes from Kathy's past. Even though there is no clear plot to the story, the anecdotes are easy to follow and help fill in Kathy's past. The author flows well from one to another. One point is for sure - without the anecdotes there is no story. We are being let into the plot like Kathy was as a child. The anecdotes help us mirror how Kathy learned. While this is neat, I'd prefer to learn the plot.

Foreshadowing

I think I found foreshadowing, unless I'm misunderstanding this donation business. I see the donations as ex-students giving organs to the richer, royal families of England. When I read what Miss Lucy said, "So keeping yourselves well, keeping yourselves very healthy inside, that's much more important for each of you than it is for me," I thought she was alluding to the donations in the future. They may also be why they can't have children. With Ruth's death, I know that the donations must be risky. But they must also be mandatory. I want to know more about their purpose and how they work. The author is slowly revealing pieces of information about this civilization. After A Separate Peace and Never Let Me Go, I'm glad I don't go to a boarding school.

Confusing...

Kathy was a confusing child. She seems so nice at times. But, she also imagines hurtful things to Ruth. Then when she acts on it, she feels horrible. Ruth has an interesting personality. She likes to be in control, and she will do anything to get control. Of course, when she's caught lying, she pities herself. I don't see how Ruth and Kathy are friends. I don't know how they get along or remain buddies. It's weird to me.

ANGER!

I am frustrated with this book. I don't like how it's all about the main character in the past. It reminds me a lot of A Separate Peace, but it's worse. The constant flashbacks are not engaging. I haven't enjoyed the book. I keep trying to get engaged, but it's not exciting. I hope Kathy can get out of her past so she can live a normal life. Maybe then she will explain what a carer is. I hope we visit the present sometime soon or I might go crazy.

Analogy!

On page 35, Ishiguro uses the analogy, "But she was afraid of us in the same way someone might be afraid of spiders." This comparison portrays Madame as scared and disgusted of the children. As horrible as that seems, it is also accurate. She did all that she could to avoid the children. This makes me wonder if all the kids in England are in boarding schools. And, does something happen that makes you scared of children? Clearly Hailsham is the best boarding school - is that because it keeps its children innocent? At the beginning, Kathy was looking back with happiness AND with regrets. Does she wish she had learned more at Hailsham? Many unanswered questions. The biggest - why is Kathy stuck in her past?

Local Color

I have never heard the term "local color" before. But I found that it applies well to the beginning of Never Let Me Go. The beginning is dedicated to Kathy's home school Hailsham. When Kathy is in her flashback, she portrays Hailsham as a dreamy land. The descriptions of the places are glorious. At the opening, she discusses how others viewed Hailsham. She realized how lucky she was to have lived her childhood years there. I have yet to read one poor aspect of Hailsham. She emphasizes how close she was to her friends and how nice the area was. Even the custom of "The Exchanges" she holds in high regard.

Flashback (first of many...)

From pages 7-12, Ishiguro utilizes the use of a flashback. At this point in the story, the flashback tells the reader a little about the background of Kathy, the protagonist. Ishiguro started her book with direct characterization, but after the first paragraph she switched to indirect characterization. This flashback, in my opinion, was her way of introducing Kathy by way of example. I doubt the others in the flashback play a major role. To me, the flashback brings out Kathy's caring characteristic - maybe why she is a carer now? The flashback was an interesting way to learn the basics about Kathy, but it didn't fill me in on the present. Yet, it did show me a little about Kathy's attachment to her home school Hailsham. I'm curious to learn more about Hailsham, and I wonder if Ishiguro will continue with flashbacks.