Clones and Souls

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

Throughout this novel, a major question that the characters explore is whether or not clones have souls. Through the end of the novel, the reader finds evidence both for and against the argument that clones have souls. Kathy's narration displays her experiences and emotions that she feels from each event. Kathy wants a meaningful relationship in her life, and she secretly longs to be with Tommy.This longing desire for love helps support the argument that clones have souls because the main characteristic of having a soul is emotion. In addition, Kathy also feels anger towards Ruth at various times in the novel but especially when Ruth finally admitted that she had kept Tommy and Kathy from each other. Despite these displays of emotion, Kathy also shows moments where she appears to be without a soul. For example when Kathy and Tommy are told that deferrals do not exist, neither Tommy nor Kathy rebel against the system that has so crudely trapped them to the fate of donating their organs. This passive acceptance and conformity to a crude system suggests that the clones are merely clones without the ability to reason and judge the morality of their own situation.

Do these bananas have souls?

In today's world, the Catholic Church opposes all forms of clones because clones are not formed by God. God is traditionally associated with creating souls, so because clones are not created by God then how would they be able to have souls? With this reasoning, clones would have less of a soul than a banana. In the novel, most all of the human characters do not believe that the clones have souls, or at least they are disgusted by the clones. "Do you think she'd have talked to us like that if she'd known what we really were?... She'd have thrown us out" (Ishiguro, 166). Even Madame and Miss Emily, who established Hailsham in an attempt to prove that clones had souls, didn't see the clones as humans. "You poor creatures" (Ishiguro, 272). With so many people opposed to the idea that the clones have souls, how could Kathy and her peers ever expect to live a life more meaningful than one destined for a donor?

By ending the novel with Kathy still becoming a donor, Ishiguro causes the reader to question the morality of cloning and by extension, other  similar works of science. The reader feels sympathy for Kathy because she did show signs of having a soul. However, ending the novel with Kathy still viewed as a soulless individual causes the reader to question further if cloning should take place in our world. As expressed in the novel, once cloning begins, it cannot be stopped. "How can you ask a world that has come to regard cancer as curable, how can you ask such a world to put away that cure, to go back to the dark days? There was no going back" (Ishiguro, 263). After seeing the conflicts in this novel, the reader questions if cloning would cause more problems than benefits, and most people would not want to deal with this sort of conflict.

Holding On

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

In this novel, Kathy holds on to the past. This is evident through the narration which tells the story in retrospect. "I half-closed my eyes and imagined this was the spot where everything I'd ever lost since my childhood had washed up, and I was now standing here in front of it, and if I waited long enough, a tiny figure would appear on the horizon across the field, and gradually get larger until I'd see it was Tommy, and he'd wave, maybe even call" (Ishiguro, 288). Kathy holds on to the past because she doesn't have a future. As a child, she was sheltered at Hailsham so that she had the opportunities to make "normal" memories. These memories are the only source of joy in Kathy's current life. Kathy starts her donations by the end of the year, so her life span has a more definite end approaching. Although the title of the novel was earlier revealed as the title to a song that Kathy loved as a child, "Never Let Me Go" can also represent that Kathy never wants to let go of the memories of how things were. Kathy also does not want to let go of Tommy. "And so we stood together like that, at the top of that field, for what seemed like ages, not saying anything, just holding each other, while the wind kept blowing and blowing at us, tugging our clothes, and for a moment , it seemed like we were holding onto each other because that was the only way to stop us being swept away into the night" (Ishiguro, 274).  Even after Tommy completed, Kathy still fantasized that he would come back. After her friends' deaths and notification to become a donor, Kathy does not have much to look forward to in her life. Because her future is so dismal, Kathy turns to the past to find joy. Only in her memories can she feel hopeful that she could have a better life.

Static Characters

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

Throughout the novel, Tommy and Kathy remain static characters. Tommy and Kathy end the novel with many of the same childhood traits that they began the novel. Tommy still has temper tantrums just as he did when he was a child. "The moon wasn't quite full, but it was bright enough, and I could make out in the mid-distance, near where the field began to fall away, Tommy's figure, raging, shouting, flinging, his fists and kicking out (Ishiguro, 274). Tommy's childish behavior shows that even though he has grown older he has not changed from his childhood self. Kathy also holds on to her childhood self. Kathy hoped, like she would have as a young girl, that she and Tommy could get a deferral. However, when she was told that deferrals do not exist, she accepted her fate without rebellion. Ever since she was a child, Kathy has been told the purpose of her existence, and even though this horrible fate exists for her, she accepts it without rebellion. Tommy and Kathy have both become adults, but neither have grown out of their passive acceptance. Perhaps their visit with Madame shows some change because they finally have done something to act upon their desire not to be donors. However, they are still static characters because they are so accepting of the news that deferrals do not exist.

Dynamic Character

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

Earlier in the novel, Ruth seemed to care only about her own well-being. Ruth was strong willed, and she would quickly respond to any verbal attack against her. In addition, she often lied or implied certain false statements in order to try to impress her peers. As the end of the novel draws near, Ruth has changed. When in the car with Kathy and Tommy, Ruth backs down from a confrontation when Tommy and Kathy side against her. Previously, Ruth would have argued her point against her friends. In another unexpected action, Ruth apologized to Kathy for lying about sharing in Kathy's youthful urge. Even larger than this, Ruth apologized for keeping Tommy and Kathy from becoming a couple. "The main thing is, I kept you and Tommy apart" (Ishiguro, 232). Even further than just apologizing, Kathy gives Tommy the address for Madame, and she suggests that Tommy and Kathy visit her and try to get a deferral. Ruth has changed from a self-centered, lying, rude individual, to a remorseful person who cares for the well-being of her closest friends.

Tommy

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

An interesting relationship that I have started to see develop is one between Kathy and Tommy. Early on in the novel, Kathy took a special interest in Tommy while he was still being bullied by other students. She became one of his only friends during that time , but she kept this friendship low-key so as not to attract a great deal of attention from other students. As the novel progresses, Kathy and Tommy share their secret conversations about Miss Lucy and the importance of the artwork. **As a side note, I believe that Tommy and Kathy together will come to figure out some greater importance of the artwork.**  Up to this point Kathy and Tommy remained solely as friends and nothing more. When Ruth and Tommy broke up at Hailsham,Cynthia's statement that Kathy would be Ruth's "natural successor" opened up the possibility to Kathy that she could have a relationship with Tommy. Before Tommy and Ruth got back together, Ruth had a conversation with Tommy trying to urge him to get back with Ruth." 'Don't you realise, we won't be here together like this much longer?'.... 'I do realise that, Kath. That's exactly why I can't rush back into it with Ruth' " (Ishiguro, 110). Tommy's reply seems to suggest that he would rather spend the rest of his time at Hailsham with Kathy instead of Ruth. Later on, Ruth seems to have feelings for Tommy as well. "But I hadn't minded him coming into the boiler hut after me. I hadn't minded at all. I'd felt comforted, protected almost" (Ishiguro, 137). I am interested to see if a relationship will develop between Kathy and Tommy. Although this would probably ruin Ruth and Kathy's friendship, I am hoping that Kathy and Tommy will become a couple because Kathy seems to have more genuine feelings for Tommy.

Conformity

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

One major theme that I have noticed developing in this novel is conformity. Although it is not unusual for teenagers to want to fit in with their peers, Kathy and her peers seem to be more extreme in this area. As younger students, Kathy and her peers took great pride in their creativity, and popularity was based on how creative each student was. The students even went so far as to bully Tommy because he was not creative. Growing older, the students moved on from creativity to sex. Students who were having sex were considered more popular, so Kathy and her peers claimed that they were having sex in order to fit in. "My guess, anyway, is that there wasn't nearly as much sex going on as people made out" (Ishiguro, 97). As the students moved on to the Cottages, they, especially Ruth, began to mimic the Veteran's behavior and mannerisms.Throughout this whole time, Kathy and her peers' passive nature contributed to their conformity. Even though the students questioned many topics at Hailsham, like why smoking was bad, why art was so important, why the gallery existed, etc., the students did not continue to question the Guardians or each other on pressing issues. Instead, the students held an ignorant understanding with one another not to question one another in search of deeper and truthful answers. "And my role, as her closest friend, was to give her silent support, as if I was in the front row of the audience when she was performing on stage" (Ishiguro, 130). Perhaps the students' passive nature stems from their nature as clones, or perhaps the reason the cloning system works is because the students learn at a young age not to ask pressing questions. Maybe if the students would challenge the cloning and donating system, they could free themselves of the tragic fate in which they find themselves.

Why they are different!

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

The cloned sheep Dolly

Throughout the novel, the reader develops many questions to which Kathy hints at the answer but never explicitly gives the answer. One such question is, "Why are the students from Hailsham different from the guardians and people outside the school grounds". Throughout the beginning of the novel, Kathy mentioned the path for Hailsham students to become donors and carers. She also mentioned that maintaining their health was extremely important and that activities like smoking were more detrimental to the students at Hailsham than their guardians. "...keeping ourselves very healthy inside, that's much more important for each of you than it is for me" (Ishiguro, 69). By piecing this information together, the reader can infer that the students must be healthy because they will grow up to donate their organs. But this still does not take into account why all of the student's at Hailsham are unable to have children. Now, halfway through the novel, we learn that the that the students from Hailsham and other similar schools are clones. "Since each of us was copied at some point from a normal person, there must be, for each of us, somewhere out there, a model getting on with his or her life" (Ishiguro, 139). This explanation, although still not using the term 'clone', takes into account the pieces of information regarding the students' isolation, health, and career paths. Despite learning why the students are different from the rest of the world, readers still have questions about the students. Do the students only donate to their possible? Would the student be free to live as they pleased if their possible died without needing a transplant? Could the students figure out who their possible's are and how their possible could avoid needing a transplant?

Is this discovery that the students are clones the climax of the story?

Narration

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

An important aspect of this novel is the narration and its point of view. Kathy tells the story of her life as she recalls her time growing up at Hailsham and moving on to her time at the Cottages. As Kathy progresses through her story, the readers learn about Kathy's life with the unanswered questions that Kathy also had at that time of her life. Just as Kathy and her peers once questioned their situation and suspected various reasons, so we too question and suspect their situation as well. By having Kathy narrate her youth, Ishiguro creates suspense through the questions that the readers develop about Kathy's life. Ishiguro maintains this suspense by prolonging the tangents that Kathy tells while in the middle of her anecdotes. Ultimately the tangents lead to make Kathy's greater point of her stories, but they still prolong the suspense created by the unanswered questions.

In addition, the reader sees the contrast in the maturity level of Kathy as she once was in her stories and as she is now while telling her stories through her narration. "I was really upset by Ruth's remark at the time, but it's pointless now trying to judge her or anyone else for the way they behaved during those early days at the Cottages" (Ishiguro, 131). Events that used to upset Kathy no longer seem to bother her. Perhaps Kathy has matured like any other person would, but I still wonder if something greater happened to her that sparked her maturity. Kathy has seemed set apart from her peers throughout the novel, possibly because she is narrating the events, but perhaps there is a greater reason as to why she stands apart from her peers and as to why she is narrating this story.