Never Let Me Go
Summary
‘Never Let Me Go’ written by Ishiguro is a late 20 th century Bildungsroman/speculative fiction text.
The novel details the story of Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy, clones raised in an elite boarding school,
Hailsham, where they learn they are destined to become organ donors. The novel explores their
lives, friendships, and the emotional complexities of their predetermined fate, delving into themes of
identity, nostalgia, and what it means to be human.
Extra
Dystopian version of 1990s England
State sanctioned program of human cloning
‘Never Let me Go’ 1990
Genre:
Science fiction
o Very subtle
Speculative fiction
Bildungsroman/ reflective
Kathy goes from a place of innocence to experience.
Dystopian
o relating to or denoting an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or
injustice.
o The clones are not awarded the same humanity/rights as human beings, they live to
serve humanity whilst being humanoid
Psychological Fiction
Context:
The historical social and political relationship
Blending psychological realism with science fiction, it takes place in a parallel universe in
1990s England where human cloning is an accepted practice.
It is a futuristic, yet recognisably modern version of England. Social class, power, gender,
religion, science, social values and culture all have a clear impact on the characters.
Recent scientific developments of biology and cloning in the 90s
o Over the past 50 years scientists have utilised a variety of techniques to clone animals
Over The last 45 years when this book was written there was significant developments in
science
Ethical debates – is this right is it wrong link to evidence. Ishiguro argues the way
humanity is using cloning is wrong but the act itself is fine.
The clones exist as a means to extend humanity
Grew up in Japan - The government hid their colonial atrocities of killing millions with
anime and art - reflected in the oppression and trivialisation of art in Hailsham – ‘we
did it to prove you had souls at all’ Madame
About Ishiguro
Attended private school
Takes inspiration from - Charlotte Brontë, Anton Chekov, Charles Dickens
First-person narratives, told from the perspective of protagonists who are grappling with
, their memories of the past.
o The narrators in all of Ishiguro's novels are characteristically unreliable, often
omitting key details and restraining their emotions
Narrative voice and style:
Euphemistic
“complete,” which is a euphemism for death after the donation of three or four organs.
As young adults, they begin to donate their vital organs. All “donors” receive care from
designated “carers,” clones who have not yet begun the donation process. The clones
continue to donate organs until they
Positive viewpoint on a very brutal scenario
Identity
o Never Let Me Go is written in the first person and the story is told entirely from
Kathy's point of view. My name is Kathy H. I'm 31 years old.
Kathy does have a surname just a H. – lack of identity
o Kathy is an unreliable narrator. On one level, her memory is unreliable. Kathy's point
of view is retrospective—she reflects on the past years of her life, recalling memories
from as far back as early childhood.
o The novel reflects on the ways we remember and retell stories, which is very similar
to Kathy's style. Frame narrative: Kathy is looking back on her life and retelling her
story as a way to find closure before transitioning from carer to donor
o Vicarious attachment
o Psychological realism
What is the point
This is a book about evil, the evil of death, the evil of banality: "he must have known he
wasn't going to make it."
Language and meaning:
Banal/ robotic/ mundane/ trivial/ self deceiving
Machines, euphemism, possible, capitalisation of words, donor, unzipping, you poor
creatures
Quotes:
Carers aren’t machines – ironic here as technically they are
Actually they want you to go on for 8 months
I know when to hang around and comfort them
I can understand how you might get resentful about my bed sit my car
Themes and plot development:
Plot
a group of student clones whose main goal in life is to care for other donors before
donating their own vital organs.
Themes
The Relentless Passage of Time and the Inevitability of Loss
Tragedy – the clones are complicit in their exploitation, the relationship between Tommy
Ruth and Kathy goes unresolved for many
The Power of Memory – ‘memories even the most precious ones tend to fade quickly’
Kathy - because the clones don’t decide their futures the cling to the good parts of the
past – Kathy be valued the memory of Hailsham long after it closed, Kathy’s memories
are a way of holding onto everything and everyone she’s lost.
The phrase never let me go is both a plea and demand – unreliable first person narrative
The Dignity of Human Life / social injustice – the book is a comment on capitalism how
, workers are used till they die – specifically in terms of classism as well workers tend to
live shorter lives
Gender – the clones r3vert to watered down simplistic versions of gender roles – Ruth
aimed to be a ‘secretary’ and the couples model themselves off of ‘friends’
Timor morris Momento mori – the clones are born to dies – miss Lucy has an outburst
which is the first point to most prominently establish this theme
Religion – no religion is mentioned almost as if that concept is made obsolete by the
societies - the atheism shields them from the complexity of their immorality- their
society wants to deny that clones have souls
science- can be destructive if not handled correctly
Free will / lack there of – the clones cling to their roles to give them a sense of identity
and purpose
Advancements of technology/ machines
Nature/nurture- the treatment of humanity, the nature of personality
artificial human life, what makes a human human, human rights, bildungsroman, dystopian
Characters
Kathy H. – narrator Important as narrator as less strong opinions, makes more omniscient
narrator than perhaps Ruth
Kathy does not agree with Ruth’s tendency to be controlling and bend the truth
In part 3 Kathy becomes Ruth’s career and she takes her to meet Tommy and the
abandoned boat
Ruth apologies for keeping them apart and encourages them to gain a referral
Key quotation: My name is Kathy H. I’m thirty-one years old, and I’ve been a carer now
for over eleven years… I can understand how you might get resentful —about my
bedsit, my car, above all, the way I get to pick and choose who I look after… I’m a
Hailsham student—which is enough by itself sometimes to get people’s backs up. ….
Hailsham, or one of the other privileged estates.
Veterans
Chrissy and Rodney – Rodney claims to see Ruth’s possible
This causes them to take their trip to Norfolk
Ruth
Hot tempered
Outspoken
Controlling
Jealous of Kath for their love
Ruth’s tendency to be deceitful cones from wanting to establish hope
Ruth is a mix of selfish with the capacity to be caring
Her wish is for Kath and Tommy to be together
Obsesses over having a possible and working in an office - she beilives her possible
reflect her future and value – she longs for purpose – could be a metephor for the
transience an unfufillment of modern life full of comparison.
Key quotation: “We all know it. We’re modelled from trash . Junkies, prostitutes, winos,
, tramps. Convicts, maybe, just as long as they’re not psychos.” – chapter 14
Tommy
Temperamental at first and non creative
Kath becomes their career
Madame
Madame witness Kath during her playing of the tape of
Madame cries bcs she sees Kathy having maternal instinct despite the fact she’ll never be able to
have children
Starts to art program to argue for the clones humanity
Miss Emily
Key quotation:
“You see, we were able to give you something, something which even now no one will ever take
from you, … Very well, sometimes that meant we kept things from you, lied to you. Yes, in many
ways we fooled you. I suppose you could even call it that. But we sheltered you during those
years, and we gave you your childhoods. […] You wouldn't be who you are today if we'd not
protected you” – chapter 22
• Verb give convey the way that these carers and other humans almost act as God in the
unethical system deciding on whose lives must be sacrificed to save whose
• Conveys the way that deceit can sometimes be a gift. Creates a paradox a parallel to the
complex ethics of the system. Does the system save lives or take them? Can it be both?
Miss Lucy
Tells Tommy it’s not necessary for him to be creative and later backtracks on this
Has an outburst when the children mention their dreams for the future
She wants to send the students into the world with a full idea of their future fate
She leaves Hailsham
Key quotation: The problem as I see it is that you’ve been told and not told.. if you’re going to
have decent lives then you have to know and know properly.., your lives are set out for you –
chapter 6
Key symbols
Capitalism
Never let me go tape – The collective yearning of the clones to be apart of society and not discarded
In terms of femininity Kathy longs to have a child and ‘spins with her pillow’
Life before and after Hailsham, long lost emotion, the cruelty of the clone experience
Memories
The abandoned boat
The art
Possibles and – hope
Hailsham – hope later in life that deferrals we real
Woods – dark and unknown a threatening view of the outside world, they cast a shadow over the
whole of Hailsham
Freytag’s Pyramid
Exposition – scene setting.
Rising action
Crisis point.
Falling action
Summary
‘Never Let Me Go’ written by Ishiguro is a late 20 th century Bildungsroman/speculative fiction text.
The novel details the story of Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy, clones raised in an elite boarding school,
Hailsham, where they learn they are destined to become organ donors. The novel explores their
lives, friendships, and the emotional complexities of their predetermined fate, delving into themes of
identity, nostalgia, and what it means to be human.
Extra
Dystopian version of 1990s England
State sanctioned program of human cloning
‘Never Let me Go’ 1990
Genre:
Science fiction
o Very subtle
Speculative fiction
Bildungsroman/ reflective
Kathy goes from a place of innocence to experience.
Dystopian
o relating to or denoting an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or
injustice.
o The clones are not awarded the same humanity/rights as human beings, they live to
serve humanity whilst being humanoid
Psychological Fiction
Context:
The historical social and political relationship
Blending psychological realism with science fiction, it takes place in a parallel universe in
1990s England where human cloning is an accepted practice.
It is a futuristic, yet recognisably modern version of England. Social class, power, gender,
religion, science, social values and culture all have a clear impact on the characters.
Recent scientific developments of biology and cloning in the 90s
o Over the past 50 years scientists have utilised a variety of techniques to clone animals
Over The last 45 years when this book was written there was significant developments in
science
Ethical debates – is this right is it wrong link to evidence. Ishiguro argues the way
humanity is using cloning is wrong but the act itself is fine.
The clones exist as a means to extend humanity
Grew up in Japan - The government hid their colonial atrocities of killing millions with
anime and art - reflected in the oppression and trivialisation of art in Hailsham – ‘we
did it to prove you had souls at all’ Madame
About Ishiguro
Attended private school
Takes inspiration from - Charlotte Brontë, Anton Chekov, Charles Dickens
First-person narratives, told from the perspective of protagonists who are grappling with
, their memories of the past.
o The narrators in all of Ishiguro's novels are characteristically unreliable, often
omitting key details and restraining their emotions
Narrative voice and style:
Euphemistic
“complete,” which is a euphemism for death after the donation of three or four organs.
As young adults, they begin to donate their vital organs. All “donors” receive care from
designated “carers,” clones who have not yet begun the donation process. The clones
continue to donate organs until they
Positive viewpoint on a very brutal scenario
Identity
o Never Let Me Go is written in the first person and the story is told entirely from
Kathy's point of view. My name is Kathy H. I'm 31 years old.
Kathy does have a surname just a H. – lack of identity
o Kathy is an unreliable narrator. On one level, her memory is unreliable. Kathy's point
of view is retrospective—she reflects on the past years of her life, recalling memories
from as far back as early childhood.
o The novel reflects on the ways we remember and retell stories, which is very similar
to Kathy's style. Frame narrative: Kathy is looking back on her life and retelling her
story as a way to find closure before transitioning from carer to donor
o Vicarious attachment
o Psychological realism
What is the point
This is a book about evil, the evil of death, the evil of banality: "he must have known he
wasn't going to make it."
Language and meaning:
Banal/ robotic/ mundane/ trivial/ self deceiving
Machines, euphemism, possible, capitalisation of words, donor, unzipping, you poor
creatures
Quotes:
Carers aren’t machines – ironic here as technically they are
Actually they want you to go on for 8 months
I know when to hang around and comfort them
I can understand how you might get resentful about my bed sit my car
Themes and plot development:
Plot
a group of student clones whose main goal in life is to care for other donors before
donating their own vital organs.
Themes
The Relentless Passage of Time and the Inevitability of Loss
Tragedy – the clones are complicit in their exploitation, the relationship between Tommy
Ruth and Kathy goes unresolved for many
The Power of Memory – ‘memories even the most precious ones tend to fade quickly’
Kathy - because the clones don’t decide their futures the cling to the good parts of the
past – Kathy be valued the memory of Hailsham long after it closed, Kathy’s memories
are a way of holding onto everything and everyone she’s lost.
The phrase never let me go is both a plea and demand – unreliable first person narrative
The Dignity of Human Life / social injustice – the book is a comment on capitalism how
, workers are used till they die – specifically in terms of classism as well workers tend to
live shorter lives
Gender – the clones r3vert to watered down simplistic versions of gender roles – Ruth
aimed to be a ‘secretary’ and the couples model themselves off of ‘friends’
Timor morris Momento mori – the clones are born to dies – miss Lucy has an outburst
which is the first point to most prominently establish this theme
Religion – no religion is mentioned almost as if that concept is made obsolete by the
societies - the atheism shields them from the complexity of their immorality- their
society wants to deny that clones have souls
science- can be destructive if not handled correctly
Free will / lack there of – the clones cling to their roles to give them a sense of identity
and purpose
Advancements of technology/ machines
Nature/nurture- the treatment of humanity, the nature of personality
artificial human life, what makes a human human, human rights, bildungsroman, dystopian
Characters
Kathy H. – narrator Important as narrator as less strong opinions, makes more omniscient
narrator than perhaps Ruth
Kathy does not agree with Ruth’s tendency to be controlling and bend the truth
In part 3 Kathy becomes Ruth’s career and she takes her to meet Tommy and the
abandoned boat
Ruth apologies for keeping them apart and encourages them to gain a referral
Key quotation: My name is Kathy H. I’m thirty-one years old, and I’ve been a carer now
for over eleven years… I can understand how you might get resentful —about my
bedsit, my car, above all, the way I get to pick and choose who I look after… I’m a
Hailsham student—which is enough by itself sometimes to get people’s backs up. ….
Hailsham, or one of the other privileged estates.
Veterans
Chrissy and Rodney – Rodney claims to see Ruth’s possible
This causes them to take their trip to Norfolk
Ruth
Hot tempered
Outspoken
Controlling
Jealous of Kath for their love
Ruth’s tendency to be deceitful cones from wanting to establish hope
Ruth is a mix of selfish with the capacity to be caring
Her wish is for Kath and Tommy to be together
Obsesses over having a possible and working in an office - she beilives her possible
reflect her future and value – she longs for purpose – could be a metephor for the
transience an unfufillment of modern life full of comparison.
Key quotation: “We all know it. We’re modelled from trash . Junkies, prostitutes, winos,
, tramps. Convicts, maybe, just as long as they’re not psychos.” – chapter 14
Tommy
Temperamental at first and non creative
Kath becomes their career
Madame
Madame witness Kath during her playing of the tape of
Madame cries bcs she sees Kathy having maternal instinct despite the fact she’ll never be able to
have children
Starts to art program to argue for the clones humanity
Miss Emily
Key quotation:
“You see, we were able to give you something, something which even now no one will ever take
from you, … Very well, sometimes that meant we kept things from you, lied to you. Yes, in many
ways we fooled you. I suppose you could even call it that. But we sheltered you during those
years, and we gave you your childhoods. […] You wouldn't be who you are today if we'd not
protected you” – chapter 22
• Verb give convey the way that these carers and other humans almost act as God in the
unethical system deciding on whose lives must be sacrificed to save whose
• Conveys the way that deceit can sometimes be a gift. Creates a paradox a parallel to the
complex ethics of the system. Does the system save lives or take them? Can it be both?
Miss Lucy
Tells Tommy it’s not necessary for him to be creative and later backtracks on this
Has an outburst when the children mention their dreams for the future
She wants to send the students into the world with a full idea of their future fate
She leaves Hailsham
Key quotation: The problem as I see it is that you’ve been told and not told.. if you’re going to
have decent lives then you have to know and know properly.., your lives are set out for you –
chapter 6
Key symbols
Capitalism
Never let me go tape – The collective yearning of the clones to be apart of society and not discarded
In terms of femininity Kathy longs to have a child and ‘spins with her pillow’
Life before and after Hailsham, long lost emotion, the cruelty of the clone experience
Memories
The abandoned boat
The art
Possibles and – hope
Hailsham – hope later in life that deferrals we real
Woods – dark and unknown a threatening view of the outside world, they cast a shadow over the
whole of Hailsham
Freytag’s Pyramid
Exposition – scene setting.
Rising action
Crisis point.
Falling action
