While I personally did not observe the heartwarming friendship theme that Ishiguro intended with his novel throughout my reading it, I do recognize the importance of companionship in these characters’ lives upon reflection of the novel’s entirety. Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy experience many rough patches of their friendships throughout their time at Hailsham, the Cottages, and even when they are donors and carers, but they find their way back to each other every time. As we have discussed in class, they are all each other have, as their friendship bears many aspects of a familial one, and they really rely on each other to understand who they are and work through their high hopes of having meaningful lives. The companionship in the novel serves to create that meaning in their short, limited, and virtually insignificant lives.
Ruth’s character is really not a great friend at most moments in the novel, but while most of the class could say we would dump her after her first couple of offenses, Kathy continues to strengthen their bond. Ruth is manipulative, selfish, and tries too hard to be liked by everyone (essentially contradicting her intention) but strives for companionate connection. A few notable examples highlighting these attributes include her expelling Kathy from their “secret guard” because she challenged Ruth’s chess expertise, essentially threatening her social standing with their friends (Ishiguro 53). Also, during one of her numerous plots to basically control the people around her into being exactly what she desires, she intentionally damages Kathy and Tommy’s friendship by informing him of their opinion that his artwork is laughable (Ishiguro 194). Once again, she feels threatened by their strong connection and feels the need to assert her dominance because she must be the most liked of them. Finally, the end of her life brings apologies for “the worst thing” she ever did – keeping Kathy and Tommy from being together (Ishiguro 233). She clearly realizes that she has been selfish this entire time, but her intense desire to have connections trumps her morals of actually being a good friend to others. The theme of companionship is especially significant in Never Let Me Go because it intends to highlight that no matter the circumstances surrounding one’s life or how rotten they are, these emotional connections are necessary to give life meaning.
I agree companionship is a big theme through all three parts of the novel. Although Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy have their disagreements and fights throughout the novel, they always come back to each other because of their shared experiences and love for one another. Growing up at Hailsham and then coming to the cottages, these three characters were different from the rest of the world being clones but also different from the other clones because they went to Hailsham. This isolation from the rest of the world and their memories at Hailsham bring them closer together. When they arrive at the cottages, Kathy describes how they all ‘huddled together…a part of us stayed like that: fearful of the world around us, and -no matter how much we despised ourselves for it- unable to quite let go”. Towards the end of the novel, the characters try to resolve their issues and set everything right. Ruth apologizes for keeping Kathy and Tommy apart saying it was “the worst thing” she ever did (Ishiguro 233). She also encourages them to see Madame and try to get a deferral. When Kathy and Tommy do try to get a deferral, they recognize that “‘Ruth did well for us’” by finding Madame’s address (244). Kathy stays with both Ruth and Tommy until the end, and when they are both gone, her memories of them are what keep her going; she says, “I lost Ruth, then I lost Tommy, but I won’t lose my memories of them” (286).
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