They're Coo Coo for Coco Puffs... (Chapter 19/ Pages 218-236)

"As soon as I said this - as soon as I mentioned Madame - I realised I'd made a mistake. Ruth looked up at me and I saw something like triumph flash across her face. You see it in films sometimes, when one person's pointing a gun at another person, and the one with the gun's making the other one do all kinds of things. Then suddenly there's a mistake, a tussle, and the gun's with the second person. And the second person looks at the first person with a gleam, a kind of can't-believe-my-luck expression that promises all kinds of vengeance."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 231

Okay, I've decided that it's not just Ruth who is crazy. Kathy has some problems in the brain area, too, apparently. Everything that happens between these two seems to be taken so seriously. This whole paragraph above just proves exactly what I'm trying to say - Kathy thinks that their fights are so extreme it's like holding a gun to the other's head? That's a  little extreme! I don't know about you, but my friends and I never fight like this.  We occasionally have little things, and maybe one or two big fights have ever come up, but it's never been such a power struggle like Kathy and Ruth's relationship is. I'm really questioning why they are still friends after all this time of just trying to make each other feel horrible, and even after a long time period spent away from each other! You really think they'd be over it by now. Plus, it turned out to not even be a big deal because Ruth was just trying to reunite Tommy and Kathy. I tell you, these two drive me nuts.

It's Gonna Take a Lot to Drag Me Away From You / Implied Metaphor (Chapter 17/ Pages 197-203)

"It never occurred to me that our lives, until then so closely interwoven, could unravel and separate over a thing like that."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 197

Chapter seventeen is the last chapter in Part Two, so we know that Kathy's Cottage experience will soon be ending. This is also the chapter that concerns her falling out with Ruth and Tommy. The implied metaphor is about their relationships suddenly fading away. Metaphors give the readers an image to replace an idea. In this implied metaphor, although Kathy doesn't say that each of their lives are like a string of fabric, readers can imagine these strings or stitches unwinding from the whole fabric. This helps them understand how Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy's lives eventually separate from each other. Ruth's insulting Tommy's animals ultimately led to the destruction of the relationships, although there were other factors. The relationship was already worn, but that last incident really just doomed it.

A Potpourri of Thought (Chapter 14/ Pages 156-167)

I hope I don't get points off for this, but there was so much going on in this chapter that I'm just going to give my opinions (a lot of it is related to my personal life) on a bunch of different quotes.

"She pointed to the entrance of a Woolworth's shop."

Are you thinking of the same movie I'm thinking about? You can't help but smile and say to yourself, "And stay out of the Woolworth's!"





"So we went into the Woolworth's, and immediately I felt much more cheerful. Even now, I like places like that: a large store with lots of aisles displaying bright plastic toys, greeting cards, loads of cosmetics, maybe even a photo booth. Today, if I'm in a town and find myself with some time to kill, I'll stroll into somewhere just like that, where you can hang around and enjoy yourself, not buying a thing, and the assistants don't mind at all."

This takes me back to some good times. I don't know if it's just a woman thing, but my friends and I love going to places like this. Before we could drive, my friend Mary would ride her bike to my house, and then we would walk to CVS and Kroger and just look around or get candy. Even now, I will call a friend and we'll go on a Target run just because. It seems to be good bonding time.

"I'd already turned into the aisle - one with fluffy animals and big boxed jigsaws - before I realised Ruth and Chrissie were standing together at the end of it, having some sort of tete-a-tete."

1) I was excited that I knew this meant face to face. French has proved itself useful to me.
2) I can now use the book for quoi de neuf this year. Score.

"It wasn't obvious, but the longer we kept looking, the more it seemed he had something."

I was really convinced that they weren't even going to see Ruth's possible. So even I got that giggly feeling when I was reading this part. It's really cool that they could have seen her actual model - kind of like an adopted child finding their biological parent. In the end, it wasn't her model, but the idea was just really enticing.

"Tommy's making jokes about some passers-by, and though they're not very funny, we're all laughing."

My friend Brooke and I wrote down almost all of our inside jokes in a notebook once (we call it the Quotebook ). We showed a friend a couple of them, and as we were crying from laughing, she looked at us like we had mental disabilities. This reminded me of that.

"But she just kept walking, a dozen or so steps ahead, than went in through a door - into "The Portway Studios." "

Every fall, my mom and I pick one Sunday to go to Nashville in Brown County when the trees change color. We always go to one store that is full of paintings. The atmosphere described in the book matched that of the store we visit so exactly; now I can't read the book without picturing that store as the setting for The Portway Studios.

"I remember thinking then how different they actually were, Chrissie and Rodney, from the three of us."

I felt like Kathy was trying to suggest something more with this quote, but I'm not sure what. Maybe it's what set them apart? I guess it could have been that they went to Hailsham, or that they were just getting used to living at the Cottages, or that they all just had better attitudes than the veterans. I'm not sure, but the quote just provoked thought for me.

"We're modelled from trash. Junkies, prostitutes, winos, tramps."

What is a wino? An alcoholic?

Oh, No She Didn't / Rhetoric (Chapter 13/ Pages 146-155)

"Whenever they laughed, I laughed too just to be polite. Tommy seemed to be understanding things even less than me and was letting out hesitant little half-laughs that lagged some way behind. Ruth, though, was laughing and laughing, and kept nodding to everything being said about Martin just like she too was remembering them."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 150

As much as I dislike Ruth, I can't deny that she is very intelligent. Fake, but intelligent. She has mastered the use of rhetoric to act as if she knows much more than she actually does. This only earns her more respect from the veterans; being seen as their equal is obviously Ruth's goal. This has really frustrated me - it's like Ruth is in a play: a one-woman show of which she is the star actress. Her veteran audience is just laughing it up and having a grand old time, and she completely convinces them of the character she is portraying. But, more importantly, her technical crew, Kathy and Tommy, are pushing props in at the right time and keeping the spotlight on her when they could ruin this whole operation in a minute. Whether anyone knows it or not, the techies run the show from back stage, and they have the most responsibility when putting on a performance. So I laughed maniacally to myself when Tommy finally stopped complying with Ruth's show (it kind of made me flashback to that time when Kathy almost brought up the pencil case). However, Ruth snapped back and effectively shut Tommy up by bringing up a touchy incident from his past. Ruth's use of rhetoric allows her to manipulate the people she associates with through their communication.

Tommy vs. Ruth: Character Studies/ Foil Characters ( Chapters 8 and 9/ Pages 90-111)

"So you see, it's got to be you to our rescue. Tommy and I were made for each other and he'll listen to you. You'll do it for us, won't you, Kathy?"

~ Never Let Me Go, page 104

First I want to say that I was so furious when I found out Ruth and Tommy were dating. It's all backwards and sick and twisted and frustrating! It's supposed to be Tommy and Kathy!

Next I would like to point out the irony in the quote. 1) If Ruth and Tommy actually were made for each other, he would be able to listen to her and reconcile the differences. Also, she would be able to communicate with him without worry. 2) If Ruth needs Kathy to talk to Tommy and salvage the relationship, little red flags should be going off in her head right about now.

Lastly I will contrast the differences between Tommy and Ruth who are definitely foil characters to each other.

• Ruth is a leader. She is inclined to control situations (and people for that matter) and wants to be accepted and revered by her friends. Tommy is basically an outsider with a couple close friends here and there. 
• Ruth manipulates people and ridicules them. Tommy was relentlessly taunted for years by people like Ruth. 
• Ruth is very clever and intelligent - she understands the situations she is in, and she knows how to relate to people to get what she wants. Tommy is naive and innocent. The way he displays his emotions is very childlike and honest. 

Ruth: More Than the Average Love-Hate Relationship/ Round Character (Chapter 5/ Pages 49-60)

"Now I saw how upset Ruth was; how for once she was at a complete loss for words, and had turned away on the verge of tears. And suddenly my behavior seemed to me utterly baffling. All this effort, all this planning, just to upset my dearest friend."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 60

Ah, Ruth. As we continue reading the story, more and more dimensions of her personality arise, never failing to entertain us further; she is definitely a round character. I could think of some words to describe her, but unfortunately, they aren't acceptable for a homework assignment. Ruth is a very complex character for a couple reasons. She exhibits not only bossy, childish actions during play with other children, but also feels as if she has to lead (or maybe dictate) the other girls in her group and control every situation. She purposefully lies to gain more respect and power, and she somehow succeeds in her endeavors while also evoking anger in her peers (or maybe subjects), which confuses me. God only knows what made her this way - it was probably something in her personal history. What particularly surprised me, though, was that when Kathy approached her and merely suggested that she could have information that may injure both her reputation and her pride, Ruth became extremely vulnerable and revealed insecurities that apparently run deep. At this point, I was rooting for Kathy to aim for the jugular, but she instead spared Ruth and considered herself the antagonist (Why are you such a good person, Kathy??). Now my only question is if Ruth was just completely scared, or if she intentionally exposed her vulnerability to manipulate compassionate Kathy into taking responsibility for the incident and liking Ruth more (well, for now). 

I think the reason why so many people can relate to this - especially women - is because everyone has had or been a Ruth in their social life. Ask any girl and she will tell you about that one friend who displayed Ruth-esque traits at least to some extent. And it's really a struggle! So as of now in the novel, we readers will be rooting for Kathy to recognize the harmful effects of the relationship and move on - we can now really relate to and encourage Kathy to overcome this. 

Really, This is Kind of Serious. (Chapter 2/ Pages 13-24)

"I thought sooner or later someone would start saying it had gone too far, but it just kept on, and no one said anything."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 15

Let me say right now that, as selfish as it sounds, the first issue I would solve if possible would not be hunger, abortion, or eating disorders - it would be bullying. This is a very upsetting problem to me in our society for a couple of reasons, but I will spare you the details of my personal life. I would really love to express my frustration toward these little animals that go to that school. It isn't just one person or even a small group that is constantly taunting Tommy - it's the whole school. And over something as absolutely ridiculous as lack of creativity?? The things they do to him are indisputably cruel and heartless. And what's worse is that they honestly think he deserves it, that he deserves to be incessantly ridiculed and derided because he has a temper. This only reveals hypocrisy in the students because other pupils have anger problems too - they can simply go about their day without wondering whether someone will reject them or verbally abuse them at any moment. This angers me to no end, so when I see Ruth comment on how he could control other people's actions if he only had an attitude adjustment, I immediately categorized her as having bad character. You hear that, Ruth? You are now on my list. My bad list.

And So We Start Never Let Me Go/1st Person (Chapter 1/Pages 3-12)

"My name is Kathy H. I'm thirty-one years old, and I've been a carer now for eleven years."

~ Never Let Me Go, page 3

I'll be honest - the first thing I thought of when I read the first page was that I was STOKED to read this book because it was in first person. This is my favorite type of perspective, perhaps because it seems so much more personal. In third person when the unknown narrator is describing what someone is feeling, I sometimes find myself wondering how they even know or thinking that they can't understand that character. The truth is pretty much completely subjective, right? The truth is different to every person, and until every involved person's idea of truth is known to all, we can't know the whole truth. I think that's why it is so difficult for me to read third person omniscient novels - they know the whole truth, which seems shady to me. I think it's so much easier to empathize  with the character if she (or he, but in this case the narrator is a woman) is telling you her own truth; it's like I can read her mind and it gives me proper insight into her problems and interests and emotions and history. Enough of that rant! Here are several questions and premature opinions I had about the first chapter.

1. What exactly does Kathy's career entail? I'm assuming that a "carer" is like a nurse simply from context, but I would really like a job description. 
2.  Are these donations like organ donations? Apparently, they have multiple operations, so I'm a little confused about that. 
3. Are Ruth and Tommy Kathy's friends or just kids with which she attended school? There are so many aspects of this situation that I must take into consideration. First, Kathy says that their differences hadn't vanished, so obviously there is some hostility, or at least mild argument, between her and Ruth. Secondly, during the incident on the field with Tommy, Ruth and the other girls (and boys for that matter) were blatantly bullying Tommy, which makes me question their ability to have friends at all. Also, Kathy especially recognized their cruelty, which makes me wonder if she has much respect for her "friends," or if they are simply bodies to associate with to fulfill her social needs. (Does that make sense?) Next is Tommy. Kathy seems to know personal details about him, which leads me to believe that they are friends, but she is falling victim to peer pressure and doesn't defend him from their peers. However, she does approach him and calm him down, which convinces me of the former... I think?

I'm just thinking aloud, but I have a feeling that the answers to these questions will reveal themselves soon in the novel.