Meet the Characters

Writing a post about the characters of the book Never Let Me Go first would have made for a better introduction to the book, but so little is revealed about these characters and their roles in society in the first section of reading that I felt it would be have been difficult to write. However, after completing half of the book, Ishiguro has finally revealed enough information to allow for a more thorough explanation of his characters. Although we still do not understand completely the circumstances surrounding these main characters and the problems that they are facing, here is my understanding of the main personalities in the book Never Let Me Go.

We find out something extremely unusual about all of the characters in this section of the reading. They have been copied from other people for the sole purpose of donating their organs when they grow older. In the first section of the reading, Kath hints that there is something unusual about her and her friends. She talks about how people from the outside world treat them differently, and about how they have to keep their bodies healthier than other people. Now everything has become clear. Kath, Tommy, and Ruth are clones.

Although the main characters of this story are not like you and me, they still have the personalities of ‘normal’ people. They all grow up at Hailsham, a boarding school where they attend class and are treated respectfully by their Guardians (AKA teachers). Being a clone does not mean that these kids have no ambitions, feelings, or intelligence. They are not robots by any means. However, these ambitions and feelings only make it more crushing that these kids can not grow up and lead normal lives and must give organ donations. This is one of the main conflicts that the characters have faced so far in the book; it is hard for everyone to come to terms with their designed futures. As Miss Lucy, a Guardian, tells her students, “Your lives are set out for you. You’ll become adults, then before you're old, before you're even middle-aged, you’ll start to donate your vital organs. That’s what each of you was created to do” (81). Even though the main characters in the novel are living under unusual circumstances, their friendships and relationships with each other seem very realistic, and I have often encountered relationships in real life that are comparable to those between these characters.

Kath is the main character and the narrator of the novel; we see the story unfolding through her eyes. Kath starts off her story by saying, “My name is Kathy H. I’m thirty-one years old, and I’ve been a carer for over eleven years now” (3).  We find out later in the book that a carer is someone who looks after people who have just donated their organs, and that she is very good at her job. It is no wonder that Kath is a good carer; she is very considerate and kind. When Tommy, a boy in her year at Hailsham, is being picked on, Kath feels “a little stab of pain” (8) and goes up to him and tells him to stop his temper tantrum because he will get mud on his favorite shirt. The fact that Kath feels bad for Tommy even though “for the others, it was detached,” and that Kath remembers that “Tommy was wearing the light blue polo shirt he’d got in the Sales the previous month- the one he was so proud of” (8) shows how considerate and observant Kath is. This is only one example. Kath is constantly showing how observant she is through little things that she says and notices, prompting Tommy to say, “You notice everything, don’t you, Kath?” (23). When she and her friends get to the Cottages, the place where they go after their time at Hailsham and before becoming donors, Kath immediately “began to notice all kinds of things the [older kids] had taken from TV programmes” (121). Not only this, but Kath also notices Ruth, one of her best friends, trying to imitate them. Kath is a careful observer, often on the outside of situations rather than directly involved in conflicts. I find Kath fairly likable, and her observant nature makes her a good narrator for the story, and I relate to her quiet, shy side. However, I think she is a little drab at times and could do more acting instead of observing. I understand, though, that if Kath was more proactive the book would be more about her actions than what is happening in the society around her.

Ruth, one of Kath’s best friends in the novel, could be seen as a foil character to Kath. Where Kath is quiet and observant, Ruth is the leader of the group and is very controlling. When Kath is caring and concerned for Tommy when he is bullied, Ruth thinks that “it’s his own fault” (10). She is very outspoken and she cares a lot about what other people think of her. Ruth will go through great trouble “putting on airs and pretending” (129) to make sure that others see her in a good light. These aspects of Ruth’s personality are shown through the stories that Kath tell us readers about her during their time at Hailsham and the Cottages. While at the Cottages, Ruth wants to fit in so badly with the older people there that she begins imitating them and ignoring her friends. Here she is someone “who was always trying to impress the veterans, who wouldn’t hesitate to ignore [Kath], Tommy, or any of the others if she thought [they’d] cramp her style” (129). Kath and Ruth do not always get along, yet Kath still seems to have a special place in her heart for Ruth. I don’t really know why Kath likes Ruth so much. In my opinion, Ruth is a bully, and I would not want to be friends with her if I was Kath. However, it is possible Kath admires Ruth because they are foil characters. Ruth is everything that Kath is not, and maybe Kath aspires to be a little more outspoken and popular like Ruth is. Either way, I hope that Ruth outgrows her childish ways as the novel progresses.

Tommy is the last main character in the novel, and he is my favorite of them all. When Tommy is a young student at Hailsham, he is bullied because he is not creative. Tommy used to have a huge temper back then, and he blows up anytime anyone teased him. However, with a little help from a Guardian and Kath, he learns to control his temper and turns into a kind, goofy young man “with a big open smile” (13). Kath and Tommy get along very well. They are both very observant and often discuss things that they notice about their teachers at Hailsham. Tommy confides in Kath and trusts her immensely. The main reason that I like Tommy more than the other two girls is that Tommy tells it how it is. Ruth and Kath often get into cat fights, and instead of expressing what is wrong they ignore or insult each other. When Tommy is upset, he expresses himself. He also does not care for social norms; when he approaches Kath in a stairwell at Hailsham, Kath finds “the whole thing mildly embarrassing” whereas Tommy does not care what others people (14). I find Tommy charming and more mature than his friends. Although he is dating Ruth right now I do not think that they are right for each other and I anticipate them splitting up soon.

Sorry that this was such a long post, the characters in this novel are complex and difficult to describe without giving examples of how they respond in certain circumstances. I hope that the character description was helpful though, and allows you to better understand who the main players in the novel are. Bear with me, future blog posts will be shorter!