Quotes (Never Let Me Go)

This section explains the key quotes in the novel on Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Never Let Me Go (2005) by Kazuo Ishiguro is a dystopian novel that explores themes of identity, memory, free will, and what it means to be human. The novel is set in an alternative version of England where humans are cloned for organ donation, and it follows the lives of three clones—Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth—raised in the seemingly idyllic Hailsham boarding school.

"The problem, as I see it, is that you've been told and not told."

Context: Miss Lucy tells the students at Hailsham this, highlighting the half-truths they are fed about their purpose.

Significance: This quote reflects the ambiguity of the clones’ education and upbringing, leaving them aware of their fate but unable to fully comprehend it.

"We didn’t have to look into your souls, we had to see if you had souls at all."

Context: Miss Emily explains the purpose of Hailsham towards the end of the novel.

Significance: This chilling statement encapsulates the existential question of whether the clones are truly human.

"Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly."

Context: Kathy, as the narrator, reflects on the nature of memory.

Significance: This quote emphasises the novel's theme of nostalgia and the transient nature of memory, which contrasts with the clones' tragic future.

"The Gallery was just a way of showing you students were human beings."

Context: Miss Emily reveals the true purpose of the art collections at Hailsham.

Significance: The art was meant to prove that the clones were capable of human creativity and emotion, thus suggesting their humanity.

"We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time."

Context: Kathy reflects on the inevitability of death after Tommy’s death.

Significance: The word “complete” is a euphemism for death, and the quote underscores the novel’s meditation on mortality and the feeling of life being too short.

"It had never occurred to me that our lives, so closely interwoven, could unravel with such speed."

Context: Kathy reflects on her friendship with Ruth and Tommy.

Significance: This highlights the fragility of relationships and the suddenness with which life changes, reflecting the clones' looming fate.

"I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast."

Context: Tommy uses this metaphor to describe life.

Significance: The river symbolises the inevitability of fate, suggesting that despite the clones’ efforts, they are swept along by forces beyond their control.

"We're modeled on trash. Junkies, prostitutes, winos, tramps."

Context: Ruth reveals the truth about the "possibles" (humans the clones may be modelled after).

Significance: This moment shatters the illusion that the clones are made from idealised humans, reinforcing the harsh reality of their existence.

"It’s like we’re living in a fairy tale."

Context: Tommy says this when reflecting on the false hope of deferrals (the possibility of delaying donations).

Significance: The comparison to a fairy tale represents the clones' naive hope for a different outcome, which is ultimately unattainable.

"I’ve been a carer for nearly eleven years, and I know when to leave things alone."

Context: Kathy reflects on her time as a carer, a role in which she comforts dying clones.

Significance: This shows her resignation and emotional detachment, shaped by her years of caring for others as they complete.

"Maybe it was just to do with the way I’d let Tommy down that day in the field."

Context: Kathy regrets not defending Tommy when they were children.

Significance: This highlights the novel’s theme of guilt and unresolved emotional tensions between the characters.

"We took away your art because we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all."

Context: Miss Emily admits to the clones why Hailsham collected their art.

Significance: This shows how the clones were part of a moral experiment, dehumanised and yet paradoxically seen as a test of humanity.

"Poor creatures. What did we do to you? With all our schemes and plans?"

Context: Madame expresses sorrow for the clones.

Significance: This quote underscores the ethical dilemma of creating and using clones as disposable beings.

"It’s funny, but you’d never guess from the way we’re talking now, what memories we have of each other."

Context: Kathy reflects on her conversations with Tommy and Ruth.

Significance: This reflects the dissonance between the deep emotional history of the characters and the calm acceptance of their fate.

"If you’d understood everything I’d said here, you’d have seen that it wasn’t something I could ever have wanted for you."

Context: Miss Lucy’s attempt to warn the students.

Significance: Miss Lucy’s regret shows the conflict between the teachers’ moral concerns and the institution’s mission.

"I lost Ruth, then I lost Tommy, but I won’t lose my memories of them."

Context: Kathy reflects on the deaths of her two closest friends.

Significance: This shows Kathy’s deep reliance on memory to cope with loss, as memories are the only things she can hold onto.

"I half closed my eyes and imagined this was the spot where everything I’d ever lost since my childhood had washed up."

Context: The novel’s final scene, where Kathy reflects by a barbed-wire fence after Tommy's death.

Significance: This image of lost things washing up is a powerful metaphor for the accumulation of loss in her life.

"We did it to prove you had souls at all."

Context: Miss Emily explains the Gallery's purpose.

Significance: This reiterates the central existential question of the novel regarding whether the clones possess souls and are truly human.

"None of you will go to America, none of you will be film stars."

Context: Miss Lucy tries to prepare the students for their grim reality.

Significance: This blunt statement destroys any lingering hope the students may have had for a different future.

"It's what we're supposed to be doing, isn't it?"

Context: Tommy accepts his fate as a donor.

Significance: This shows Tommy's resigned acceptance of his role, symbolising the clones' inevitable submission to their purpose in society.

Conclusion:

In Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro weaves a powerful narrative about identity, humanity, and the acceptance of one’s fate. The novel’s tragic tone and haunting reflections on memory and love compel readers to contemplate the ethical and emotional implications of a world where human life can be commodified. Each quote plays a key role in exposing the characters' internal struggles as they navigate their predetermined paths.