'Never Let Me Go' Critical Perspectives by Vanessa CHONG

Ruth can be seen as both the “Trickster” and the “False Hero.” How do her actions and personality reflect these archetypes, and how does her eventual apology complicate her role?

vanessachong — 2025-03-25 11:42:55 UTC

How might an audience view Ruth’s transformation? Does she symbolize redemption, or is her change too little, too late?

vanessachong — 2025-04-03 00:14:03 UTC

The ‘False Hero’ archetype can be seen through Ruth’s character by trying to act more superior than the other clones. She tries to act more ‘human-like’ by befriending veterans and guardians, in hopes to make her stand out. She also manipulate situations so that they have the outcome she wants them to have while purposely taking advantage of people around her to feel more powerful.

vanessachong — 2025-04-03 00:16:02 UTC

“It’s not just me, sweety. Kathy here finds you animals a complete hoot.” (chapter 16, page 191).

Ruth is seen talking to Tommy using pet names, which is an effort to dehumanize him to make herself feel more ‘human’. She twists Kathy’s words to further feel in control of the situation and not take full accountability for her own. She conforms to the “Trickster” archetype by mocking Tommy and Kathy and only uses them to make herself feel less insecure. Ruth’s apology is where she finally admits that everything she has done to Tommy and Kathy had been intended to keep them apart. This further complicates her role by presenting Ruth as a “tragic character”.

vanessachong — 2025-04-03 00:17:36 UTC

The audience can view Ruth’s apology as a final act for her to redeem herself, knowing that she will complete soon. With Ruth finally admitting her flaws, her character suddenly changes from manipulative to broken, creating a sudden shift in how Ruth’s character is perceived by the readers.

How does Kathy embody the archetype of the “Caretaker” or “Witness” figure? In what ways does her role as a carer reinforce or challenge this archetypal function?

vanessachong — 2025-04-03 00:20:22 UTC

How might an audience interpret Kathy’s role? Does she represent resilience in the face of fate, or does she embody passive acceptance of oppression?

vanessachong — 2025-04-03 00:24:27 UTC

Kathy takes on the archetype of a caretaker both mentally and physically by helping others as an act of selflessness and generosity. On page 101, Ruth asked Kathy to talk to Tommy to help them get back together after their breakup. Although Kathy isn’t obliged to follow Ruth’s orders, she does it anyway as a pursuit to help her friends and as a form of self-preservation, ultimately causing her to conform to the caretaker archetype, since caretakers are expected to devote themselves entirely to helping others in favor of their aspirations.

vanessachong — 2025-04-03 00:28:58 UTC

Although Kathy takes care of others, she also preserves her memories throughout the novel in the format of a diary-like storytelling, showing how Kathy still makes efforts to form an individual identity for herself.

Ishiguro does this to position the readers to empathize with Kathy throughout her retelling of her life, exposing the times where she is most vulnerable. Kathy represents resilience in the face of fate since she has been working as a caretaker for over eleven years, but she embodies passive acceptance of oppression towards the clones by conforming to the rules in her society about clones and not rebelling against them.

How does Never Let Me Go portray the clones as an oppressed underclass? In what ways do they internalize their oppression, and how does this mirror class struggle in real-world societies?

vanessachong — 2025-04-03 00:30:50 UTC

How might an audience interpret the clones’ passive acceptance of their fate? Does it serve as a warning against complacency in oppressive systems?

vanessachong — 2025-04-03 00:35:45 UTC

We can see that the clones have been isolated from the outside world from the very beginning of the novel, as Hailsham is described as being in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by woods. Isolating the clones from real people, prevents them from having any interactions with them, further oppressing them by pushing the belief that they are not ‘human’ enough to interact with real people besides themselves.

It has been internalized in the clones that there is no other hope for them since they aren't given other choices to escape their fates, other than to become a caretake, which condemns them to follow through with their donations. Those who are exploited by donation centers where they submissively care for other clones during donations, ultimately continuing the cycle of oppression.

vanessachong — 2025-04-03 00:37:16 UTC

Ishiguro positions the audience to reflect on the passive acceptance of the clones’ fates, which can parallel real-world societies, where minorities who work in the underclass, such as immigrants, slaves, and marginalized labourers, go unnoticed and are undervalued for their work.

In what ways does Never Let Me Go critique or reflect the capitalist and imperialist systems of its time?

vanessachong — 2025-04-03 00:37:44 UTC

How might a Marxist reading of the novel appeal to audiences concerned with modern issues like migrant labour and economic exploitation?

vanessachong — 2025-04-03 00:38:45 UTC

The clones are not valued for their personality or their interests. This mirrors how certain minorities are treated in the capitalist systems or our times where undervalued labourers are only appreciated for the service they provide and they aren’t seen as individuals, but rather as workers who can bring in money for big companies. In the novel, the clones are given little to no choice for their future. They either have to become caretakers for a few years or become a doner, which gives them no real alternatives to change their fate.

vanessachong — 2025-04-04 03:51:28 UTC

This reflects the imperialist system of its time in Never Let Me Go by the bourgeoisie taking control over the clones' bodies and doing whatever they want with them in the hopes of improving the state of their economy. It can also reflect minorities in real life, such as indigenous communities, where colonizers educated people in a way they justified their own acts and how they treated them unfairly.