Summary
Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are all seemingly normal people who spent their childhood in a seemingly idyllic English boarding school, called Hailsham. At Hailsham, there are weird teachings and a seemingly strange culture. They are not allowed to leave the grounds, and they are brought up and taught mostly about art, and they even exchange their art and belongings with each other and kids from other schools at a special event. Soon, we learn that this is in fact an alternate reality of the time period (19..'s) as a teacher (who is soon fired) reveal to the children that they are in fact clones who exist solely to be organ donors available for selection, they are also told that they could 'complete' (or die) after one selection, or live for many more. This changes their outlook on life a little, but not noticeably. Kathy also starts to fall in love with Tommy. After the children reach their teenage years, they are sent to a place that we know as the cottages, located on a rural farm. Here, they are permitted to leave the grounds if they wish, and they are even allowed to drive. At this point, Ruth and Tommy become lovers, which hurts Kathy, but she doesn't want to admit it. Here is where they acquire and become obsessed with the notion of finding the people they were cloned from. Their 'originals', or 'models'. They are also introduced to the rumor of deferral, or postponing their completion, if they can prove they have a soul, or are in love with someone. Towards the end of their time at the cottages, Kathy applies to become a carer, someone who takes care of the other clones post-operation, or after their organs are harvested. In exchange for helping the other clones, she gets a slight delay from selection. After she becomes a carer, she learns that Ruth and Tommy aren't together anymore. After Kathy has been a carer for quite some time, she is reunited with Ruth, who is barely hanging on after two selections. Ruth shares that she has been keeping track of Kathy and Tommy, and arranges their reunion. Ruth also reveals that she never actually loved Tommy, she was just scared of being alone, and also slightly jealous. Ruth's belief is that Kathy and Tommy would qualify for a deferral, since they were truly in love with one another. However, when Kathy and Tommy inquire into the subject of it, they discover that deferrals don't actually exist. Kathy is left to contemplate her childhood and upbringing, and wonders whether the life of the clones is really that different from the life of normal people. Ultimately, everyone dies, and no one lives.
Themes
MemoriesAlmost the entire book is set with Kathy reflecting on the past, we almost never hear about the future. At the end of the book, we see all of her old friends are 'completed' (dead), and she is left alone. I believe that Kathy dwelling on those memories is not only a way for her to keep her friends alive, but also a way for her to cope with what she's lost.
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HumanityThis book was published almost as presenting the idea that clones can be human too. However, the author does not give them much leeway to actually be human. Instead, he has planned out their lives already, and given them a dull and slightly scary purpose in life. They aren't treated as human, instead, more like tame animals. They are given a place to live and things to do, but no real purpose besides preserving the lives of others. Perhaps the people giving them that life were the ones who lacked humanity themselves.
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DreamsThe Hailsham children do not get the opportunity to live out their dreams, their lives are already planned out for them. Instead, they merely get the ability to dream. The book is almost a call to action for people to live out their dreams, instead of merely living, breathing, accomplishing nothing, and then dying.
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Quote
“What I'm not sure about, is if our lives have been so different from the lives of the people we save. We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we've lived through, or feel we've had enough time" (267).
Kathy reflecting on whether or not they really accomplished any more than their human counterparts is a really thought provoking statement made on the accomplishments of mankind itself. What are we really doing with our lives? It's time to stop trying to survive, it's time for us to thrive.
Essay