Never Let Me Go

     I am close to finishing the book Never Let Me Go right now.  I am enjoying it although it is pretty weird, and interesting.  The author tells you very little about what is actually going on in the book, although recently I have had some ideas on what I think might be happening.  

     For their whole lives, Kathy, Ruth, Tommy, and other people like them have been raised separate from society.  They also get into trouble if they get seriously hurt, and the one normal person they ever come in contact with is Madame, and she is afraid of them, but probably only because she pities them so much and does not even want to think about their situation.  As they get older, they are aloud to leave the facilities they have been living in and go into the world.  Only for day trips though.  While on these types of excursions, they are constantly searching for their "identicals", or people who are just like them.  As they get older, they become donors, and it is implied that they are "donating" their body parts.  They donate there body parts until they are no longer strong enough to live, and they themselves die.  Based on this information, I have come to the conclusion that the three main characters, and the people like them that they have grown up with, are all clones of people out in the real world, and have been raised for their whole lives only to die by donating body parts to their clone.  I think this is very interesting, as is the way that these people view this.  

     None of the main characters really know what is going on with the "donations".  Two of then are in the process right now, and Kathy is in a sort of temporary overseer job.  They have never been taught about the process, and they see it as just a normal part of life.  they have not been taught directly, but their teachers have just implied for their entire lives that they would not die of natural causes, or go and have a life.  As opposed to feeling unfortunate because of this whole lifestyle altogether, their ignorance causes them to be oblivious to anything going on outside.  Their teachers look down upon anyone who asks questions, or doubts anything because they are probably afraid of the definite revolt which would occur if these people knew exactly what was happening to them.  

     This important issue in the book made me think about whether or not it is right to raise a person, just to die eventually to keep another person alive.  I think that is why people in the book like Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are raised in a boarding school, away from any parents.  The only real connections they have with anyone are with their friends, who know only as much as they do.  This prevents anyone who could possibly be giving them up from feeling any guilt, as well as preventing a revolt in those who are being sacrificed.  Unfortunately, I never read the book My Sister's Keeper, but I saw the movie, and I think the two issues are relatively similar, but the circumstances are different.  In that story, the sister knows that for herself to survive her cancer, her sister must sacrifice many things in her life; in Never Let Me Go, I am pretty sure that the normal people do not know that they are receiving these body parts from perfectly healthy people, who would have long lives ahead of them, if they did not have to "donate".  In My Sister's Keeper, the girl has been raised by her parents, and is as much a part of the family as the sister with cancer.  In my book, all of the characters have been raised in boarding school, where the teachers do not know enough to try and protect the kids from their horrible futures.  Finally, in My Sister's Keeper, the girl knows how great life can be, and what she would be sacrificing.  In my book, the characters have lived in isolated communities for their entire lives, up until they begin the "donation" process, and are never given the chance to really experience life.  Because of the different circumstances in these two similar situations, the two stories turn out very differently.  Many factors can interfere with what I think and change my opinion, but in most situations, I think that a person should not have to sacrifice their life for another without agreeing to it.  This includes giving the person a chance to live first, and letting them experience how great life can be before making the decision.   

     In conclusion, I am loving reading this book, and this is only my biggest idea for what the book is about, it could be something completely different.