The Use Of Tone To Represent Themes Of Memory, Friendship, And Identity In Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go
The ethics of human cloning can be questioned through Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, “Never Let Me Go.” Ishiguro allows readers to do so through themes of memory, friendship, and identity. All of these themes are strongly represented through the literary device of tone. The narrator/main character, Kathy clings on to all the people she has lost in her memories. Memory is very powerful, and is how Kathy is able to cope. The next theme is friendship. The friendships in “Never Let Me Go” remind us just how complex friendships can be. The last theme of identity is strongly represented throughout this novel, as a big part of Kathy’s life is trying to understand who she is. In this quote provided by Foster, the author of “How to Read Literature Like a Professor,” “Even if we don’t know what he means by that, we know from his tone what he feels…” readers can see Foster talking about a famous Shakespeare poem. This quote is very universal as it shows readers that even though you might not always know what the author exactly means, with the powerful literary device of tone, you can always know what the author feels. Kazuo Ishiguro uses tone to represent themes of memory, friendship, and identity.
In the novel, “Never Let Me Go,” themes of memory, friendship, and identity are represented through a somber tone. One of the main themes, memory is shown through a somber tone. On pg. 286 Kathy narrates, “The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading. I lost Ruth, then I lost Tommy, but I won’t lose my memories of them.” In this quote, Kathy’s tone is definitely somber as she tells readers how the memories of the ones she lost won’t ever fade away. In this quote, “...a tiny figure would appear on the horizon across the field...I’d see it was Tommy…The fantasy never got beyond that — I didn’t let it — and though the tears rolled down my face, I wasn’t sobbing or out of control...” we see Kathy somber as she masks her deep grief as she remembers and imagines her beloved Tommy. Through a somber tone, the theme of friendship in “Never Let Me Go” is represented. In this quote, “...we stood together like that...for what seemed like ages, not saying anything, just holding each other... ” we see Kathy and her childhood best friend, Tommy, embracing each other. This quote somberly shows readers one of the last intimate moments Tommy and Kathy share before Tommy dies. On pg. 233, Ishiguro writes, “She’d reach out a hand and put it on my shoulder, but I shook her off roughly and glared at her through the tears.” In this quote, readers can look into Ruth and Kathy’s complex, but forever cherished friendship with truly somber moments just as this one.
Through a somber tone, one of the main themes in “Never Let Me Go,” identity, is represented. In this quote on pg. 36, Kathy narrates, “...there are people out there… who dread the idea of your hand brushing against theirs. The first time you glimpse yourself through the eyes of a person like that, it’s a cold moment.” In this quote, Kathy somberly tells readers about how disgusted others feel about her makes Kathy feel even worse about herself. In this quote representing identity, “I don't know if she recognised us at that point; but without doubt, she saw and decided in a second what we were, because you could see her stiffen — as if a pair of large spiders was set to crawl towards her,” we see through a somber tone how Kathy and her friends are treated just because of what people think they are and not who they are. Overall, the main themes of memory, friendship, and identity can be seen through a somber tone. In the novel “Never Let Me Go” themes of memory, identity, and friendship are represented through a nostalgic tone. Kazuo Ishiguro represents the theme of memory through a nostalgic tone. On pg. 6, Kathy narrates, “Driving around the country now, I still see things that remind me of Hailsham. I might pass the corner of a misty field, or see part of a large house in the distance...even a particular arrangement of poplar trees...and I’ll think: 'Maybe that's it! I've found it! This actually is Hailsham!' In this quote, Kathy is full of nostalgia, as she drives around and sees things that remind her of the place that she grew up. In this quote on pg. 16, “Looking back now, I can see why the Exchanges became so important to us...they were our only means…of building up a collection of personal possessions…being dependent on each other to produce the stuff that might become your private treasures — that’s bound to do things to your relationships,” readers witness Kathy looking back on one of the most nostalgic events from her childhood: the Exchanges.
The theme of friendship can be shown through a nostalgic tone. This quote on pg. 173, “I really appreciated having the tape-and that song-back again. Even then, it was mainly a nostalgia thing, and today, if I happen to get the tape out and look at it, it brings back memories of that afternoon in Norfolk...” describes this tape that gave her nostalgia about one of the most prized memories she shares with her friends. On pgs. 4-5, Kathy narrates, “...and the instant I saw her again at that recovery centre in Dover, all our differences – while they didn’t exactly vanish – seemed not nearly as important as all the other things: like the fact that we’d grown up together at Hailsham, the fact that we knew and remembered things no one else did.” In this quote, Kathy talks about one of her dearest friends, Ruth. Instead of focusing on the elements that made them different, she focused on what they shared when they were in school.
The theme of identity can be represented through a nostalgic tone. On pg. 5, Kathy narrates, “There have been times… when I’ve tried to leave Hailsham behind… But then there came a point when I just stopped resisting.” In this quotation, readers view Kathy finally just allowing herself to reminisce the place she grew up, which is a true part of her identity.In this quote, “The earlier years — the ones I've just been telling you about — they tend to blur into each other as a kind of golden time, and when I think about them at all, even the not-so-great things, I can't help feeling a sort of glow,” readers see Kathy talking about this place, a fundamental part of who she is, and how it gives her nostalgia, even if some parts of it were not so great. To conclude, Kazuo Ishiguro uses a nostalgic tone to represent themes of memory, friendship, and identity.
In the novel, “Never Let Me Go,” themes of memory, friendship, and identity can be seen through a pensive tone. Kazuo Ishiguro represents the theme of memory through a pensive tone. In this quote on pg. 129, “But when I think about it now, I can see things more from Ruth's viewpoint,” readers can see Kathy reflecting on how Ruth may feel and what she may be thinking instead of being wrapped up in her own mind. On pg. 270, Kathy says to Madame, “‘There was a time you saw me once...There was no one else around, and I was playing this tape, this music. I was sort of dancing, with my eyes closed and you saw me.’” In this quote, Kathy is reflecting back on a moment from her childhood. Through a pensive tone, the theme of friendship is represented. On pg. 282, Tommy says,“‘...I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other...but in the end it's just too much...They've got to let go..That's how it is with us. It's a shame, Kath, because we've loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can't stay together forever.’” In this quote, Tommy tells Kathy about how he’s reflecting back on how they have always loved each other and could have been together, but nonetheless, it’s too late. In this pensively toned quote, “‘In that shop we were in, they had this shelf with loads of records and tapes. So I was looking for the one you lost that time… I never told you at the time, but I tried really hard to find it...And when it looked in the end like it wasn't going to turn up, I just said to myself, one day I'll go to Norfolk and I'll find it there for her,’” Tommy tells Kathy about how hard he has tried to find the prized tape that Kathy has always loved, and readers can really see how much he loves her.
One of the main themes of identity can be seen through a pensive tone. In this quote, “Thinking back now, I can see we were just at that age when we knew a few things about ourselves — about who we were, how we were different from our guardians, from the people outside — but hadn’t yet understood what any of it meant”, Kathy is reflecting on how the younger version of themselves did not realize what their different identity meant. On pg. 81, Miss Lucy says, “‘If you’re to live decent lives, you have to know who you are and what lies ahead of you, every one of you.’” In this quote, Miss Lucy is straight up with her students, and has them contemplate and be prepared for what their life will inevitably lead to. All in all, the main themes of memory, friendship, and identity can be represented through a pensive tone.
As shown, somber, nostalgic, and pensive tones can be used to represent memory, friendship, and identity; the main themes of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, “Never Let Me Go.” In this novel, readers can make their own opinions formed around the controversial topic of human cloning. Through tone, Ishiguro is really able to convey the themes in his novel. Not only is he able to convey the themes of his book, but also what he feels, and how he makes his readers feel.
