Monday, February 11, 2008

Never Let Me Go

The book we are reading for class is really intriguing because no matter how much we learn there is still some mystery around the characters and their school Hailsham. Originally this story reminded me of the movie The Island, and reading about the "donations" just confirmed it more. In the movie the clones are also created for organ donation and their nutrition and heath is monitored closely just like the students. I believe (right now anyway) that the children are clones of some sort because they have no reference to parents or family or even about being orphaned. They have always been told they were "special" and "different from the outside world." Their purpose in life is the donations. They give up their vital organs to the "normal" people, eventually resulting in the student's death. Because the student's are sterile (another hint that they are clones?) sex is taught to be ok, or at least more so that the normal world. Has causal sex become moral because they can't reproduce or because their lives are soon to end and they are not truly valued in society? This really posses and interesting question for us all.... Is sex ok if you cant have children? Some people certainly thing so and go to extreme lengths, birth control, abortion, etc. This is something that would make an interesting class discussion. Also this is one area where the book differs completely from the movie it reminds me of. In the movie, the clones are oblivious to being clones, the have fake childhood memories implanted, and they are oblivious to the concept of sex. One thing I still do not understand from the book, is the emphasis on art and creativity. Ms. Lucy first tells Tommy that it does not matter then later contradicts herself saying she was wrong and really it matters more than he knows. I don't see how this fits into the ideas that I have imagined with cloning, The Island, etc.

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