NRJ # 2- Home/Sense of Place or Belonging

NRJ # 2 Home/Sense of Place or Belonging

One of the many themes that Kazuo Ishiguro displayed in " Never Let Me Go" was a sense of home and sense of place and belonging.  Although the Hailsham students did not have a regular "home" or regular parents they way Hailsham was run was set up to create a sense of home and pride in Hailsham.  They did this by creating a hierarchy system in which the students stayed with their own peers throughout life till they became of age. Also the sales and the art gave them a sense of pride and created a sort of social hierarchy those  who were the most creative were the most popular.

   Kazuo brilliantly used the tone of the book to show how Kat was remembering her cherished times at Hailsham as she does this she begins to gain clarity on some of her childhood mysteries.  In one instance as Kat was reminiscing with a sense of nostalgia with Ruth  about  the exchanges she explains " it's all part of what made Hailsham so special, the way we were encouraged to value each other's work" (Ishiguro,17) which helped create a sense of home in Hailsham. 

Ishiguro used tone to support the theme of a sense home and belonging.  He did this by showing us that while Kat did not have a normal childhood by all means she still looked back on her memories with fondness and a sense of longing for those times.  He slowly develops the story giving us bits and pieces of the truth.  This also helps to solidify to the reader how it was possible  for Kat to still have these very normal feelings and an important part of being human.