NEVER LET ME GO QUOTES ANALYSIS

“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, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it’s just too much. The current’s too strong. They’ve got to let go, drift apart. 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.” – Kathy H.

This quote reflects the theme of inevitability and the transient nature of relationships. Despite their deep love for each other, the characters are forced to let go and accept their fate.

“I don’t know how it was where you were, but at Hailsham, we had to keep the fence around us all the time. If we climbed over it, we’d be in big trouble. We were never supposed to stay out in the world for very long.” – Kathy H.

This quote highlights the theme of confinement and the characters’ lack of agency. They are constantly monitored and restricted, emphasizing their role as clones and their lack of freedom.

“We took those things away from you, that’s how we built you. We hardwired your desire to please us, to be compliant, to be subservient. We created you to be the perfect worker, and we created you to have no feelings. It’s that ability to have feelings that makes you human, but I just somehow couldn’t give them to you.” – Miss Emily

This quote reveals the moral dilemma of the novel, as Miss Emily acknowledges the unethical nature of their actions. It also highlights the theme of dehumanization and the characters’ struggle to understand and express their own emotions.

“Your lives are set out for you. You’ll become adults, then before you’re old, before you’re even middle-aged, you’ll start to donate your vital organs. That’s what each of you was created to do.” – Miss Lucy

This quote unveils the dark purpose of the characters’ existence, emphasizing the theme of predetermined destiny and the tragic nature of their lives.

“I keep thinking about this TV program I saw a while ago. It was about old people’s homes. There was this doctor who said that we shouldn’t worry too much about older people’s brains slowing down, because slower thought-processes didn’t necessarily result in a decline in happiness.” – Kathy H.

This quote reflects the characters’ acceptance of their fate and attempts to find solace. Despite their short lives and limited experiences, they still seek happiness and meaning.

“We were these tiny things, like dolls, and we walked as far as we could walk into that long narrow street, not going into any side alleys, sticking to the pavement all the time. We were careful about it. We didn’t hold hands or anything.” – Tommy D.

This quote portrays the characters’ cautiousness and fear of deviating from societal norms. They are constantly aware of their differences and the need to blend in with regular humans.

“Somewhere inside me is a merciful, forgiving person. Somewhere there is a girl who tries to understand what people are going through, who accepts that people do evil things and that desperation leads them to darker places than they ever imagined. I swear she exists, and she hurts for the repentant boy I see in front of me.” – Kathy H.

This quote reveals Kathy’s empathetic nature and her ability to understand the complexities of human behavior, despite their circumstances. It highlights her compassion and her longing for forgiveness and redemption.

“We didn’t have to look into each other’s eyes to know we were supposed to do for each other. That was why we were told to do those exchanges, mainly by sport or creativity—that’s what started people to become really good friends and guardian and donor.” – Ruth

This quote explains the purpose behind the characters’ interactions and the concept of creating friendships and bonds through mandated activities. It further emphasizes the idea of their relationships being orchestrated and manipulated.

“But you and Tommy, you’ve been given a precious gift, you’ve been given the opportunity to understand what it’s like. Not everyone gets that.” – Madame

This quote highlights the theme of sacrifice and the characters’ unique perspective on life. Despite their ultimate fate, they experience a depth of understanding and awareness that others may never achieve.

“It was like when you make a move in chess and just as you take your finger off the piece, you see the mistake you’ve made, and there’s this panic because you don’t know yet the scale of disaster you’ve left yourself open to.” – Kathy H.

This quote captures the characters’ moments of realization and the regret they experience when recognizing the consequences of their actions. It reflects their constant vulnerability and uncertainty.

“We were different, without doing anything to justify it, just by existing. We were different because we weren’t like other people, even though we didn’t know quite how.” – Kathy H.

This quote encapsulates the characters’ struggle with their own identity and the feeling of being outsiders. Despite not fully understanding their uniqueness, they are acutely aware of it.

“When we lost something precious, and we’d looked and looked and still couldn’t find it, then we didn’t have to be completely heartbroken anymore. We still had that last bit of comfort, thinking one day, when we were grown up, and we were free to travel the country, we would always find it.” – Kathy H.

This quote reflects the characters’ optimism and their belief in the possibility of finding what they have lost. It symbolizes their longing for freedom and a sense of purpose.

“Maybe that’s what veterans were ultimately curious about—they were lovers of life. In the pit of their souls they wanted to know it all, even the foul and evil stuff.” – Kathy H.

This quote explores the characters’ curiosity and their desire to fully experience life, including its darkness and complexity. It suggests that despite their predicament, they have a longing for knowledge and understanding.

“I think we probably do hold on to things longer than most people, it’s just we don’t have as much to hold on to, so we hold on to it tightly.” – Ruth HARD TIME TROUBLED RELATIONSHIP QUOTES

This quote reflects the characters’ attachment to memories and the limited experiences that define their lives. It portrays their need to cherish even the smallest moments.

“You see, we were able to understand, to forgive, we just don’t want to be reminded of it again. We’ve had our time on this earth and we’ll let you have yours.” – Kathy H.

This quote reveals the characters’ resilience and ability to accept their circumstances while still wishing for a better life for future generations. They prioritize moving forward and allowing others to live more freely.

“We were nearly in tears ourselves, and telling her, ‘Deferrals, Ruth, they were just a rumor after all.’ Ruth looked at me for a second, then burst into dry peals of laughter. ‘And both of you believed it!’ she managed to say. ‘I’ve been scared out of my mind—every time I’ve thought about it, ever since the Cottages—but you two believed it!'” – Kathy H.

This quote demonstrates how the characters desperately cling to hope, even if it is based on mere rumors. It also reveals their fear and vulnerability while facing the uncertainty of their future.

“How often then, when facing the end, Clara wondered, had she last looked properly at objects she’d loved?” – Clara

This quote portrays the characters’ reflection on the brevity of their lives and the significance they place on the objects and memories they hold dear. It evokes a sense of nostalgia and regret.

“In the end, there was nothing he could do to stop them coming apart. It was as though all the life which had been in him for the last few weeks was being sucked away into their dying moans and groans. And there was nothing, it seemed, he could do to put his hand on it and stop it flowing away.” – Tommy D.

This quote expresses Tommy’s helplessness and the painful process of witnessing his loved ones deteriorate. It underscores the characters’ powerlessness in the face of their predetermined fate.

“We all complete. Maybe none of us really understand what we’ve lived through, or feel we’ve had enough time.” – Kathy H.

This quote reflects the characters’ acceptance of their own mortality and the recognition that they will never truly comprehend the significance of their lives. It highlights their awareness of time’s preciousness.

“She raised her head and looked at me with the same sad expression. ‘I keep thinking about this river,’ she said. ‘I keep thinking about the fact that life spreads out just like that river. No matter what you do, it just keeps pushing forward.'” – Kathy H.

This quote signifies the characters’ resignation to the unrelenting passage of time and their inability to change their fate. It echoes the theme of inevitability and the characters’ ultimate powerlessness.

“The problem, as I see it, is that you’ve been told and not told. You’ve been told, but none of you really understand, and I dare say, some people are quite happy to leave it that way.” – Miss Lucy

This quote exposes the characters’ lack of knowledge and understanding regarding their purpose. It also implies that there is a deliberate attempt to keep them in the dark, raising questions about the ethics of their existence.

“But for those of us who can’t even begin to imagine such things, being left behind is the high price we pay for being allowed to exist at all.” – Kathy H.

This quote addresses the characters’ struggle with their sense of identity and the sacrifices they make to simply be alive. It evokes a sense of sorrow and contemplation.

“I just wished I could give Tommy something more, something better, than just standing there, waving and cheering. How do you go about telling someone they’re practiced up and can move on now to the real skill?” – Kathy H.

This quote reveals Kathy’s desire for Tommy to find fulfillment and purpose beyond their limited scope of existence. It highlights their yearning for meaning and personal growth.

“It was as though when he looked at us, he was looking into a mirror, a powerful mirror that saw into his very soul.” – Kathy H.

This quote describes Madame’s complex feelings towards the characters and the reflection they present. It suggests a connection between human and clone, blurring the line between the two.

“I couldn’t believe I hadn’t fought back. That was the only thing that really rankled, that I’d not even tried. I kept thinking how it never would have happened if I’d been the sort of person to try, even if it meant actual violence.” – Kathy H.

This quote explores Kathy’s regret and the realization that she has been conditioned to be compliant and passive. It conveys the characters’ suppressed frustrations and their yearning for empowerment.

“I don’t know how Miss Emily does it, but she does it, she manages never to go about doubting herself, never gets desperately unhappy or carried away.” – Kathy H.

This quote reflects Miss Emily’s stoicism and emphasizes the characters’ admiration for her unwavering composure. It questions the nature of happiness and the characters’ own emotional states.