Chapter 22 - An Answer Long Awaited

"'We took away your art because we thought it would reveal your souls.  Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all.... Most importantly, we demonstrated to the world that if students were reared in humane, cultivated environments, it was possible for them to grow to be as sensitive and intelligent as any ordinary human being.'"  (pgs. 260-261)

It all makes sense now.  The purpose of Hailsham was to isolate the students from the outside world and prove that they could be like any human being.  I think that Hailsham did a great job at that, and Tommy and Kathy are great examples of this.  I believe the above quote is the theme of the book.  The whole book describe Kathy's life and her experiences all to find out that her life was part of studies to show that clones made for medical reasons like her can behave just like any normal human being.  It was then told that the main reason that Hailsham and places like it were shut down because the regular people were afraid of what the clones could and would eventually do.  I think that this theory was a pretty good observation, and it probably would have happened if the isolation schools continued.  Tommy and Kathy also found out that the deferral rumor was not true, and there's no way to escape the donations.  They just have to live their lives until their someone needs part of their body, and they have to give it to the person in need.  Kathy found out that the reason Madame was crying after seeing her dance to "Never Let Me Go" was that Madame saw Kathy holding the old world, where there were no people specifically for donations, and pleading and telling it to never let her go.  Although this was the longest chapter in the book (yes I did count the pages of every chapter), this was my favorite because the reader finally gets to figure everything out.

Chapters 20 and 21 - Meeting With Madame

"'You speak to them.  It's you they've come to speak to speak to.'
'I suppose it is.'
The figure in the wheelchair was frail and contorted, and it was the voice more than anything that helped me recognize her.
'Miss Emily,' Tommy said, quite softly."  (pg. 255)

These two chapters have probably been the most interesting at least for me anyway.  Chapter Twenty talked about Kathy and Tommy's relationship growing closer and closer.  They finally decided that they would go talk to Madame and ask for a deferral, or at least try like Ruth wanted them to.  Then, Chapter Twenty-One rolled around to where they finally went to talk to Madame.  I was kind of surprised that they actually went to do this.  I guess Ruth had both had a pretty big impact on them because they had to have alot of courage to face their fears of this lady.  When they got there, her house was all dark and scary.  I think it relates to her personality a little because Madame is a dark and mysterious lady.  Then, all of a sudden Kathy realizes that someone is watching them in the darkness and out pops the figure they are talking about in the quote.  Tommy and Kathy both figure out that the figure is Miss Emily, and even more curiosity travels into the reader's mind.

Chapter 19 - Ruth's Death

"It was one of those little islands of lucidity donors sometimes get to in the midst of their ghastly battles, and she looked at me, just for that moment, and although she didn't speak, I knew what her look meant.  So I said to her, 'It's okay, I'm going to do it, Ruth.  I'm going to become Tommy's carer as soon as I can....'  What occurs to me now is that she probably knew all along, even before I did, that I'd become Tommy's carer, and that we'd "give it a try," just as she'd told us to in the car that day."  (pg. 236)

This quote is when Ruth is on her deathbed, and Kathy is sitting right next to her.  They had that special moment together right before she died.  This chapter was very long, but it encompassed alot.  Ruth revealed to Tommy and Kathy that she deliberately kept them apart and was truly sorry for it.  I think Ruth realized that the main reason for this trip was for her to tell them that.  She also told them that they need to go to Madame and see if they can get a deferral to be together.  They need "give it a try."  Ruth had to have alot of courage to say this, and she gained many respect points from me for doing this.  I don't know if I would be able to tell someone something as big as this.  Ruth then pushed Kathy to at least become Tommy's carer.  I think this was a good request because Tommy and Kathy need each other.  Kathy was saying that she was lonely as a carer, and this would be a perfect opportunity for friendship.

Chapter 18 - Life As a Carer

"I thought about Hailsham closing, and how it was like someone coming along with a pair of shears and snipping the balloon strings just where they entwined above the man's fist.  Once that happened, there'd be no real sense in which those balloons belonged with each other any more."  (pg. 213)

The technique used in this quote is a metaphor.  The author relates the closing of the school to cutting the strings of a fist full of balloons and having them fly away.  After they leave the hand, it doesn't matter who they belonged to because now they are free.  This is exactly how Kathy feels right now.  When they close Hailsham, she will have no place to call home or a place to go back and visit.  Closing the school makes her upset, but she can't do anything about it.  Also in this chapter, Kathy runs into Laura, and Laura talks her into becoming Ruth's carer.  Kathy decides to be Ruth's carer, and Ruth wants Kathy to take her and Tommy to the boat.  Kathy agrees to take them.  I don't know if this is a good idea or not.  Hopefully, the three of them can catch up and not have any problems, but something could go bad.

Chapters 16 and 17 - Growing Apart and Goodbyes

"My first instinct was to deny it, then just to laugh.  But there was a real authority about the way Ruth had spoken, and the three of us knew each other well enough to know there had to be something behind her words.  So in the end I stayed silent, while my mind searched back frantically, and with a cold horror, settled on the night up in my room with our mugs of tea."  (pg. 194)

This is an example of stream of consciousness.  Authors use this to demonstrate the conflicting feelings that some of the characters might have and how the characters come to some conclusions.  Kathy was deciding what to say or do after Ruth told him that they had been making fun of his drawings.  She decided to let it happen, which in a way is good but bad at the same time.

These two chapters were about Kathy growing away from Ruth and Tommy.  I think it was partly Kathy's fault for not telling each of them the whole truth.  If she told Ruth about the tape Tommy bought her and Tommy her feelings about the drawings, she could have avoided the problems.  When they found out about each thing, it was like the events were unstitching their friendship.  Chapter Seventeen ended with Kathy telling the reader that she made her decision to become a carer.  She said her goodbyes, and now she is off.  I'm wondering if she made the right decision by doing this.  I think that Kathy should have made some attempts to repair the friendships, but it's too late now.  She's off!

Chapter 15 - Kathy and Tommy

"'What thing, Tommy?  What thing Miss Emily let drop?'"  (pg. 175)

I think the second quoted sentence is an example of an anastrophe.  The words seem out of order or weirdly worded.  Writers use this technique to catch the readers' attention and make them reread it.

The above quote is also an example of anaphora.  Writers use this technique to reiterate a point.

In this chapter, Kathy and Tommy's friendship seemed to grow more closely together.  They had their own hour to themselves where they could do whatever they wanted, and they went out in search for a copy of the Judy Bridgewater tape that Kathy lost back at Hailsham.  Tommy felt bad about the tape being lost in the first place and bought her a new one.  The tape is another example of symbolism.  I think the Judy Bridgewater tape symbolizes her childhood and everything surrounding it.  They also talked about Tommy's opinion on the rumor of the Hailsham students in love and his theory on what Madame does with the artwork.  I don't really agree with his theory.  I believe that the rumor is false and there is no way that one can have three years to spend with their "lover."

Chapters 13 and 14 - Not Ruth's Possible

"'That's what we came from.  We all know it, so why don't we say it?  A woman like that?  Come on.  Yeah, right, Tommy.  A bit of fun.'"  (pg. 166)

I believe that the above sentence in red is an example of parallelism, but I'm not sure.  Authors use parallelism in books to emphasize something.  Ruth is mad because her hopes were let down.

In Chapter Thirteen, the group arrived at the town and decided to have lunch.  While they were there, Rodney and Chrissie asked the kids if they knew the person at Hailsham to talk to if you were in love and needed time together before becoming a carer.  Ruth acted like she knew exactly what they were talking about, but Tommy flatly told them that he didn't know.  After I read this chapter, I agreed with Kathy that this was the reason that the veterans brought them there, not for Ruth's "possible."  I was surprised in Chapter Fourteen when I was wrong.  They found the woman who somewhat looked like her "possible," but after following her, they realized it wasn't who they thought it was after all.  The chapter ended with Ruth going off with Rodney and Chrissie, and Tommy staying with Kathy.  I was really surprised at this too.  I think Tommy was afraid, like Kathy, that they might get in trouble so he stayed back with her.