Character Meet-And-Greet

Kathy H

Kathy H is the protagonist and narrator in Never Let Me Go. Thirty-one years old and proud of her work, Kathy has almost completed twelve years as one of society’s best “carers.” Her outstanding work looking after “donors,” which role in society has not yet been explained, leads her to meet a variety of people. Through her work, she reconnects with her childhood friends Ruth and Tommy, both donors now, who she first met at Hailsham, a mysterious boarding school in England. Although initially hesitant to dwell on the past, the first part of the story covers Kathy’s narration of events that occurred at Hailsham roughly twenty years ago. These flashbacks give us insight into Kathy’s likeable personality.

First and foremost, Kathy is astute. This is evident in her ability to draw unwanted conclusions after a visit from Madame, a mysterious art-collector who seems to feel uncomfortable around Hailsham students. At the young age of six, Kathy recognizes that “... there are people out there, like Madame, who don’t hate you or wish you any harm, but nevertheless shudder at the very thought of you…” (36). This is a dark conclusion for a child to make, but it exemplifies her perceptive nature, which becomes important when dealing with Kathy’s main conflict: uncovering the meaning of their sheltered lives within the walls of Hailsham. Miss Lucy, a guard, or professor, at the school gives the kids the first glimpse of truth when she mindlessly rambles, “...if I tried to explain it to you know, I don’t think you’d understand. One day, I hope, it’ll be explained to you” (40). In this case, the “it” is why exactly Hailsham exists. Loyal, observant, and somewhat self-conscious, Kathy works to uncover this mystery alongside her allies, Tommy and Ruth.

Tommy

Tommy’s character is developed through Kathy’s flashbacks. At first, he is short-tempered (as any six year old boy would be) when he has trouble fitting in with his classmates. They enjoy riling him up on the sports fields and in art class because violent outbursts are sure to follow. Although considered an outcast, Kathy decides to befriend him, and defends him against her friends’ criticism, though she is still self-conscious of being seen together. Kathy’s social courage, which is demonstrated when she begins to spend more time with “the outcast,” makes her character more likeable.

As Tommy matures, he learns to “play it cool” around his peers. Thus, he becomes more included, yet still decides to keep to himself. Tommy and Kathy’s friendship develops further as they begin to speculate just what’s going on around Hailsham. They get along well due to their shared quiet, yet inquisitive nature.

Ruth

Ruth is Kathy’s best friend growing up. Loud, creative, and at times quite volatile, Ruth serves as a foil for Kathy’s character. She is first introduced in one of Kathy’s memories during which the two immersed themselves in Ruth’s fantasy-land of wild horses. Later, Ruth develops another fantasy, which involves saving her favorite guard, Miss Geraldine, from a potential, though imaginary, kidnapping incident. One day, Ruth finds Kathy unfit to continue to serve in “operation secret guard,” and bands her from the meetings. Sad to be ejected from the group, Kathy remains loyal to Ruth when another ejectee comments on Ruth’s “childish game,” and never once confronts her for this decision.

Later, Kathy tells of when Ruth flaunts a new pencil case that she claims she received from Miss Geraldine. Aware of Ruth’s tendency to attract attention, Kathy narrows down the possibilities of when she could have gotten it, and catches Ruth red-handed in the lie. However, once she begins to confront Ruth, Kathy immediately feels bad and backs down. The two have tense relations after this incident, but ultimately overcome the situation through favors of kindness rather than direct confrontation. From these experiences with Ruth, we see how Kathy deals with adversity.