Never Let Me Go Quotes Flashcards
The experience of Kathy’s donors
“My donors have always tended to do much better than expected. Their recovery times have been impressive, and hardly any of them have been classified as ‘agitated’, even after the fourth donation.”
Moving on from Hailsham
“There have been times over the years when I’ve tried to leave Hailsham behind, when I’ve told myself I shouldn’t look back so much. But then there came a point when I just stopped resisting.”
Tommy’s polo-shirt
“What I do remember is that I noticed Tommy was wearing the light blue polo shirt he’d got in the Sales the previous month - the one he was so proud of.”
Narrator memory
“This was all a long time ago so I might have some of it wrong.”
Medicals at Hailsham
“I don’t know how it was where you were, but at Hailsham we had to have some form of medical almost every week-“
Creativity at Hailsham
“A lot of the time, how you were regarded at Hailsham, how much you were liked and respected, had to do with how good you were at ‘creating’.”
Tommy doesn’t need to be creative
“What she said was that if I didn’t want to be creative, if I really didn’t feel like it, that was perfectly all right. Nothing wrong with it, she said.”
Madame’s reaction to the clones
“And I can still see it now, the shudder she seemed to be suppressing, the real dread that one of us would accidentally brush up against her… But she was afraid of us in the same way someone might be afraid of spiders.”
Public reaction towards clones
“There are people out there, like Madame, who don’t hate you or wish you any harm, but who nevertheless shudder at the very thought of you - of how you were brought into this world and why - and who dread the idea of your hand brushing against theirs.”
The Secret Guard’s leader
“I was never sure if Ruth actually invented the secret guard, but there was no doubt she was the leader.”
Clone’s smoking
“But what you must understand is that for you, all of you, it’s much worse to smoke than it ever was for me.”
Told and not told
“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 dare I say, some people are quite happy to leave it that way.”
Future lives of clones
“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 were created to do… You were brought into this world for a purpose, and your futures, all of them, have been decided.”
Ruth’s natural successor
“And Tommy, I knew it wouldn’t last with Ruth. Well, I suppose you’re the natural successor.”
Ruth asking Kathy to help her get back with Tommy
“Just talk to him. You’ve always had this way with him. He’ll listen to you. And he’ll know you’re not bullshitting about me… Tommy and I were made for each other and he’ll listen to you. You’ll do it for us, won’t you, Kathy?”
Missing the Guardians
“If we were honest, though, particularly near the beginning, most of us would have admitted missing the guardians. A few of us, for a time, even tried to think of Keffers as a sort of guardian, but he was having none of it.”
Baby sister Kathy
“So that’s it, that’s what’s upsetting poor little Kathy. Ruth isn’t paying enough attention to her. Ruth’s got big new friends and baby sister isn’t getting played with so often.”
Ruth moving on at the Cottages
“You’re upset because I’ve managed to move on, make new friends. Some of the veterans hardly remember your name, and who can blame them? You never talk to anyone unless they’re Hailsham. But you expect me to hold your hand the whole time. We’ve been here nearly two months now.”
Kathy’s sexual relationships
“Come to think of it, I suppose you haven’t been that slow making friends with at least some of the veterans.”
Ruth’s reaction Kathy’s sexual urges
“What you’re saying does sound a bit weird, Kathy. But maybe it’ll calm down after a while… it does sound a bit weird. But it’ll probably go away. It’s probably just to do with the different food we’re eating here.”
