Kazuo ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go views art as a way to express one’s true self. Hailsham school students express themselves by painting, writing and other arts. Art is a way for students to express their feelings and souls. The world perceives students like these as soulless, emotionless creatures. However the guardians from Hailsham feel that they can be raised in an environment that is humane. To prove that their students are capable of feeling human emotions, they encourage them to make their own art as well as be affected by others’.
The reader’s acceptance of the students’ souls is more important than the world’s. To truly understand the themes of the novel, the reader must see Kathy and the other clones in the novel as “real” individuals. Ishiguro does not simply tell the reader that these students are normal people. He shows the reader the emotions that art can evoke in them. Kathy, the protagonist of the novel, is deeply moved by Never Let Me go on her Judy Bridgewater tape. The tape’s appeal goes beyond the song, to the emotions and life experiences that it brings up. The tape makes Kathy long for intimacy, and she feels a sense of ownership. This human feeling causes the reader’s perception to change. They begin to see Kathy as a “real” person. Kathy craves intimacy when she listens to her Judy Bridgewater cassette or thinks about it. Music’s ability to move people is a universal human trait. Humans are the only animals on earth that can connect their aspirations with music.
Kathy purchased her tape as a small child in Hailsham. She didn’t know at the time how emotionally charged the tape would be, especially the track “Never Let Me Go” on the third track. Kathy’s first words to the reader are “it really got me.” (70). She is unable, however, to give a reason for this. The track had moved emotions she didn’t even know she had. In Hailsham, guardians “timed” everything that was told to the students very carefully so they were too young to grasp the information. Kathy had some idea what her future would be, even though she didn’t fully understand that she was a blood donor. Kathy dances and holds the pillow tightly as she listens to track three, which is a supposed romance song. In her actions, Kathy imagines herself to be “a woman told she can’t have children who has wanted them for all of her life and then, miraculously, she becomes a mother” (70). Kathy has never been told explicitly that she cannot have a baby, but this song triggers an intense longing to be with a mother and child. She is unaware that she will not get that relationship. Kathy interprets these lyrics to satisfy her desire for intimacy in familial relationships. The desire to have children is a very human emotion. This tape helps the reader see Kathy as a real person, not a monster.
Kathy feels ownership just by owning a tape. Hailsham or being a potential donor is a life full of conformity. The students are limited in their choices of what to wear or how they choose to spend their time. Kathy’s tape was made many years ago and is not well known among students. The scandalous tape cover shows Judy Bridgewater, “elbows raised on the bar with a burning cigarette in hand”. These activities, while taboos in Judy’s life, give Kathy an insight into a more open life (67). Kathy and other Hailsham pupils have been “told but not told” about their ultimate purpose for life. They find it increasingly difficult to question their system as they slowly learn about the future. Kathy cannot imagine straying from a life as a donor. But she does recognize that a certain amount of freedom is lacking. Kathy is programmed with the idea that she does not have control over her body or her decisions.
Kathy is naturally envious of Judy Bridgewater’s ownership in her life. She sees Judy Bridgewater’s album cover, hears Judy Bridgewater’s lyrics, and wishes that she could be in control of her life the same way Judy can. Kathy can only make a handful of decisions. One is to decide to value the tape she owns and to have it as her only true possession. Animals are also limited in their choices, because they follow the natural path of their species. The cassette arouses Kathy’s desire for control over her own life. The Judy Bridgewater tape by Kathy shows the reader that Kathy is just as human as he or she. The tape is a classic example of a human desire to be loved and owned.
If one thinks of Kathy as someone who is real, then it’s much easier to connect the novel with oneself. The two last words of the novel summarize its purpose: “to exist” (288). Ishiguro makes the reader reflect on his or her existence by using Kathy. Kathy’s Cassette Tape helps the reader understand Ishiguro by evoking relatable human desires.
