The first fifty pages of Never Let Me Go have been pretty confusing since the narrator is writing about things that are happening in a much different world than the one we live in while telling the reader very little about what these things mean or what is going on. I believe part of the reason the narrator doesn't explain what different events and actions mean is because she is directing her story towards someone who lives in this society. The narrator explains things that happen at the school but not things that have to relate to the society as a whole, such as what donating means. At the beginning of chapter two the narrator says, "I don't know how it was where you were, but at Hailsham...", which makes it seem like the people she is speaking to are from her own society (13). While this is a very interesting style for a novel it also leaves the reader with many questions. Even though we are only fifty pages into the book I already have many questions. Some of my questions are: What does donating mean? Why are these children not with their parents? Why are they so isolated from the world? Why is Madame scared of the children? I'm sure that I will have more questions as the book continues, but I'm hoping that some of my questions also get answered.
This sounds like a very confusing start to a novel. I find it interesting that one of your questions is about people being scared of children, since in 1984, the protagonist comments on the danger of children. In 1984, children pose a danger because they might turn on their parents and turn them into the government. In both The Handmaid's Tale and Children of Men, the main source of conflict is due to infertility and parenthood. It is interesting that childhood plays such an important role in these novels. It really shows that so much about a society depends on the new generation and what will happen in the future.
ReplyDeleteI understand your confusion and frustration - I think that's part of Ishiguro's intent. I also like the fact that you pick up on the intended audience as someone familiar with the society. It draws an immediate connection between Kathy and the reader, although the reader may not readily see or understand that connection. It's an interesting strategy. And don't worry - your questions will be answered, so hang in there!
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that in the 2 dystopian books we read prior to these book circles, the authors chose to refrain from explaining the settings of the book and left it to the readers to discern. In the Handmaid's Tale, we learned about the organization of the society through interwoven memories and interactions from her past and present life. In The Road, we never truly learned the cause of the widespread destruction, and were left to make assumptions on our own. In my book, A Clockwork Orange, the reader is again thrown into the story with little context or explanation. I think this technique is interesting, for it allows the reader to draw parallels to our own society before entirely understanding what is happening in the new society.
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