I read Kazuo Ishiguro’s book, ‘Never Let Me Go’ 2 or 3 years ago, and it has remained as one of those books which haunt me inexplicably, where the tone of the writing somehow resonates and lingers on long after reading the text itself.
The book has a slightly outlandish, sci-fi ‘otherness’ to it, following the lives of Tommy, Ruth and Kathy throughout their childhood in boarding school Hailsham and how their experiences there set them up for their lives afterwards. Hailsham school is in fact a protected environment designed to house and nurture cloned human beings. From excessive cleanliness to the concept of the ‘gallery’, in which the best works of creativity were taken as ‘donations’ to line its walls, we discover that Tommy, Ruth and Kathy have only one purpose in life;
“None of you will go to America. None of you will work in supermarkets. None of you will do anything, except live the life that has already been set out for you. You will become adults, but only briefly. Before you are old, before you are even middle aged, you will start to donate your vital organs. And sometime around your third or fourth donation, your short life will be completed.
You have to know who you are, and what you are. It’s the only way to lead decent lives.”
It all may sound a little outrageous, and easily scoffed at and set aside, but the whole concept intrigued me, and the book seeks to raise those questions about life and love in a wholly different way. Is life given to us or is it created for us, what is our purpose, what will matter most at the end of it all?
It wasn’t until I saw the film that something clicked about Kathy’s character in the book that I had misinterpreted before. I had considered her to be rather melancholic and dreamy, mostly saddened by her life’s singular purpose. What I hadn’t spied or accounted for, however, was her dimension of what I can only describe as contentment. In the midst of all our usual scurrying and hurrying to find and discover what we’re meant to be doing, why we are meant to be here or there, there is something envying in the simplicity she could resign herself to.
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”
-Will Rogers-
I know I often spend far too much space worrying I am making the most of the time and life I have been given to fully enjoy the time and life itself, mostly struggling between living and exerting it. My previous motto on my blog whilst travelling “life is a day that doesn’t last for long” proved to be a little too close for comfort, however incredible that travelling day was! It’s a lesson I know I need to remind myself of constantly, to stop and take stock of the blessings and obstacles, tears and achievements mingled with the overwhelming support and patience of the family and friends surrounding me to have gotten me here in the first place.
“But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike,
And I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.”
-Dr Zeuss, Oh the Places You’ll Go!’-
Dutchblend 