Although Ruth is by far the most unpleasant character thus
far, her character traits and actions can be somewhat justified through her
experiences. Because Ruth and the other kids do not have a family, they seek a
sense of belonging amongst the other students at Hailsham. Ruth seems to take
particular interest in her sense of belonging as she always needs to be the center
of attention and have control. At a young age, we see Ruth taking control of
the secret guard group. Kathy describes the secret guard and states, “there was
no doubt [Ruth] was the leader” (Ishiguro 49). Because Ruth is unable to
control her destiny and own life, she feels as though she has to control those
around her. Not only does the secret guard express Ruth’s need for control of
something in her life, it also displays her need to be around people and feel
as though she has a sense of belonging. As Ruth transitions to her life at the
cottages, her need for control and sense of belonging does not diminish. However,
her actions shift as she immediately does not have control of her new life. In
order to gain this sense of belonging and control at the cottages, Ruth
attempts to suck up to the veterans. When Kathy speaks to Ruth on the grass at
the cottages, she calls Ruth out for her actions by expressing, “It looks daft,
the way you copy everything [Chrissie and Rodney] do” (Ishiguro 124). While
Kathy thinks that Ruth’s actions are silly, Ruth simply just wants to feel as
though she belongs in the community at the cottages. Without other role models
in her life to base her actions off of, it makes logical sense that she would
model herself off of the older veterans.
Although Ruth
and Kathy are the in same situation, Kathy seeks for belonging by finding meaningful
connections with people rather than feeling the need to be in control of a group.
In particular, Kathy seems drawn to both Ruth and Tommy. Because Ruth was the
first friend who gave Kathy the individual attention by singling her out amongst
Kathy’s other friends to talk alone (Ishiguro 46), Kathy feels a special connection
to Ruth. This is probably why Kathy is willing to be so caring and forgiving of
Ruth’s actions because when her and Ruth do get along, she feels a true sense
of belonging. With Tommy, Kathy seems able to be completely honest and
trustful. Throughout the novel, Kathy and Tommy are able to confide in one
another about the path theirs lives will take them, a subject that is not spoken
of much at Hailsham. Because Kathy is able to feel this trust with Tommy and special
connection to Ruth, it gives her a sense of belonging in this difficult
situation.
This is an interpretation of Ruth and Kathy’s characters that I really agree with. Throughout the course of the novel, Ruth seems to equate control over others with belonging to their community. This desire to have control then morphs into the manipulation of others. For example, in Hailsham when she asks Kathy to talk to Tommy for her, she reverts to flattery to convince Kathy to help, telling Kathy that “it’s got to be you to our rescue. Tommy and I were made for each other and he’ll listen to you. You’ll do it for us, won’t you, Kathy?” (104). This is an early example of how she exerts her influence over others through manipulative tactics in order to form relationships.
ReplyDeleteKathy, on the other hand, has a different approach to relationships than Ruth, often valuing honesty and compassion over influence. This is what makes her bond with Tommy strong. Even from the first interaction between them we see, when Tommy apologizes to her for hitting her, she forgives him with a smile and “no irony” (14). This honest and kind communication helps to keep their connection strong even as Ruth and Tommy begin dating, and after Ruth has completed.