As we discussed briefly in class, one of the most realistic and startlingly familiar aspects of Never Let Me Go by Kazue Ishiguro is Kathy’s toxic friendship with Ruth. Throughout Kathy’s time at Hailsham, Ruth is persistent in her efforts to maintain an image of superiority among her classmates. One of her more significant acts during this time was to build her hierarchy by forming an exclusive “secret guard.” In the secret guard, Ruth was able to exert her power over her friends by “hinting that the real evidence came from a time before people like [Ruth] had joined…she could justify almost any decision she made” (Ishiguro 52). This behavior is not so uncommon in school-aged children, and she was only around eight years old at the time of these incidents. However, that desire to be in control and appear superior grew even more distinct during her days at the cottages.
At the cottages, Ruth mimicks the veteran’s mannerisms, she taunts Kathy for not becoming friends with the veterans, and she tries to act as though she had read every novel someone else was reading. As the group blends with the veterans, Ruth then leverages her elite status as a former Hailsham student to make veterans like Chrissy and Rodney believe that deferrals were possible for Hailsham students When Tommy questions her on these claims, Ruth says, “even though Tommy was at Hailsham, he isn’t like a real Hailsham student. He was left out of everything and people were always laughing at him” (Ishiguro 155). Ruth not only gives false hope to her desperate friends, but she completely betrayes her significant other to keep up the illusion.
However, Ruth does repent in the final chapter of her life. Upon visiting Tommy and being cared for by Kathy at least five years after their days in the cottages, Ruth finally takes the opportunity to do what is right. She apologizes for her actions and tries to set Kathy and Tommy up to be granted a deferral. Kathy’s relationship with Ruth is very relatable for most of us who have experienced friendships with an unequal power dynamic. I think these happen most often in our vulnerable years of adolescence. Part of growing up is learning what expectations we should have of the people surrounding us. When you’re still figuring out your worth, it can be easy to attach yourself to those who seem powerful. It takes time for Kathy to figure out that Ruth’s actions are not okay, but she eventually stops letting it happen. Perhaps that is why she chose to start up her career as a carer early; she was finally ready to let the friendship go. I also think, though, that Ruth’s final repentance is something that most of us are familiar with as well. We’re flawed, and I think that most of us can look back on some of the actions we’ve taken in the past (especially during our middle school years) and say, “wow, I can’t believe I did that.” Reflection on previous actions after some time and without emotions running high can be incredibly clarifying.
Kazuo Ishiguro does write Never Let Me Go so that Ruth possesses some redeemable qualities. Although Ruth is an all-around terrible person, she does eventually does reconcile for some of her manipulative and vicious actions. However, why does Ruth behave in such ways? Compared to Kathy, Ruth depends on validation more and appears more insecure. When Kathy reveals to Ruth that she discovered her pencil pouch was not a gift from Miss Geraldine, Ruth “[is] at a complete loss for words, and [turns] away on the verge of tears” (60). Ruth craves the public attention that her supposed gift brought her. Furthermore, Ruth likely feels less confident in her identity, therefore causing her to lash out and prove unreliable at times. Kathy spends quiet hours browsing porn magazines for her possible; for her, her previous identity is intriguing to her, but not knowing does not destroy her. Ruth, Kathy, Tommy Chrissie and Rodney travel to Norfolk in sole search of Ruth’s possible. And when they realize her possible is not her original human copy, Kathy “could tell [Ruth] was upset” (164), and Ruth goes on a long tangent degrading their clone models as “junkies, prostitutes, whinos, tramps” (166). Ishiguro expresses that sometimes, our friendships can define us or we can define our friendships. For Ruth, she chose the latter without ever being fully confident in herself as a person. Her poor friendship abilities and identity crisis remind readers to trust and use friendship, not as a source of power, but as a source of unity and strength.
ReplyDeleteI really like your explanation about the complexities of Ruth and Kath's relationship. To me, their dynamic is by far the most interesting in the novel. Even though Ruth is the first to complete, I believe she makes the longest lasting impact on Kath's life. While it is important how Kath views their friendship as it is ongoing, it is almost more significant how she reminisces on it after it ends. Keeping in mind that the entire story is told from the perspective of Kath after Ruth has already completed, it is notable how fondly Kath portrays her, as you put it, "toxic friend". While remembering how awfully Ruth had been treating her and Tommy since arriving at the cottages, Kath took the time to explain, "Sometimes, as I said, she did things to impress the veterans at our expense. But it seems to me Ruth believed, at some level, she was doing all this on behalf of us all" (Ishiguro 130). Without any sort of substantial evidence to support her, Kath constantly spent time rationalizing why Ruth did the terrible things she did. I believe she does this because of what happened between them after leaving the Cottages. Kath watched Ruth on the verge of death as, in her final moments, she urged Kath to go after Tommy and get the deferral. How could Kath remember her old friend as anything negative? I agree with you that Kath and Ruth's friendship was toxic, but I don't necessarily think Kath would agree with you. I believe if she could take the time to explain to you why Ruth did the things she did, she would.
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