As Kathy looks back fondly on her time at Hailsham, one of the first things she begins to question about the practices that are upheld at the school is the concept of the Madame’s “Gallery.” Ever since they can remember, the students recall hearing about this “Gallery,” where all of their best work from their art classes were taken away to. Looking back, Kathy reflects on if any of them ever actually believed in the concept or reality of the Gallery. She recalls that the concept of the Gallery was never explicitly stated by any guardian, yet she realized how ingrained it was in their language at Hailsham, especially when they wanted to praise another student’s work they would say things like “Oh yes! Straight to the Gallery with that one!” (28). She remembers times when her peers would bring up the concept in class and knew that it was a taboo topic in front of guardians, much like a foul word (28).
While the students of Hailsham were uncertain about where their artwork was going and why it was such a taboo topic, Kathy describes that one thing they were always confident of was Madame paying several visits to Hailsham each year. One night at Hailsham a small group of Kathy’s friends were talking about Madame’s visits and the odd manner in which she interacts with the students. Kathy’s friend, Ruth, had the hypothesis that Madame was simply scared of the students at Hailsham. The girls argued back and forth and then planned a plan of attack to test Ruth’s hypothesis next time she dropped by. When the day finally came, they all gathered ready to execute. They planned on swarming around her upon her arrival and catching her off guard to see if she was actually scared of them. After they executed, the girls simply said “excuse me” and walked away. However, the girls weren’t exactly ready for the reaction they received. “It wasn’t even as though Madame did anything other than what we predicted she’d do: she just froze and waited for us to pass by… As she came to a halt, I glanced quickly at her face… And I can still see it now, the shudder she was suppressing, the real dread that one of us would accidentally brush against her… Ruth had been right: Madame was afraid of us. But she was afraid of us in the same way someone might be afraid of spiders.” (32).
This was one of the first instances that the girls experienced growing up that made them feel truly different and like didn’t truly understand who they were or what their purpose was. Why did Madame want their work if she was scared of them? Looking back on these experiences and realizing why Madame’s reaction hurt them is apart of growing up. Kathy relates, “I’m sure at some point in your childhood, you too had an experience like ours that day… Because it doesn’t really matter how well your guardians try to prepare you: all the talks, videos, discussions, warnings, none of that can really bring it home” (32).
I agree that the "arachnophobia" scene was formative in the reader's understanding of 'Never Let Me Go.' As I was reading the scene, I was reminded of a time when I realized I was standing in a colony of ants. I remember looking down and spotting one ant, then another, then another, and so on until I realized there were hundreds. The more ants I noticed, the more uneasy I became. Somehow, I started to feel vulnerable. I think this sort of uneasiness is crucial to the novel, and is captured beautifully in the scene you discussed.
ReplyDeleteWhen you see a single ant, you may feel compelled to squash it for no reason at all. It is so small and vulnerable that you hardly think of it as a living thing. It isn't possible to empathize with it, or perhaps we choose not to. I believe a similar relationship exists between the novel's clones and regular people. Regular people aren't generally aware of the clones, even when they are sitting near them in a diner, or walk by them on a sidewalk. Most regular people don't directly interact with them, and certainly don't understand their lives. Perhaps because of their ignorance, they have no qualms about "squashing" clones. A liver here, a kidney there... it seems as insignificant as squashing an ant. But when one comes face to face with a large group of clones, they feel uneasy. In the arachnophobia scene, Madame comes close to understanding the significance of the clones, and the power they may possess in large numbers. She is not just scared of them because they are unfamiliar, she is scared of them because they suddenly seem significant enough to live.
Wow... "arachnophobia" is a chilling way of describing how Madame acts around Hailsham students. I was particularly disturbed by how Madame kept calling Tommy and Kathy "poor creatures." It reveals the complicated nature of the relationship the Guardians had with their students -- they were afraid, uneasy, disgusted. These feelings extend not just to the students, but also to the Guardians and society itself. The Guardians were supposedly the activists of the time, and they wanted to make the lives of the clones more humane. Starting Hailsham and other schools like it, they probably felt better about themselves for a time. However, once the clones started living fully and humanly, the Guardians were reminded that they were still enabling this gross, unethical system set by the brilliant scientists of the day -- Hence, the jittery attitude Madame had around the students.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this was one of the red flags to the girls that there was something different about them. It's surprising that they didn't unravel their life's purpose sooner, but then again, their teachers did a very good job of masking it. They hinted at it, but the concept was always over their head until Miss Lucy outright told them. Madame was never very good at masking her fear, but I don't think it was out of malice. She felt like she was giving the clones the best lives possible without breaking the law.