Hailsham’s administration places a special emphasis on many things,
including health and well being, but mainly on creativity. At first, this might seem like an odd area of
focus for a school of organ donors, but further analysis leads to a much
clearer meaning behind this strict curriculum.
The purpose for pushing creativity on Hailsham students appears to be
two-fold: teaching the students the importance of giving away apart of
themselves and limiting the student’s understanding of their futures.
Creativity is a personal gift that is expressed in many
ways, but in the novel it is mainly expressed through art. The students of Hailsham are encouraged to
make art to present to Madam, in hopes that she will pick their piece for her
gallery. The students are made to
believe that their art being given to Madam’s gallery is a, “huge triumph”
(Ishiguro 39). The importance of the
gallery is seen when Kathy recalls, “If you wanted to praise someone’s work,
you’d say: ‘That’s good enough for the gallery’” (Ishiguro 33). In this way, the students are being
conditioned to believe that giving away something of their own, for next to
nothing in return, is also honorable. Kathy
states that students were only given a few tokens for their best work because
the guardian’s reminded the students that having their work taken away by Madam
was a, “most distinguished honor” (Ishiguro 40), and therefore was a reward in
and of itself. Kathy makes it known that
this did not sit well with the students, but nevertheless, they did not argue
the guardians any further on the matter.
This shows that even though the students don’t agree with the terms laid
out by the guardians, they are still extremely obedient.
The second reason for creativity being at the forefront
of Hailsham’s curriculum is to limit the student’s knowledge on subjects that
could provide them with further insight into what they are and what they will
be used for. For example, if Hailsham
students were to take a class on anatomy, they would have a more detailed
understanding of the importance of their vital organs. This could lead to unwillingness to donate
later on in their “lives.” Another
example of a subject Hailsham would want to avoid, in order for their student’s
to remain obedient donors, is ethics. If
Hailsham students had the opportunity to think about morality, then obvious
problems would arise. Kathy proves she
has the capability to understand much more than Hailsham guardians would want
when she questions the idea of the gallery to Tommy by stating, “I don’t know
why, but I’ve had this feeling for some time now, that its all linked in,
though I cant figure out how” (Ishiguro 31).
This quote proves that Kathy, and presumably other Hailsham students,
have the capability, but not the resources necessary to apply their higher
thinking. This, of course, is due to
Hailsham’s narrow curriculum.
Jessica asserts that throughout Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, creativity is emphasized because it is the way through which the students can express themselves and serves as a means to limit the student’s knowledge in other subjects. While this is a true assertion, my reading of Never Let Me Go led me to view creativity as representative of humanity.
ReplyDeleteAs a product of imagination and skill, creativity represents the individual. At Hailsham, the students frequently viewed the products of their creativity as personal achievements, especially when they were chosen to enter Madame’s “Gallery.” Reflecting on the emphasis on creativity, Tommy remembers Miss Lucy’s explanation. He states, “She told Roy that things like pictures, poetry, all that kind of stuff, she said they revealed what you were like inside. She said they revealed your soul” (175). Creativity represents the intangible elements of individuals outside of flesh and nerves; the elements that make them truly unique and human. Similarly, Madame reveals the purpose of the Gallery, which was to prove, “that if students were reared in humane, cultivated environments, it was possible for them to grow to be as sensitive and intelligent as any ordinary human being” (261). Madame and Miss Emily used creativity as the key determining trait of humanity, as it could demonstrate sensitivity and intelligence. Without the ability to be creative, Kathy and her fellow students would be merely living vesicles growing organs to be donated. However, with creativity, they are human.
I agree that creativity and art is a way for the students at Hailsham to learn the importance of giving things away unselfishly and sharing with the world to better it, but I do not agree with the idea that they are teaching creativity only to limit the knowledge the students have of their futures. I think it is more of a question about how they teach things. They may in fact be teaching creativity to limit student’s knowledge about their futures, but I don’t think it’s their main reasoning for placing emphasis on creativity. If they really wanted to, they could lie to the students and teach them anatomy, but throw a twist on it saying “these are your organs and they are made for you to give up one day, that is why you have them.” They could also switch up the ethics side of things and say that "it’s unethical not to give away your organs when the time is right." These students have been in Hailsham their entire life, and have, what appears to be, hardly any knowledge of the outside world. They would know no differently if ethics and anatomy were taught this way.
ReplyDeleteMadame's reaction to Kathy helps to explain why the knowledge students have might be limited. “She just went on standing out there, sobbing and sobbing, staring at me through the doorway with that same look in her eyes she always had when she looked at us, like she was seeing something that gave her the creeps” (72). Based on Madame’s reaction when she saw Kathy dancing with the imaginary baby, I think that the knowledge that the students have about their future is limited because the guardians don’t like to think or talk about it and because it is a world that is feared by “normal people.”