Ruth From the Dystopian Novel, Never Let Essay

Ruth from the dystopian novel, Never Let Me Go, is a character that first appears dominant and extroverted. "I knew exactly what she'd meant by her answer and smile: she was claiming the pencil case was a gift from Miss Geraldine. There could no mistake about this because it has been building up for weeks." (Ishiguro 52) She lies about where she got her pencil case to Kathy and begins a romantic relationship with Tommy even though it is Kathy and Tommy who truly feel a connection. She seems rude and self-centered, wondering who her parents were or who she was cloned from, always wanting to impress the veterans and even getting rid of the art collection from the other students because she thought that would help her fit in. But how does this fit in with the reader's perception of her? She is supposed to represent the struggle and rebellious desires of the clones.

Ruth's personality traits are a way for the author, Ishiguro, to unravel and paint the portrait of a clone with a soul. Ishigiro elicits feelings for the character of Ruth, towards the end, by giving her complexity and depth through her "completion." Clones from Halisham, the first instance of humane treatment for clones, are sent off for donations, with eventual "completion" or death happening at a young age, usually before 30. As their purpose is to provide healthy organs for non-clones, they live short, sad lives filled with dashed hopes and desires.The struggles clones face and the souls they supposedly do not possess, is seen through Ruth's actions and death.

After Ruth began making donations, two in total, the reader witnessed the initial peeling back of Ruth's mask to see the sad and empty person she became when she relinquished her wishes to be normal and instead, reach completion. The real reason she was so dominating, attention seeking, and stubborn was simply so she could avoid becoming a clone, feeling like a clone, and ultimately dying like a clone. When she finally fulfilled her role, it was as if all those personality traits the reader became accustomed to, disintegrated and all that was left was a regret filled shell.

Ruth was one of those clones that did not want the life of a donor and the inevitable completion phase. She had aspirations to be something other than a body to harvest organs from and….....