Never Let Me Go Section 4: Theme

                One of the more prominent ideas presented in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go which I ascertained to be one of the themes of the novel was the idea of taking advantage of every moment of one’s time and embracing life regardless of one’s circumstances. Time is clearly a very important aspect of this novel; the ways in which Ishiguro manipulates time through Kathy’s retrospective point of view and the occasional lack of the chronological order of memories greatly enhances the work. Moreover, Kathy’s ability to draw comfort and strength from her memories even when she experiences crushing solitude and a foreboding future further contributes to the importance of time and memory. However, I personally believe that one of the most important contexts in which time is presented in the novel is in the sense that it is a fleeting entity which much be treasured with the utmost value. In other words, in looking back at her life, Kathy laments that there was much potential happiness in her life that she missed out of simply because she felt she was “too late;” she wish she would have used her time differently. This is best illustrated in the example of Kathy and Tommy’s relationship. Although they were best friends and one another’s confidants for their entire lives, they were never romantically involved because of Tommy’s relationship with Ruth. Once Ruth encouraged the two of them to become a couple and apply for a deferral years later, however, they did eventually begin to advance their relationship by having sex and beginning the process of falling in love. While this new relationship did make Kathy happy, she found it next to impossible to experience this happiness without also feeling a twinge of regret and remorse that they had not begun their relationship sooner. Kathy explained, “But something was definitely gone… so that feeling came again, even though I tried to keep it out: that we were doing all of this too late; that there’d once been a time for it, but we’d let that go by…” (Ishiguro, 241-242). This quote therefore calls to mind a major theme of the book: that life is too evanescent to allow it to speed by while remaining passive to new opportunities and possibilities. Furthermore, although one’s circumstances and possibly even their fate often cannot be changed, the way in which one uses his or her own time is entirely under their control, and therefore taking advantage of every moment becomes critical.

                This central theme of using one’s time to the fullest also coincides with the message of the novel of forcing one to face their fears in the hopes of finding contentment. On one hand, Kathy looked back on her relationship with Tommy and felt nothing but regret that they hadn’t explored a romantic relationship sooner; on the other hand, she still faced ominous aspects of her future with fear and a tendency to put off what she did not want to face, such as speaking to Madame about a deferral. However, after Kathy realizes that she wished she would have been unafraid to have fallen in love with Tommy sooner, she realizes that she also must overcome her anxiety of applying for a deferral so that she would not later look back on her passivity in this regard with regret, as well. Through these examples, the important theme of valuing and appreciating one’s time and taking advantage of every opportunity possible becomes clear in Never Let Me Go.