Predestination Predictions

"'I was pretty much ready when I became a donor. It felt right. After all, it's what we're supposed to be doing, isn't it?'" (Never Let Me Go, 227).

Again, we have a reminder of the recurring theme of predestination. Ruth's words in this quote were enhanced a few pages later when they saw the poster of the office, reminding them of Ruth's old aspirations. At that point, I believe, Ruth had some sort of epiphany that people should at least try to do things that sound unfeasible. I think that's why Ruth told Kathy that she should try to get a deferral with Tommy.

The theme of predestination in Brave New World was presented through a few rebellious people. Bernard and Helmholtz both left their positions in civilization to be banished to a place where they could express themselves more freely. John, the protagonist (I think), tried to rebel against the order of civilization when he threw soma out the window. I'm adding a late prediction to my list:

6. I think it's going to be similar in Never Let Me Go. Kathy and Tommy are going to try to rebel against the social norm and try to get a deferral at their age. (By the way, they're basing all of this on theory, so they could be after something that doesn't exist.) I'm a little nervous that it's going to turn out like it did in Brave New World with the characters' inability to behave how they want to in society. John's ultimate failure was a good warning against predestination, and I think it's probably going to be a similar failure with Kathy and Tommy.

"I shouldn't have said that."

"Tommy thought it possible the guardians had, throughout all our years at Hailsham, timed very carefully and deliberately everything they told us, so that we were always just too young to understand properly the latest piece of information. But of course we'd take it in at some level, so that before long all this stuff was there in our heads without us ever having examined it properly" (Never Let Me Go, 82).

This is something that I think is probably prevalent in the real world. Sometimes I think about how this is probably a major reason everyone in the world has a unique set of morals.

It's kind of like hypnopaedia, I suppose, but it's not quite as structured. If Tommy's right, though (which I think he very well could be), then people in the world are intentionally putting things in humans' minds without the person having any say in it. That's dehumanizing, and I wonder sometimes whether or not it's happening to us in real life unintentionally. Anyhow.

I learned a lot about the outside world again in chapter seven from (surprise, surprise) Miss Lucy. She's kind of like the Hagrid of Hailsham because she keeps giving the students clues that none of the other teachers would. Can't . . . embed . . . this video. . . .

From what I've gathered, first, the students will become carers (82), and then after that, they start to donate vital organs (81). That would explain why it's so horrible for them to smoke. Like in Brave New World, it seems like predestination is going to be a theme. Predestination didn't look so great in that book, and it's probably not going to look so great in this one, either.

Almost Halfway Assessment

"Orgy-porgy, Ford and fun,
Kiss the girls and make them One.
Boys at one with girls at peace;
Orgy-porgy gives release" (Brave New World, 84).

No rhetorical analysis in this post -- I'm just going to reflect upon what's happened so far, and if I decide to be bold, maybe make some predictions. I think this will be good for me after two weeks of being gone (to be clear, not on SFS).

And I'm not going backward in the book; I just chose a quote from the first almost-half that sums up one of the main issues I have with this book. It's really weird and confusing. The way that the words and sentences are arranged (there's a word for that -- syntax) just doesn't make for an easy read.

That being said, I think there are a lot of interesting ideas in the book even if I don't really enjoy the weird manner in which they are presented. Predestination, utopias, and social cohesion are things upon which I can gladly reflect. The plot always leaves me with a lot of questions. Which I guess is good. But, like, a lot of questions. I've expressed some of those questions in my recent posts. I like Max's answer as to why Bernard is dating Lenina (to preserve his reputation), but still -- he's being sent to Iceland, anyway, and she's a total dope. So even now, I don't really understand that.

Predictions? I think that individualism is going to be an important theme. Bernard said something about being "not just a cell in the social body" (90), and this world doesn't really allow for individual expression, which is not so great.

But now I'm at the part where they're all stuck in New Mexico (I think). The collision of two completely different societies might be fun. And funny because Lenina is an extreme misfit. See, I understand why Huxley has Lenina as a character, but . . . why with Bernard? Bah, it's probably not important.