Dream Futures

"I suppose it was mainly us newcomers who talked about "dream futures" that winter, though a number veterans did too."  Never Let Me Go (p. 142)


It always starts junior year - all the adults start asking what college you will be attending and what you plan on doing in the future.  For me, I didn't actually know until this summer, so I would usually respond with the brilliant answer of "I don't know."


I'm just going to assume these students are around the same age as juniors.  Instead of this "I have no idea" business, these donors are set on what their "dream future" holds.  These are not far-reaching dreams:  most aspire to work in a grocery store or an office.  But why are their dreams so small?  Is this because they already know deep down what reality holds for them?  Or is it because they are so different from the rest of society?


I thought it was interesting that most of the student's dreams would be fulfilled in America.  Of course, America has always been seen as the "promise land" with ample opportunities for success.  In reality, this is not always the case.  Throughout the novel, the donors have been trying to find a way to escape reality.  Maybe America is just one more outlet for escape.


The whole "model" concept was extremely interesting to me.  How can they model a person off another?  Do they use their DNA or something else?  Are the "donors" born, or are they created?  And why would you want to know what the person you were modelled from is doing?  If it were me, knowing what I could've been would just make my situation all the more gloomy.