"I can see," Miss Emily said, "that it might look as though you were simply pawns in a game." Never Let Me Go (p. 266)
An ongoing theme in this novel is this idea of Kathy's entire life just being one big game. Truthfully, I would have to agree. Even though Kathy was treated with more respect then other donors, this does not change her future. No matter what she thought at Hailsham, her fate was always set even from day one. But the question becomes, should we seize the opportunity to make someone's life better now, or should we just make someone's life miserable just because they are different and are bound to die anyways? Since everyone is set to die one day, obviously, we should seize the day and make the most of what comes our way. However, this situation is extremely different. If donors are hidden in the shadows from the normal people, there is something morally wrong with the donations. This is kind of like sweeping dust underneath a couch - it becomes out of sight and out of mind, but it is still always there.
In the excerpt above, the word "pawns" represents the game of chess. This is a metonymy because one part of the game represents the whole. However, this game is also a motif in the novel, or a recurring image used throughout a work unifying the current situation to previous ones. As I said before, Kathy is always comparing her life to a game of chess. Whether it was with Ruth, her life at Hailsham, or becoming a carer, Kathy always felt like she was being played. Hailsham only wanted the best for Kathy, but it was disappointing to her that even the guardians could not help her escape reality. Hailsham was just a school of pretending - pretending that the life ahead would be different from what she was made to do.
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