Never Let Me Go: 10

"It was like when you make a move in chess and just as you take your finger off the piece, you see the mistake you've made, and ther's this panic because you don't know yet the scale of disaster you've left yourself open to" (124).

Kathy uses many analogies throughout her flashbacks to her time and Hailsham and beyond. This analogy is particularly significant in the message of the novel. This analogy effectively reveals something about Kathy's character. It effectively shows that she is analytical and strategical. It also shows that she really knows her best friend and realizes she has just made a huge mistake. She has left herself vulnerable to Ruth's next "move." The purpose of the analogy is not only to reveal something about Kathy's character, but also to show how well Ruth and Kathy relate to each other and can basically understand each other's thoughts because they have been so close for a long time. The analogy is effective because 99% of readers know exactly the feeling that Kathy is referring to, whether this feeling was experienced in chess, football, a conversation, or another circumstance. The analogy gives readers the opportunity to identify with Kathy and what she is feeling at that particular instance. The analogy can also foreshadow more feelings similar to this to come because the Hailsham students are all beginning a new chapter in their lives and are bound to make mistakes that they hope are not as disastrous as they have the potential to be; however, all of them will probably experience the anxious feeling that Kathy has just described.