Never Let Go is definitely my favorite reading so far in the class and I have found it interesting how it parallels with many of Graham’s theories. Graham argues that human nature is culturally defined and that we invent ourselves as well as our understanding of ourselves. Kathy and her friends put this theory into action with trying to create an identity or place in the society they live in. I also saw the artwork created by the donors as a cultural definition of human nature. I also noticed repetition in labels throughout Never Let Go, which I would say parallels with Graham’s concepts on representation. I was really interested with the discussion from class today about Graham’s ideas of stories and narratives. This part of Graham’s theory makes a unique connection within Never Let Go. By this I mean that I view Graham’s intentions as being on a broad scale in that the stories being retold over and over again are all science fiction stories as a whole. This concept applies to Never Let Go within the story with Kathy’s memories of childhood and the stories she tells the donors she cares for, which form a unique narrative of her life as a clone. I haven’t gotten far enough into the book to know if the guardians are described in more detail, but I get the image of corporations controlling the entire structure as Graham describes briefly.

I know this may sound strange, but the only thing I can think of when reading Never Let Go is the movie The Truman Show without one specific “Truman Burbank”. For those who have never seen The Truman Show, it is basically about a fake town set in a large dome with controlled weather and all of the people are actors except for Truman Burbank. Truman, unknowingly, was the star of a reality show starting at birth that was viewed by most people outside this large dome. The story follows Truman as he makes different connections with the people around him to ultimately realize his reality isn’t real at all. I feel like Kathy’s world is much like this for her and her friends. Just like Truman, the clones are carefully monitored to ensure that they accept their reality as normal in nature. The way Kathy tells her stories of Hailsham not only reminds me of the overly perfect Sea Haven in Truman’s world, but also of how attached she is to a sort of fabricated world just like Truman. “We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented.” -The Truman Show (The Truman Show plot summary was not a spoiler if you haven’t seen it.)