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Never Let Me Go

Characters

Never Let Me Go Chrissie Character Analysis

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Characters Never Let Me Go Chrissie Character Analysis

Chrissie is one of the “veterans” (the older residents at the Cottages) who befriends Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth, and she is also Rodney’s girlfriend. She is a clone like the rest of them but she did not go to Hailsham as a child. She is described as a tall, pretty girl who wears long skirts and glasses. Kathy initially likes Chrissie and considers her a welcoming presence. However, Kathy begins to grow suspicious of Chrissie the more time she spends in her presence. She notices that Chrissie has a fascination with Hailsham and is constantly interrogating ex-Hailsham students about their former home. She also likes to get the ex-Hailsham students alone, preferring to interrogate them in small groups instead of talking to them all at once. Kathy’s suspicions continue to grow until she finally gets to the root of the issue: Chrissie wants to know if there is any truth to the rumor that ex-Hailsham students can defer their donations if they fall in love, allowing themselves and their partner to be together for a few more years. Chrissie’s interrogations are important for two key reasons. They introduce the concept of “deferrals,” which Kathy and Tommy will try for at the end of the novel. Perhaps most importantly, Chrissie’s obsession with Hailsham and the special treatment provided to Hailsham students is our first indicator that not every housing institution for clones is as nice or as humane as Hailsham. Until Chrissie, readers assume that all clones grow up in Hailsham or a Hailsham equivalent. Her curious and at times bitter questioning shows this is not the case. Chrissie’s veneration for Hailsham anticipates Miss Emily’s admission that many clone children live in “deplorable conditions” that would keep people up at night if they knew what happened in these spaces.

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