Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro highlights the human tendency to create hope when forced to confront a harsh reality. In the novel, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy gradually learn their predetermined fate as clones to donate their organs, but continue to hope for a better future. Romanek's film adaptation of Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go deviates somewhat from the novel's depiction of the necessity of hope in accepting reality, thus developing the relationship between hope and reality to a limited extent. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The film places less emphasis on the symbols in the childhood of the students in Hailsham, weakening the development of Hope's role as the clones begin to understand their reality. Romanek eliminates the pencil case incident, during which Ishiguro demonstrates Ruth's capacity for hope. The pencil case symbolizes Ruth's desire for emotional connection through special treatment, not simply superiority among students. In the novel, Kathy's confrontation with Ruth subverts her act of deception, essentially depriving her of the hope of forming emotional connections. However, Kathy's immediate regret at revealing the truth, as she expresses her guilt on page 60 for "[upsetting her] dearest friend" who had only "faked it a little", places more blame on itself. In mitigating the severity of the lie, Kathy illustrates Ishiguro's comment about the importance of holding on to hope, even though both characters know that Ruth's hope is impossible, a forbidden act of favoritism. In cutting this scene, Romanek's adaptation does not effectively illustrate the role of hope in the character of Ruth, who, in the novel, still retains hope, albeit less visible. Therefore, the film loses this aspect of conveying Ishiguro's comments about maintaining hope, even in a character who tries to mask it. At Hailsham, the film partially translates the meaning of hope into reality through its emphasis on the students' collections. Because the students in the novel find it difficult to understand the larger world, they attempt to find meaning in their collections. The collections give them purpose, allowing students to worry about themselves as a way of coping with reality. Romanek highlights the collections through a series of close-up shots, demonstrating their significance to the clones as they foster hope for a fulfilled life before completion. However, this symbol in the film more effectively communicates ideas related to the dehumanization of clones and their low position in society, rather than the importance of hope, because the film lacks the scene of the clones discussing their collections on page 131, in which Ruth insists to Keffers that hers consists of "really good stuff" and later wishes she had kept it. Even as she attempts to discard her collection, Ruth recognizes the value of objects, a vision that contrasts with that of Keffers, who embodies reality in this situation. Though conflicted, reality yields to hope, as Keffers agrees to take Ruth's collection. Ishiguro characterizes the collections, with their strong ties to Hailsham, as a symbol of the clones' hopeful youth. With Ruth's reflection on throwing away her collection, the importance of their hope as adults further highlights Ishiguro's comments about maintaining hope to thrive in reality. By cutting the conversation between Kathy and Ruth, the film does not effectively develop the symbol of the collections as the novel does,focusing instead more on social issues than on the need for hope. Furthermore, Hailsham's essays are not present in the film. . In the novel, Kathy imagines how she would write her essay when she arrives at the Cottages. He states on page 115 that they "helped keep us afloat," amid the "mighty tides that separated us," as the essay puts it.like a thread that ties the Hailsham students to their childhoods. Kathy's daydream about her essay shows the hope she experienced during her youth and her tendency to return to that time to escape reality. The references to water further convey this attachment to childhood and its conflict with reality, because the clones cling to the wise men as a representation of Hailsham who helps them survive outside of the sheltered school. The statement also demonstrates the strength of their hope and the clones' ability to resist the "mighty tides" that attempt to rob them of hope. Without this symbol connecting the clones to their childhood, the film lacks Kathy's affection for her hopeful youth, as well as the eventual dismissal of all the clones from the task signifying their ultimate loss of this thread of hope . the film ineffectively communicates the meaning of the tape to Kathy as a symbol of her hope that extends throughout her life. Romanek adds to his adaptation that Tommy buys Kathy the tape at a garage sale. This change makes the ribbon a symbol of affection between the two characters and makes the meaning of the ribbon and the film as a whole more focused on the characters' relationships and less on the dreams that manifest from the ribbon and the hope it provides. . Romanek's choice to center Kathy's recording on romantic relationships undercuts Ishiguro's comments about the need for hope to thrive in reality, ultimately creating a more superficial relationship between hope and reality. In the film, Ruth is the one who sees Kathy hugging a pillow while listening. to the tape instead of Madame. With its significance to Tommy and Kathy's relationship, in Ruth's eyes, the ribbon symbolizes a secret connection between the two that excludes her. By replacing Madame with Ruth, the film emphasizes the competition between Kathy and Ruth for Tommy's love and hinders the character development of Madame, who sees the pillow as a representation of the kinder old world. Madame's reduced importance in the film minimizes her continued presence in the novel which serves as a constant reminder of the reality of the clones. This change significantly detracts from Ishiguro's comments on hope and reality, because the tranquility of the novel's scene in which Kathy fantasizes about her hopes contrasts sharply with Madame's sobs, a shocking reminder of reality. Ishiguro describes on page 71 the crying that "[rips Kathy] out of [her] dream" and makes her "[freeze] in shock." The wording of this statement highlights the abrupt intrusion of reality into Kathy's fantasy. In creating this contrast, Ishiguro reflects the state of hope that each character holds: Kathy is hopeful, not having fully understood her role in society, while Madame has already faced the harsh reality of clone life and is consequently moved by the actions of Kathy. For Kathy, the ribbon embodies her innocence in Hailsham, but for Madame, the ribbon evokes the cruelty of the world. Even as an adult, Kathy can still find happiness in her ribbon, despite acknowledging reality, because it symbolizes her hopeful childhood. Ishiguro shows that she is still hopeful and therefore can appreciate the small moments of hope, like the ribbon. With this, Ishiguro suggests that the ability to hope is a more rewarding approach forfacing reality, such as the absence of hope in Madame, who acknowledges the darkness of reality on page 266 when she tells Tommy that his life must "'follow the course that has been set,'" establishing that he has lost hope and has surrendered to the principles of society, leads her to experience a level of pain. Romanek's film loses this conflict of reactions and subsequently the commentary on the humanity of the clones and the ability to hope within rigid boundaries as a necessary quality that helps the characters' survival in reality. The film also omits Kathy's loss of the tape. In the novel, the loss of the tape introduces another aspect of hope: the belief that lost things can be found. Kathy and Tommy cling to the memory of the tape, refusing to give up hope of restoring the innocence of their childhood and the freedom to dream. After finding the tape in Norfolk, Kathy states on page 180: “'Judy Bridgewater. My old friend,'” demonstrating his strong and lasting connection to his childhood. Tape recovery is a reminder that there is a possibility that not all missing things will be permanently lost. Kathy maintains this source of hope throughout her life, identifying the tape on page 64 as one of her “most prized possessions” that she “dares not play” in her car's broken recorder. Ishiguro portrays Kathy with a sense of fear of losing the tape, which suggests the importance of the hope it represents. Even after realizing the impossibility of the fantasy of Kathy's interpretation of the song, the tape remains a constant in her life that she clings to, proving its meaning to her, not only in her naïve childhood, but also in adulthood when understands reality. . In cutting this plot, the film loses commentary on the need to maintain hope as a source of motivation to move forward and find greater ease in accepting a harsh reality. Furthermore, Romanek's film only partially develops Norfolk as a symbol, representing the possibility of continued existence, not as fully articulating the meaning of hope in reality expressed in Ishiguro's novel. During the trip to Norfolk, the film does not emphasize Ruth's dream of working in an office job and her secret hope that that fantasy will translate into reality. Romanek's adaptation weakens the development of Ruth's character complexity. It shows Ruth's excitement more clearly, unlike the novel where Kathy notes on page 146 that Ruth had "gone out of her way" to convince the veterans, whom she considers superior, that she was "not very serious" about "finding her It's possible." Although Ishiguro's character hides his desire that it is possible for there to be a correct match, he also acts in an enthusiastic manner from which Kathy can discern his true excitement. Rather than convey Ruth's repressed hope, Romanek illustrates a sense of unguarded enthusiasm, which Ruth openly displays to Kathy. Because of this change, the film does not demonstrate the meaning of hope for Ruth, because in the novel Ruth, despite her desire to appear mature in the eyes of the veterans, still retains an internal sense of hope. Although he does not truly believe that the possible is a correct match, he suspends his disbelief in favor of hope. While Kathy accepts this behavior and all the other clones encourage Ruth to pursue what she can, Ishiguro praises her ability to maintain hope to thrive in a restrictive reality. Therefore, Romanek's changes cause the film adaptation to lose this hopeful endorsement despite knowing that there is no other choice but to face one's inevitable fate. In another deviation from the novel, Romanek's characters.