Miss Lucy Quotes

Miss Lucy

Quote 1

"The problem, as I see it, is that you've been told and not told. You've been told, but none of you really understand, and I dare say, some people are quite happy to leave it that way. But I'm not. If you're to have decent lives, you have to know who you are and what lies ahead of you, every one of you." (7.20)

You might say Miss Lucy is a bit of a downer here. She thinks students deserve to know their depressing fate and is upset that the students have been "told and not told" the truth. If the students have been "told and not told," then have they been lied to? Or have they just not understood? At the end of the day—who's really responsible?

Miss Lucy

Quote 2

"None of you will go to America, none of you will be film stars. And none of you will be working in supermarkets as I heard some of you planning the other day. Your lives are set out for you." (7.20)

Miss Lucy lays down the law: stop dreaming. She sure does repeat the word "none" a lot. We get the point Miss Lucy; "none" of the clones will have real-people jobs. In this scene, she seems almost cruel, whereas the gesture of telling the clones the truth seems kind in a way.

Miss Lucy

Quote 3

"It's just as well the fences at Hailsham aren't electrified. You get terrible accidents sometimes." (7.5)

One day during class, Miss Lucy tells her students that the Hailsham gates aren't electrified. We have to admit, it seems a little extreme to keep children surrounded by electrified fences. Why is that even a consideration here?