Quote 10
A part of me keeps wishing we'd somehow been able to share everything we discovered with Ruth. […] The way it is, it's like there's a line with us on one side and Ruth on the other, and when all's said and done, I feel sad about that, and I think she would too if she could see it. (23.39)
The image Kathy gives us here of Ruth on one side of a line with Tommy and herself on the other is a pretty powerful one. It makes Kathy sad that when this trio is divided up into duos, someone inevitably gets left out. Does this image jog your memory of places where Kathy or Tommy is the odd one out?
Quote 11
Certainly, it feels like I always knew about donations in some vague way, even as early as six or seven. And it's curious, when we were older and the guardians were giving us those talks, nothing came as a complete surprise. It was like we'd heard everything somewhere before. (7.27)
How creepy! Kathy can't seem to remember how she learned about donations. This has us wondering if Kathy is fooling herself. Maybe she needs to pay more attention in class. But it also gives her a healthy dose of responsibility for her fate. You could argue that if she and Tommy knew where their lives were headed on some level, well then they had the power to do something about it and chose not to.
Quote 12
My name is Kathy H. I'm thirty-one years old, and I've been a carer now for over eleven years. (1.1)
Kathy tells us three things about herself here: her name, her age, and her job. Right off the bat, we're wondering what the deal is with this "H." Why doesn't Kathy have a last name—just an initial? Plus, it seems pretty important that Kathy mentions being a carer when she first describes herself. Sounds like her job might be a really important part of her identity.