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Deng!1DifeiDengProfessorJessamynHatcherCultureFoundationIIIMarch82016NowheretoRunIjustwaitedabit,thenturnedbacktothecar,todriveofftowhereveritwasIwassupposedtobe(23.49).Afterfinishingreadingthefinallineofthebook,whatstrikesmethemost,isnothowtragicandheartbreakingtheendingwas,buttheirquietacceptanceoftheirfate.Theyneverevenshoutorscreamouttheirfearforwhatwaitsthemallthetime,theirfrustrationoftheirlifeneverbeingthewaytheycouldhavebeen.Whytheynevertrytoescapeandrebelagainstthesystemandwhatdoestheirpassivityandacceptancecomefrom?Actually,allthetimeforthecloned,nothingstimulatethemtofightandrun.Andthemorecruelfactisthattheyhavenowheretorun.Thelong-standingconfinementandoppressionfromthewholesystemledtotheimprisonmentoftheirmind.Inthisway,theyareunwillingtorunaway.Besides,thedenialoftheirhabitualiden-tityasagroup,thedefinitiongiventothemasmonsters,andthelackofsocialidentityasnormalpeopledeterminethatinfacttheyhavenowheretorun.InthebookofNeverLetMeGo,therearethreeplacesfordifferentperiodstostayfortheclones:Hailsham,CottagesandtheRecoveryCenter.Thesethreespacesallisolatetheclonesinvaryingdegrees.IntheeyesofotherclonescomingfromplacesotherthanHailsham,Hailshamisapic-turesqueplacelocatedinthecountryside.HailshamisabeautifulplacefullofgoodmemoryforthemaincharacterKathyandherfriends.Shethinksthatit’sa“lucky”thingtospendyearsthere.Deng!2However,inmyopinion,theleisurelylifeinHailshamrevealsalotofmystery.ThecloneslivinginHailshamneverhavecommunicationwiththeoutside.Physically,whatisconfinedistheir“livingspace”inthissmallandsystematic“state”however,whatismoreseriousanddeterminetheirfateistheconfinementoftheir“psychologicalspace”and“socialspace”atthesametime.Thus,theseeminglyleisurelyboardingschoollifeisinfactprisonlife.TheboardingschoolofHailshamplacespsychologicalboundaryintheclonedkids’mindandextinguishtheircuriosityanddesiretogooutside.Infact,theyare;andtheirfearofthewoodsreflects,inadistortedbutfundamentallyaccurateway,theirfate.ThechildrenofHailshamHouseareafraidofthewoods.Inthedayswhentheirguardiansweremuchstricter,theschoolmythgoes,aboy'sbodywasfoundtherewithitshandsandfeetremoved.ThegirltryingtorunawayfromHailshamandseetheoutsideworldisultimatelydiedandbecomeaghostwanderinginthewoods.Sometimesthatdark,threateningfringeoftreescancastsuchashadowoverthewholeschoolthatapupilwhohasoffendedtheothersmightbehauledoutofbedinthemiddleofthenight,forcedtoawindow,andmadetostareoutatit.AsIsaidbefore,thedarkwoodsisoneofthekids’psychologicalboundary.Astherumorsaboutthehorrorsofthewoodsspread,theclonedkidsinHailshamsoonproduceakindofsocalledFreudianpsychologicalstateof“theuncanny”.ThehorriblewoodsstandsfortheunknownworldoutsideHailsham.Theoutsideworldsimilarasthedarkwoodsisfullofterrorandevilthings.So,it’sbetterforthemtostayforeverinHailsham.OncetheygooutofHailsham,theyaregoingtolosetheprotectionandfi-nallyputthemselvesindanger.BeforethesechildrenaretransferredtotheCottages,becauseofthispsychologicalsuggestionabouttheoutsideworldimposedbytherumorofthewoods,theclonedchildrenneverthinkofgoingoutandnevertrytotakeevenhalf-steptogoout.Deng!3Besides,theclonedchildrenareisolatedwithintheiremotionsandrelations.Theiremotionsofarenotascomplicatedasnormalpeople.Mostly,theiremotionsaredependenceandabsoluteobediencetowardstheirguardians.Theydonothaveparentsandanyotherrelatives.Unlikenormalchildreninboardingschoolthatstillgohomeonweekends,theyliveinHailshameveryday.Exceptfortheirguardians,theyhardlyeverapproachoutsiders.Withouttheinterferencefromtheoutsideworld,theyarejustlikelivinginprison.TheonlyonewhotriestobreakthiskindoffixedstructuresoongetcleanedoutofHailsham—MissLucy.Underthecontrolandiso-lationofthewholesystem,theclonedchildrengraduallybuildupanintimaterelationshipwiththeirguardians.Theytrustanddependontheirguardiansabsolutely.“Ifwewerehonest,though,particularlynearthebeginning,mostofuswouldhaveadmittedmissingtheguardians.[…]Butthiswasonethingwe'dbeentoldoverandover:thatafterHail-shamthere'dbenomoreguardians,sowe'dhavetolookaftereachother.(10.7)MovingfromHailshamtotheCottagesmeansleavingtheguardiansbehind.Nowthere'snoonetotellKathyandherpalshowtospendtheirdays,noonetodisciplinethemiftheybreaktherules.Eventhoughthereareperkstothisfreedom,theclonedchildrenactuallymisstheiroldteachers…andeventheirrules.Eventhoughtheonly“breakpower”—MissLucyattemptstorevealthetruthandtowakeupthem,thelong-standingrelianceandobediencemakethemnumbaboutthefact.Theyshowalittlesuspectbutisnevereagertofindoutthetruth.AftertheyleavethevacuumspaceofHail-shamandthencometotheCottages,theimprisonmentdoesnotexistanymorebuttheimprison-mentoftheirmindisstillthere.Deng!4Ofcourse,inpractice,especiallyduringthefirstmonths,werarelysteppedbeyondtheconfinesoftheCottages.Wedidn'tevenwalkaboutthesurroundingcountrysideorwanderintothenear-byvillage.Idon'tthinkwewereafraidexactly.(10.9)EventhoughthewallssurroundedbyHailshamarebroken,theyareunabletobreaktheirpsycho-logicalwallsinternally.Forthem,theCottagesislikeanotherHailshamsincetheclonedallbringtheiroldHailshamhabitstotheCottages