Letting Go Is Hard To Do

"Because maybe, in a way, we didn't leave it behind nearly as much as we might once have thought. Because somewhere underneath, a part of us stayed like that: fearful of the world around us, and-no matter how much we despised ourselves for it-unable quite to let each other go." pg 120


I really like this quote. So far, I think it sums up the entire relationship of all the Hailsham students. They all secretly fear the future, and through their times together, they realize they are unable to cope without each other and just let go of that part of their life. I've noticed Kathy especially can't seem to "let go" of her past. This makes Ruth really mad, because Kathy never stops reminiscing about Hailsham. On the other hand, Ruth just wants her to move on, and live a separate life at the Cottages, because things are different there.


I am convinced that Kathy is a complicated character, so I am going to say she is a dynamic character. Or maybe the people she is close to are complicated. Maybe it's all of them. (Tommy included) But anyway, her relationship with Ruth is happy one minute, but then the next, they release all their pent up anger. Anywho, I enjoyed the analogy of the chess move/Ruth's temper. The comparison was that making a bad move in chess will soon lead to  disaster, just like Kathy accidentally saying something she didn't exactly mean to ended up in more anger/disaster from Ruth. At this point, I find Ruth and Kathy's arguments kinda immature. I find it a bit ironic that Ruth is telling Kathy to grow up, when Ruth is in fact the one still holding grudges over little things that Kathy points out to her. I guess after growing up with her for 16+ years, things get a bit tense between the two.