Anecdotes

"There was one strange incident around this time I should tell you about here." Pg. 70

     A pattern common throughout the beginning of the book is the use of stories to add to the plot. Most often, they furthur explain a character indirectly. Anecdotes of Kathy saving Ruth's secrets and Tommy's reactions to Miss Lucy let the reader in on their thought processes. Moreover, anecdotes lead on to the dilemmas the main characters must face and hint at the untolds of the story. Ishiguro had the option to plainly state through Kathy the future each student had in store, but he chose to give instances of perplexion and enlightenment to weave the story together. Another aspect of the anecdotes is the small, choice details woven into the story. When thinking about those extra descriptions, they all seem insignificant and unnescessary at first. Why would I need to know what the house looked like at the top of the hill when Kathy was talking to Ruth? What difference does the weather make? The answer is that the details give us something to relate to. I wager not many people have lived the lives of the students at Hailsham. Even though the situations are novel to the reader, they can identify with the physical and mental nuances of the protagonist and her friends.