Are the students being manipulated?
Head guardian at Hailsham, known fora stiff presence and a belief that students must be well protected.
Ms. Emily
Kathy normally starts her stories with a disclaimer like "I don't know if this is right". What does this suggest about her memory?
Her memory might be fuzzy.
Instead of planning an escape, the students at the Cottages spend their time mimicking the body language of people they see in these.
American TV shows or office dramas
Miss Lucy tells the students they have been "told and not told" about their futures. What is the main thing she thinks they don't actually understand?
That they will die/become "completed" at a young age
Kathy spends a lot of time describing this lost object.
The Judy Bridgewater "Songs After Dark" cassette
This character is the most obsessed with finding a person in the outside world they might be modeled after.
Ruth
When the students are young, the Guardians use this specific currency to teach them about the value of personal property and currency
Hailsham Tokens
In Chapter 8, Kathy watches Ruth "pretend" to be able to do this activity, but decides not to call her out on the lie.
Play chess or ride horses.
When Miss Lucy tells the students the truth, their reaction isn't anger or a riot. What is it?
Confusion and silence
This character is the first to openly suggest that the Guardians are hiding things about the "Gallery."
Tommy
Why might Kathy focus so much on her happy Hailsham memories in these chapters despite the dark reality of her current life?
A coping mechanism for her upcoming donation.
The students believe that if they are truly in love, they can apply for what?
A deferral
Miss Lucy says the students have been "told and not told." What is the psychological result of this that prevents the students from trying to escape?
Students hear about their futures in pieces while they are still young and safe. By the time they are old enough to understand it, the information doesn't have the shock needed to rebel.
Kathy talks about her carer work at the start of chapters. How does her pride in being a good carer bias her view of the system?
She identifies with the system's rules, making her less likely to criticize the ethics of the donations
Why does the Cottages phase feel more like a "waiting room" than a place of freedom?
They have no life skills, money, or legal identity.