NLMG Character Analysis

Question 1

Tommy

Answer 1

As a child Tommy struggles with “being creative” and is teased for his lack of artistic abilities
He develops a violent temper and has loud tantrums which he learns to control
Tommy desires to understand the mysterious aspects of life at Hailsham
He bonds with Kathy through theorising about why the school places so much importance on creativity
Tommy has a straightforward attitude and sometimes doesn’t feel present
He sometimes doesn’t understand what is going on

Question 2

Ruth

Answer 2

Kathy’s childhood friend and a fellow student at Hailsham
Ruth is the leader of the friend group
She asserts dominance towards Kathy - “I accepted the invisible rein she was holding out”
Ruth is eager to stand out from her peers, and often pretends to have special knowledge and privileges that other students do not e.g. the secret guard and the pencil case incident
She can be kind and sweet towards Kathy, but she can also be extremely unkind and manipulative towards her and Ruth’s relationship with Tommy contributes to this tension as Kathy hides her romantic feelings for Tommy
Although she can be cruel at times, Ruth also has moments of genuine thoughtfulness and is caring towards her friends e.g. looking for Kathy’s lost tape

Question 3

Kathy

Answer 3

The narrator of the novel
31 years old
She’s been a carer for over 11 years
She’s longing for the past because she doesn’t want to face her future of becoming a donor
She grew up at Hailsham with her 2 best friends - Tommy and Ruth
Kathy is an unreliable narrator - “This was all a long time ago so I might have some of it wrong”
She frequently assumes the role of a quiet observer