Never Let Me Go Research Essay “Men can imagine their own death, they can see it coming, and the mere thought of imminent death acts like an aphrodisiac. » Crake, the antagonist of Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake, emphasizes something that is expressed in many works of literature: the prospect of death can radically alter a person's behavior. However, in Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, the antagonist Ruth is completely exhausted when she sees her death, unlike the desperate, sexually stimulated men portrayed by Crake. Ruth's days of energy and sexual activity are when she is at Hailsham and the Cottages. Meanwhile, Ruth is the main villain against Kathy, the protagonist of the novel. As a villain, Ruth is one of the most hateful characters in Never Let Me Go. Her villainy highlights the futility of trying to escape reality. Even before Ruth and Kathy become friends, Ruth is the center of attention. Ruth values ​​her position of power and control and does everything she can to make others her faithful disciples. She values ​​it so much that when Kathy threatens this power and control by demonstrating to Ruth that she knows that Ruth had lied earlier about her pencil case, Ruth is "completely at a loss for words... on the verge of tears ". Ruth manages to control her subjects by creating a system in which she is judge, jury and executioner. This system is the "Secret Guard", a group created to monitor one of Hailsham's guardians, Mrs. Geraldine. This guard is led by Ruth as Caesar. When one of the members does something that jeopardizes his position as leader of the group or insults him, Ruth does not hesitate to fire him and then mercilessly attack the outcast. Often this was done in... middle of paper...... by doing whatever it was, it managed to make Ruth the center of attention. However, his wickedness also aroused hatred and anger. Ultimately, Ruth was unable to escape her clone reality. One character that reaffirms this idea is Crake from Oryx and Crake. Even though Crake is also a villain and uses betrayal and manipulation, he maintains a strong grip on reality. Ultimately, his plan succeeds because he faces reality and deals with it. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. Double day. 2003. Print. Birns, Margaret Boe. “Never Let Me Go” Magill Literary Annual 2006. Literary Reference Center. Internet. December 12, 2013. Ishiguro, Kasuo. Never let me go. Faber and Faber. 2005. Print. Sutliff, Usha. “Liars’ brains are wired differently.” USC News. USC University of Southern California. September 19, 2005. Web. December 11 2013.