Itsy Bitsy Spider- 3

"Ruth had been right: Madame was afraid. But she was afraid of us in the same way someone might be afraid of spiders. We hadn't been ready for that. It had never occurred to us to wonder how we would feel, being seen like that, being the spiders." (Never Let Me Go, page 35)


I really like this analogy that Ishiguro uses. I think it is effective because everyone knows people who are just petrified of spiders and freak out when one is even remotely close to them. I can tell that Madame acts that exact same way towards the children at Hailsham. When Kathy says that they weren't ready to be seen as the spiders, I know exactly what she is saying. At first, they all laughed at the idea that Madame was afraid of them. However, once they realized that they were being seen almost as vermin, they start wondering what was wrong with them. No once wants to feel like they repulse someone.


I find Madame very strange. For someone who is in charge of children, why does she hate being around them? Obviously she and the other guardians are hiding something from the children. I wonder if she has a strange past. Maybe something happened in her childhood? Or something happened to kids of her own?