Ruth Ishiguro Characteristics

When many people think about the qualities that define a great friend, they think of someone who is trustworthy, kind, and humble. Ruth, however, is none of these things, unless she wants to be. But, to Kathy, she is a great friend. Ruth should not be thought of as a domineering control-freak, but rather a character who reveals the humanistic traits that the clones in this alternate reality have. The combination of Ruth’s personality traits, life experiences and completion at the end of the novel allow her to become human. The clones’ freedom, their completion, is reached only through adversity, which eventually lead to their acknowledgement as human. Ruth has two personalities, both of which can be turned off and on like a switch and can …show more content…
The fact that Ruth has these two sides almost makes her feel like a real human, and less fake and artificial. Kathy herself even admits that she “had this notion that there were two quite separate Ruths” (Ishiguro 129). Ruth is brutally honest, manipulative, and even overbearing, but has frequent moments of kindness, making her a great person, but horrible friend. Ruth is neither evil nor unkind; Ruth is as human as the clones in the novel can get. That being said, when Ruth is harsh, there was always another part of Ruth, considerate and loving towards her friends. The first side of Ruth is first seen towards the beginning of the novel, when she is Kathy’s most loyal childhood …show more content…
Or is this new Ruth really new at all? This Ruth, despite her great acts of kindness to Kathy and Tommy, is the same old Ruth. She’s the Ruth who controlled Tommy when they were together and who was Kathy’s best friend throughout her life time. She is the Ruth who, despite the artificiality of the other clones at Hailsham and the Cottages, acts completely human. From Kathy’s perspective, Kathy is often portrayed as a selfish child who must intrude and control in order to satisfy her needs to be in charge. However, towards the end of the novel, Ruth changes. Her domineering side disappears and the sweet best friend poster-child version of her ironically takes over. At this point, it is easy to realize just how human Ruth actually is. Towards the end, Ruth states that all she wanted to do is “to put it right” (Ishiguro 232). At that moment, she realizes that she will complete soon and that the only way to fully complete and become human is to right the wrongs that she caused and face redemption. Humans are also known to try desperately and fix the sins that they have committed in their lifetime. The similarity is no coincidence; Ruth is as real as the clones can get, and this qualifies her as a