That wheelchair was suspicious and I don't understand why they would use it all if not to hint that she might have done a donation or two herself. Was she raised to be a donor too or did she do it maybe to show her support for the children?
shareNope, not a donor. I haven't seen the movie for a few years, but in the book there's a moment where she alludes to the wheelchair and says something like, "it won't be for long" or "it's not a permanent condition." I can't imagine they would cut that from the film. Anyway, it implies that she is either awaiting a donation that will fix her or that she is recovering from a donation - she won't be in the wheelchair forever.
shareCould it mean that it won't be for long because she's going to die soon?
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Please put some dashes above your sig line so I won't think it's part of your dumb post.
I've read the book as well, and I don't remember any indication that she was benefiting from organ donation herself. In fact, I felt it was pretty clear that she was in a wheelchair precisely because she refused treatment that required a sacrifice by a donor. In a world where people were effectively free from debilitating illnesses, her wheelchair symbolized her acceptance of a normal human lifespan.
She led the organization that fought for more humane treatment of clones, thereby creating Hailsham to show the world that the clones indeed had souls and were capable of human endeavors like art, etc. She and her organization were the last thing separating donors from being sent to the battery farm.
It's possible that she didn't qualify for a donor. Maintaining a donor for everyone would instantly double the population. The country could not support half the population in idleness as the donors seem to live. I suspect that donors would only be raised for those whom society deems the most valuable or those wealthy enough to pay for it.
shareI think it's a testament to Ishiguro's writing quality that we can debate the implications of the ending. But I stand by my original assessment; there's is more evidence intimating that Miss Emily will receive a donation than refuse it.
The line I referred to earlier: "You both look rather shocked at the sight of me. I've not been well recently, but I'm hoping this contraption won't be a permanent fixture" (257). While one can argue this is a more abstract allusion to her imminent death, I prefer a straight forward reading. She is in a wheelchair now, but she has hopes that she won't be in the near future.
And then there's the fact that Kathy and Tommy have caught her while she's about to leave for an extended stay somewhere. A nurse comes for her with crutches - a step closer to health than a wheelchair. She leaves the house in a normal car, but it is following a van that is carrying her bedside cabinet. Where is she going? I think the implication is that she is going to the hospital and is taking her personal cabinet so she will have it with her during recovery. Nothing else in the house is being taken, so it's clear they aren't moving.
Tommy's final tantrum follows directly after this scene. While I think it would be powerful regardless of whether Miss Emily is getting ready to die or getting ready to live, it fits into the themes of the novel better if she is about to receive a donation. His utter frustration, the pain of having hope and future wrenched away at the moment he thought he might get a few more years, is more poignant juxtaposed with the implication that their elderly headmistress, the one who fought for humane treatment of clones, is also benefitting from their deaths. At the end of the day, they belong to different castes of society and are forever separate.
Miss Emily and Madame are crusaders to be sure, but they aren't saints and they aren't martyrs. Miss Emily's speech makes it clear that, despite their work, they can't see the clones as fully human. It is somewhat out of character for Miss Emily to make a noble gesture and refuse a donation if it is available to her.
In that case, I'd say the movie (strongly suggestive that she accepts ill health) is a complete change from the book (strong suggestive that she's getting a donation).
OTOH . . . she might simply be going off for some conventional treatment like a prosthetic hip replacement!
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Please put some dashes above your sig line so I won't think it's part of your dumb post.
To me and some friends of mine who also saw the movie her being in a wheelchair was the acceptance of illness due to the fact that she was indeed against what society was doing with the clones - like it was said above - she created those installations in order to prove they were human beings with "souls" and it seemed like she sticked to her guns always.
But if in the book she ends up using the transplants possibility, that is quite a message: that human beings, when really facing death, prefer to sacrifice their principles if that will allow them to continue living. It sure makes the story even more depressing.. :)
I don't know what the book intended, but I strongly prefer the interpretation that Madame suffered because she would not accept donations, and further, that Kathy understood this. It strengthens the "twist" from depicting Madame as a callous part of the immoral system to a heroic figure fighting against it. After that, having her accept donations would weaken the impact of the film for me.
Thumbs up to this very well written & explained post.
shareAnd then there's the fact that Kathy and Tommy have caught her while she's about to leave for an extended stay somewhere. A nurse comes for her with crutches - a step closer to health than a wheelchair. She leaves the house in a normal car, but it is following a van that is carrying her bedside cabinet. Where is she going? I think the implication is that she is going to the hospital and is taking her personal cabinet so she will have it with her during recovery. Nothing else in the house is being taken, so it's clear they aren't moving.
HeyyyBuddy^
Great analysis and makes sense ~
Miss Emily, despite her work & her insights (limited as they may be, but still better than those of her peers), still may opt for a donation at the end of the day.
To quote Shakespeare: "Therein lies the rub".
~~ If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story ~ Orson Welles
At her age? Definitely not a donor; perhaps a potential recipient.
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