Ishiguro leaves the door to the future of Josie and Rick’s relationship open to interpretation. Klara notices that “[Josie had] hoped… that Rick would come to wave her off” for college, but he did not (298). They part ways without a true goodbye, and with the understanding that “[they] will always be together at some level, some deeper one, even if [they] go out there and don’t see each other any more” (288). Rick notes that he “will always keep searching for someone just like [Josie]” (288). Even though the readers do not want them to separate, we know that there is a possibility that they will meet again someday. Our narrative is cut short by Klara’s “slow fade,” but Josie and Rick will continue to age and could meet again. I found it very intriguing how Klara was able to grasp this concept as well. Being able to think beyond one’s life and have hopes for a future which one will not be a part of is typically considered a uniquely human characteristic. It is another example of Klara’s underlying humanity, one which makes the reader even more upset about the way she is treated as she continues to hope that “after many changes, Josie and Rick might once again meet as the Coffee Cup Lady and Raincoat Man had done” (289). I built my drawing around this quote, including figures meant to represent Josie and Rick walking away from each other on the hands of the clock, and then an older couple embracing each other on top of the clock who were meant to be the Coffee Cup Lady and the Raincoat Man. From this adaptation, Josie and Rick gained a possible future together since it is shown that over time, their paths will circle back together and they will meet again. My drawing also highlights the way that reunions are bittersweet because they only come after a separation. When Klara first observed the Coffee Cup Lady and the Raincoat Man, she “wasn’t sure if they were very happy or very upset” (22). Manager later explains to her that “sometimes, at special moments like that, people feel a pain alongside their happiness” because “when they last held each other, they were still young” (23). If Josie and Rick were to find each other again, the pain of their time apart and of their unfinished goodbye would mingle with their joy at being together again. I hoped that the clock would demonstrate the cyclical nature of separation and reconciliation, and the way that the feelings associated with each flow together.
This piece was inspired by “Klara and the Sun.” I decided to base my drawing around a clock to represent the significance of time in KATS after our class discussions about the unsatisfactory ending of the novel. Like many of my classmates, I felt that Josie did not say a proper goodbye to Klara when she left for college. I was expecting more finality and for Josie to express more sadness at leaving behind her AF for the last time after everything that Klara did to her, but instead Josie just said that Klara “may not be here when [she] get[s] back,” and told her to “be good now” (Ishiguro 297). However, it is important to remember that while the ending of the novel is the end of Klara’s life, it is not the ending for the other characters. Their stories continue beyond Klara. Because of this, I decided to focus my project on the concept of time in the book. I was particularly drawn to Josie and Rick’s relationship because that was another ‘ending’ that felt disappointing, but unlike Klara’s fate, was not entirely determined yet.
Ishiguro leaves the door to the future of Josie and Rick’s relationship open to interpretation. Klara notices that “[Josie had] hoped… that Rick would come to wave her off” for college, but he did not (298). They part ways without a true goodbye, and with the understanding that “[they] will always be together at some level, some deeper one, even if [they] go out there and don’t see each other any more” (288). Rick notes that he “will always keep searching for someone just like [Josie]” (288). Even though the readers do not want them to separate, we know that there is a possibility that they will meet again someday. Our narrative is cut short by Klara’s “slow fade,” but Josie and Rick will continue to age and could meet again. I found it very intriguing how Klara was able to grasp this concept as well. Being able to think beyond one’s life and have hopes for a future which one will not be a part of is typically considered a uniquely human characteristic. It is another example of Klara’s underlying humanity, one which makes the reader even more upset about the way she is treated as she continues to hope that “after many changes, Josie and Rick might once again meet as the Coffee Cup Lady and Raincoat Man had done” (289). I built my drawing around this quote, including figures meant to represent Josie and Rick walking away from each other on the hands of the clock, and then an older couple embracing each other on top of the clock who were meant to be the Coffee Cup Lady and the Raincoat Man. From this adaptation, Josie and Rick gained a possible future together since it is shown that over time, their paths will circle back together and they will meet again. My drawing also highlights the way that reunions are bittersweet because they only come after a separation. When Klara first observed the Coffee Cup Lady and the Raincoat Man, she “wasn’t sure if they were very happy or very upset” (22). Manager later explains to her that “sometimes, at special moments like that, people feel a pain alongside their happiness” because “when they last held each other, they were still young” (23). If Josie and Rick were to find each other again, the pain of their time apart and of their unfinished goodbye would mingle with their joy at being together again. I hoped that the clock would demonstrate the cyclical nature of separation and reconciliation, and the way that the feelings associated with each flow together.
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