I've got you covered...

The first cover on the left contains darker colors and presents the boat alone in the center of the image. The purpose of this image is to draw the readers attention to a primary symbol in the book. The boat symbolizes freedom and a lost childhood in the book, which relates to the title of Never Let Me Go. The one on the right seems to portray the main character Kathy, in a green field. Kathy is seen with an almost solemn expression as she is surrounded by beautiful scenery with bright and vivid colors. I think the purpose of this is to convey the theme of appearance versus reality that is present throughout. From the outside, Hailsham is a nice school full of happy, carefree children. The reality however is that they are going to grow up and donate their vital organs. The cover on the bottom left portrays the internal organs of the body against a dark grey background. The purpose of this cover is more straightforward because the grey background gives a negative connotation to the cover, and the organs overlaying this is in order to tell the audience that something dark is going to happen with such organs. Additionally, if the plot of the book was not in mind, this cover would almost give a sense of horror at first glance due to the scratchy font. This cover seems to give a similar mood to the first cover due to the darker colors present in both. However, it differs from the rest of the covers because it gives insight to the plot of the novel with the use of the drawing of the organs.  The last cover is similar to the second cover because they both involve brighter coloring and show a single girl in isolation.

The two covers being compared are going to be the top left and bottom right covers. Both of these images compare because at first glance, they give me the same impression, which is the idea of isolation. Both of these covers show a single object in the frame. However, my thoughts differed because when I first saw the top left cover,  my thoughts immediately went to Kathy, Ruth and Tommy and their friendship. This is because I feel as though this boat is a large symbol for their relationship. The bottom right image turned my thoughts to something completely separate from the novel. I did not associate any of the characters with the person present on the cover. This cover connected me more to the cultural aspect of the novel. Upon seeing this cover, I researched on Japanese art and discovered similar color schemes and techniques present in this cover. Additionally, culturally both covers seem to reflect the simplistic style of writing that is similar to a haiku. The singular image reflects how the author uses simple language in order to allow interpretation and communicate the message easier.

With the text in mind, the top left cover not only symbolizes the relationship of the three main characters, but also is representative of a life that is out of reach. Boats often represent the idea of traveling since they travel along the vast ocean. This is shown in the book because the water kept the characters from going to explore the boat. They could only watch from a distance, which is also true for their lives because they cannot have the life they want, they can only watch other people have it. The bottom right cover is related to the text because I interpreted that the blurry girl displayed on the cover represented how these children are raised without their own identity. They are clones of other people, thus the blurry appearance representing how they are do not have an identity and similar in the way that they all have the same fate. I think these covers are also similar in the way that they do not portray anyone specific in the novel but definitely are from the view-point of those who donate their organs. The top left cover is more focused on the viewpoint from Kathy, Ruth and Tommy because of the boat scene, but both represent the isolation and separation that these children experience, even as they move into adulthood. The book Never Let Me Go would be a good read for any person going through a large transitional stage in their life for this book represents themes of love, loss and friendship. Themes that are common in the everyday lives of most people, but specifically those moving on into a different stage in their life.