To the left and right of the text, there are two different cover representations of the same book: Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. While there are multiple covers for this book, these are the two most interesting ones. Why?
Well, both take the theme and title of the book literally and abstractly display it on it's front.
The book cover on the left uses dark and light gray to distinguish that there are major differences in the society [Note*** I am referring to the how the CLONES are bred for the humans in the SOCIETY]. Dark and light gray were probably used because this book cover focuses on the emotional aspect of it. This is because it is a body showing organs and human quality, and people internalize their emotions.The book cover on the right uses the same style; however it focuses on the colors such as yellow and black; this is its way of showing the physical world [Note*** Yellow and black symbolize several things, including the sun and the moon, morning and night, and lightness and darkness].
It is also important to note that each book cover idealize the "let go" part of the book title. In the book cover on the left, the words are apart from each other. And while the book cover on the right keeps the idea of "let go", it displays it by dividing the land up by water and earth. There is also a boat that is tied to a pole/tree (I can't tell), so that emulates the idea that the boat may go and leave the comfort of the land.
The purpose of each book cover is to take different aspects of the clones' lives and portray them differently. For instance, the picture up in the left hand corner, is more geared towards what actually happens to the clones when they become donors at the end of their lives. The picture up in the right hand corner, on the other hand, focuses more on their whole lives up until they pass.
LEFT BOOK COVER:
When I look at this book cover of the body and organs, I think science and internal damage, whether physical damage, emotional damage, or both. Keeping that in mind, the book cover's colors are shades of gray, so, if I hadn't read the book, I would have probably thought the book was sad, and that the book did not end well. Now that I have read it, I know that the conditions of the characters are worse, and the predicament to which they live in is more worse. This cover is more dangerous than the other one because it makes the "clones'" situation more realistic or probable.
The relationship between the book cover and text is brutal and eerie. The color is eerie, the font of the words are eerie, the way that "NEVER LET ME GO" is separated is eerie. This makes me think of the way that the book is constructed; kind of like how Kathy H. goes from page to page telling different stories about her life in random orders. None the less, it is affective, especially with the main part of the body on the front.
Also, the person being portrayed on the book cover is one of the clones, and it is from the viewpoint of regular humans. I say this because it is a body, and underneath it shows some of the most important organs that are the sole reason why humans are able to live. When humans look at the clones, most of them look at them like a piece of cake, and all they see is what they want or what they need. I would also like to add that I think the viewpoint of it could also from the clone being portrayed. If the clone knows what is happening to him/her, then maybe he/she looks at themselves in the mirror only seeing what they're are useful for, not what they truly look like or truly are.
RIGHT BOOK COVER:
When I look at this book cover of the boat, land, and water, I think of peace. But I also think of destruction because of how peaceful it is. If I hadn't read the novel though, I would have thought it was a romantic novel. And now that I have read some of the book, I know that there is some romance in it, but this book isn't about love; it is about growing up and understanding the world. It reminds me of a coming of age story, though this one is limited due to the circumstances of the main characters.
The relationship between the book cover and the text is deceiving, but interesting. While the book centers around a person, and not the universe, it leads me to think that maybe the cover should have included a person on it, like one of the main characters; however, the main characters are "clones", they are not human. Maybe we are supposed to imagine somebody there instead.
So, in terms of who is being portrayed on the cover, I don't think anyone in particular is. The focus should really be on what is being portrayed, and that is the boat latched on to the pole/tree; however, the viewpoint is from Kathy H. Why Kathy H.? First she is the narrator, and secondly it seems that every time change happens, she is one step closer to her decided fate, or purpose in life. The boat is the symbolization of her conceptualism and reality; the idea that she is contained on ground, but when she hits the water, she has no idea where she'll end up. This is similar to how she has the guardians in Halisham, but when she enters the cabins and further on, she has a little more freedom.
Moreover, the only idea that this book cover may suggest about the construction of the society is that it isn't as perfect as it seems. Perfection does not happen; it can't happen. It can be perfect for a moment, but soon it will be destroyed.
