Research Essay Never Let Me Go"Men can imagine their own death, they can see it coming, and the very thought of impending death acts like an aphrodisiac." Crake, the antagonist of Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake, highlights something that is expressed in many literary works: the prospect of death can drastically alter a person's behavior. However, in Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, the antagonist Ruth is completely drained when she sees her death in contrast to the desperate, sexually stimulated men described by Crake. Ruth's days of energy and sexual activity are when she is at Hailsham and the Cottages. During that time, Ruth serves as the main villain against Kathy, the novel's protagonist. As a villain, Ruth is one of the most loathsome characters in Never Let Me Go. Her wickedness highlights the futility of trying to escape reality. Even before Ruth and Kathy become friends, Ruth is the center of attention. Ruth values ​​her position of power and control and does everything she can to make others her loyal followers. She likes it so much that when Kathy threatens this power and control by proving to Ruth that she knows Ruth had lied about her pencil case before, Ruth is "utterly speechless... on the verge of tears." Ruth manages to control her subjects by creating a system whereby she is judge, jury and executioner. This system is the "secret guard", a group created to watch over one of Hailsham's guardians, Mrs. Geraldine. This guard is ruled by Ruth as their Caesar. When one of the members does something that jeopardizes her position as leader of the group or insults her, Ruth does not hesitate to fire him and subsequently mercilessly attack the outcast. Often this was done... halfway through the paper... he couldn't do anything, he managed to make Ruth the center of attention. However, his wickedness also attracted hatred and anger. Ultimately, Ruth was unable to escape her reality as a clone. A character who reaffirms this idea is Crake from Oryx and Crake. Even though Crake is also a villain and uses betrayal and manipulation, he maintains a strong grip on reality. In the end, his plan succeeds, because he faces reality and deals with it. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake. Double day. 2003. Print. Birns, Margaret Boe. “Never Let Me Go” Magill Literary Annual 2006. Literary Reference Center. Network. December 12, 2013.Ishiguro, Kasuo. Never let Me Go. Faber and Faber. 2005. Print.Sutliff, Usha. “Liars' brains are wired differently.” USC News. USC University of Southern California. 19 September 2005. Web. 11 December 2013.