Ishiguro uses the childhood of Kathy to set the stage for the entire story. At the end of the story he ties everything back to all the experiences in childhood. This is what every human being deals with. Not only does their childhood form who they are, but it decides what choices we make to shape our future. Being raised at Hailsham made the clones who they are and gave them the confidence to feel that they could change their destiny. Other clones treated them differently because they had been raised at Hailsham. It was not just a place, but a symbol of who Kathy, Ruth and Tommy are and how they are special.
When Ruth, Kathy and Tommy were at the cottages it was their first experience with how the outside world viewed kids from Hailsham. “I heard about this girl up in Wales,” Chrissie said. “She was Hailsham, maybe a few years before you lot. Apparently she’s working in this clothes shop right now. A really smart one.” “That’s Hailsham for you.” Rodney said eventually, and shook his head as though in amazement. (P.152) This summed up how the other clones felt about the Hailsham kids and how they instilled an idea that the rules could be bent for the special kids from Hailsham. This was their childhood affecting their present and forming their future.
Eventually, Kathy viewed her time at Hailsham as special and something that nobody could take away from her. Once she had left Hailsham and her childhood, she was faced with the harsh realities of adulthood, responsibilities and the prison like conditions of social expectations. Kathy clung to the happiest days of her life at Hailsham which was during her childhood. This was different than what other clones experienced and like the rest of humanity, you learn that if you had a really good childhood then you were one of thelucky ones in life.
