Klara and the Sun: Key Quotations (Edexcel IGCSE English Literature): Revision Note
Exam code: 4ET1
Klara and the Sun: Key Quotations
When you answer any question on Klara and the Sun, remember that the examiners are looking for you to support your points with references. You can evidence your knowledge of the text in two equally valid ways: both through references to it and direct quotations from it. Overall, you should aim to have a secure knowledge of Ishiguro’s novel, as this is how you will be able to select references appropriately.
The best way to revise for this question is to group evidence (or key quotes) by character or theme, so you can see the development of Ishiguro’s ideas or his characters. Below you will find definitions and analysis of the best quotations, arranged by the following themes:
Love
Hope
Human nature
Love
Love is a central theme in Klara and the Sun, with these feelings all revolving around Josie. Klara, Chrissie, Paul and Rick all love Josie in contrasting ways, highlighting the complexity of the emotion.
“I don’t even know what this is about. But I want what’s best for Josie. Exactly the same as you. So I’m willing to grasp at any chance that comes our way.” — Paul, Part Four
Meaning and context
At this point in the novel, Paul and Klara are deciding whether she should give up some of her P-E-G Nine solution in order to sabotage the Cootings Machine
The extent of Klara’s love for Josie is emphasised in this sacrificial gesture
Paul shares this love for Josie and is prepared to trust Klara:
He demonstrates his belief in hope, inspired by Klara, even if her actions remain confusing
Analysis
Paul’s confusion is emphasised in the first sentence in what is an honest, simple assertion
This admission is immediately followed by the discursive marker “But”, highlighting that love and loyalty can be incomprehensible notions, and so you must sometimes trust in hope — in this case the hope that Klara offers
The brevity of these short sentences emphasises the simplicity of the decision Paul is able to come to in the name of love
Paired quotation
“When you passed it on that Josie and I really loved each other, that was the truth at the time.” — Rick, Part Six
“There was something special, but it wasn’t inside Josie. It was inside those who loved her.” — Klara, Part Six
Meaning and context
These quotes both appear at the end of the novel, as Klara reaches her conclusive ideas about love
The first quote explores the idea of romantic love, while the second is a response to unconditional love:
The distinction is that one love is permanent and the other is not, but the lack of permanence does not reduce or discount the emotion that was once experienced
Analysis
Rick is certain of his feelings for Josie, even if they have passed, and his ability to understand love inspires him to “keep searching”
By using the word “inside”, Klara understands that love is profound and instinctive, and also a shared experience
The goodness and human love is seen strongly in opposition to the unethical Mr Capaldi, who Klara describes simply as “wrong”
In this reflection, Klara goes on to realise that she would have been unable to “continue” Josie because her family would not have been able to love her in the way they loved Josie
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Examiners are not assessing your memory of direct quotes. They reward evidence that supports your arguments. This means summarising, paraphrasing, referencing of single words, as well as supporting plot events, will all be considered valid evidence in your interpretations of Klara and the Sun.
Hope
Despite the dystopian setting, Klara and the Sun is a story of hope, concluding with the idea that a hopeful outlook will be rewarded. Klara is the driving force of this theme, for without her presence the other characters would lack hope in Josie getting better or the prospect of a brighter future.
“But more often than not, the child never comes back.” — Manager, Part One
Meaning and context
Hoping for the return of Josie to the store, Manager offers a life lesson to Klara about the unreliable whims of children
This exchange follows an episode in the story during which Klara consciously chooses not to endear herself to another potential child buyer, much to the disappointment of Manager
Analysis
Klara confirms through the dialogue that she understands, but the lack of internal monologue suggests a different reaction
Even though, at this point in the novel, Manager is Klara’s main human influence, Klara chooses hope:
Manager’s warning resonates deeply with Klara, but this makes her choice to choose hope even more significant
“I now knew why the Sun hadn’t acted, and for a moment I might have let my posture slump and my head hang down.” — Klara, Part Four
Meaning and context
When Klara sees a second Cootings Machine, she realises the futile nature of her sacrifice earlier in this part of the novel
At this point in the novel, Klara’s innocence is laid bare, for the reader would have easily predicted this to be the inevitable outcome
Analysis
The standard human response to such a disappointment would be dejection, but Klara’s instinctive hope pulls her back from this scenario:
The words “might have” suggests she has free will over the choice she makes at this point, and that she chooses optimism
Structurally, her words come at the end of the novel’s most depressing section, Part Four, but thereby foreshadow a turn in events
Paired quotation
“‘Hope,’ he said. ‘Damn thing never leaves you alone.’” — Paul, Part Four
“The Sun’s coming out!” — Klara, Part Five
Meaning and context
These statements, from human and a robot, demonstrate the importance of investing in hope, however reluctantly (in the case of Paul)
The former statement is said by Paul when he commits to finding the Cootings Machine sought by Klara, while the second quotation comes in Part Five when Klara believes the sun is finally ready to cure Josie
Analysis
For Paul, this simple shift in mindset is empowering, imbuing him with a “new strength”
Klara shows similar strength, with her passionate cry at odds with Klara’s typically modest, polite behaviour, as she seeks to gain the attention of others
Such is Klara’s faith in the power of the sun, she recognises the vital importance in seizing the moment with Josie lying in bed very unwell
The unusual use of the exclamation, ending a short sentence, emphasises Klara’s unfailing hope that the sun can renenergise the ailing Josie
This faith, however, is a consequence of long-term hope (and consciously deciding to hope), as explicitly demonstrated by Paul
Human nature
By installing a non-human as a narrator, Ishiguro infers that humans are too close to themselves to rationally judge human nature. Klara therefore offers an innocent outsider’s view that lacks context or prejudice.
“The mother was obliged to introduce a rocking motion to disguise how long it was lasting.” — Klara, Part Two
Meaning and context
This description, of an embrace between Chrissie and Josie, is one of a number described in the novel
While Klara sees conflict between mother and daughter, Chrissie is motivated by fear of losing a second child
Analysis
The “hug” emphasises the instinctive human connection between a parent and child, even if they are in conflict
The embrace is also a reflection of the guilt experienced by Chrissie in choosing to have her daughters “lifted”, with the mother reflecting how these decisions might have detrimentally affected the health of her children
Paired quotation
“You have to learn her heart, and learn it fully, or you’ll never become Josie in any sense that matters.” — Paul, Part Four
“Rooms within rooms within rooms.” — Paul, Part Four
Meaning and context
These quotes come in a tense Part Four when Paul is driving Klara in his car
They are discussing Mr Capaldi’s secret contingency plan for Klara to inhabit a synthetic body and “continue” Josie if the young girl’s illness proves fatal
Paul admits to Klara that he hates Mr Capaldi because he has a secret fear that he might be right about there being nothing truly unique or unreachable inside a human being:
However, he fiercely questions whether Klara can actually accomplish what Capaldi is asking of her
Analysis
Paul draw a firm line between a superficial “impersonation” and a true continuation of his daughter:
He believes the true essence of human nature, symbolised by the “heart”, is the only thing that matters
He expands on this by using the extended metaphor of “rooms” within a heart to emphasise the complexity of the human condition
Klara argues that, while the human heart is complex, it “must be limited”, believing that an advanced AI could eventually map it completely
Paul's words emphasise the central philosophical message of the novel:
By defending the “human heart”, he directly challenges the dystopian, scientific reductionism of their world, which treats humans as programmable and replaceable entities
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Consider many of the quotes here as multi-purpose. Hope, for instance, is an essential aspect of human nature, meaning quotes can be used across a range of themes. The best candidates will be flexible with the quotes they can recall, adapting knowledge and analysis of these to suit the chosen question.
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