If You Love Me Let Me GOOOOOOOOoooOOO (vine reference)

First, the image in the top left, with  what is probably Kathy pictured sitting with different ferns and plants, is interesting.  I first thought that the cover image might be set in Hailsham by the pond with evident vegetation in the image.  However, when looking t the image more closely, Kathy appears slightly older and in deep thought, alluding to the fact that she might be reflecting on her time at Hailsham.  Next, the cover at top right creates a feeling of peace and solidarity.  The lone boat might represent the isolated nature of Hailsham, yet the calm water  and picturesque sky could represent how Hailsham is a peaceful setting when compared to the realities of the students' futures.  Third, the cover on the bottom left is the only one out of the four the gives its audience a cold and negative feeling.  The drawing alludes to the organs that the students must donate, and the coloring of the cover shows the dark and inevitable futures of the students.  Finally, the cover on the bottom right shows a blurred image of a women, directly referencing the title in the way that her moving figure represents her leaving or 'letting go.'

The first cover I will examine more closely is the top right cover, with the setting of this cover being especially interesting to me.  If I had not read this book, I would probably think that the novel had to do with losing someone at sea.  However, having read the novel I can understand that the boat and the sea are a metaphor for Hailsham's context within the novel. As I stated earlier, the single boat represents how isolated and closed off Hailsham is from the rest of society, as even Kathy cannot remember where it is.  The boat is also a symbol for Hailsham is one of a kind, in the since that Hailsham students are 'lucky' and that other clones are not brought up in nearly the same conditions.  Also, the calm state of the sea alludes to how Hailsham is an oasis for the students who are sure to see many storms in their near futures.

The second cover I will examine more closely is the bottom left cover, mainly because it is so contrasting to the other three.  When I first saw this image, I immediately thought of smoking and how it destroys the lungs.  With the lungs being the first thing that my eyes were drawn to in the image, and the grey-charcoal color of the cover, I was reminded of all the commercials and ads advocating against smoking.  If I had not read the novel, I would have therefore thought that the novel had something to do with losing loved ones do to smoking.  Also, personally losing two grandparents to smoking would have reinforced this assumption.  However, having read the book, this cover definitely offers a pessimistic view of the novel.  As a reader, you can sometimes choose to focus the good aspects of a novel and what can be learned from it, or you can choose to criticize its unique qualities.  Personally, I try to learn something from a work of literature.  Especially in this case,  I tried to focus on the parts of NLMG that I could learn from, and have tried to not take my numbered days in high school for granted as a result.  However, this cover appears to focus on the negative aspects of the novel and the dark futures of the students at Hailsham.