Chapters 22-23 Summary

Miss Emily comes forward and explains everything to Kathy and Tommy. Tommy is partially correct. Their artwork had been collected by Madame in order to prove to others that the students had souls. There is no deferral program, she tells them, although she is aware of the rumors and has even let them pass because they had given some people a small fantasy of hope. She can tell that Kathy and Tommy have thought carefully about it, however, and she is sorry.

Tommy is puzzled as to why it should have to be proven that they had souls. Miss Emily explains that Hailsham was a kind of experiment created by people like herself and Madame who advocated for a more humane and civilized treatment of clones. The artwork was a way to demonstrate that clones were human. In the end, society...