In Never Let Me Go, how does Ishiguro use Tommy to explore his ideas about love and loss?

One way
that Ishiguro is able to use Tommy to explore ideas of love and loss is in how Tommy strives to
find hope in both.

Ishiguro constructs Tommy as highly optimistic.  He
strives for the confirmation that everything is going to be ok.  This can be seen early on in
the story when he talks about how he felt after speaking with Miss Lucy: "Well... The thing
is, it might sound strange. It did to me at first. What she said was that if I didnt want to be
creative, if I really didnt feel like it, that was perfectly all right. Nothing wrong with it,
she said."  It is clear that Tommy seeks hope.  Part of the reason why he has his temper
tantrums and "short fuse" is because he wants everything to be fine.  As a result, he
can be easily baited.

Tommy is not emotionally distant from restoration. His
natural response to hurt is to find hope.  Whether it was in proving his artistic capacity or
appealing for a deferral because he is in love with Kathy, he displays optimism. Even if his
desire for hope might cause greater challenge, Tommy never loses it.  Ishiguro might be
suggesting that the only potential way to deal with the harrowing conditions of love and loss is
holding onto hope and never letting go.