Among our class discussions of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, we spent a great deal of time discussing the clear oddity that lies in the novel: why do the students never rebel against their circumstances? Upon completion of the novel, I’ve found myself faced with more questions instead of clarity. In particular, Chapter 22 busts the entire story wide open, finally explaining to the reader how the clone program came about and its reception by the outside world.
During this chapter, Tommy and Kathy finally track down Madame (now known to us as Marie-Claude) to attempt to request a deferral and, in part, understand what the Gallery was for. They learn she is living with Miss Emily and that the two of them ran Hailsham together. The response to the deferral request is a clear no which was, frankly, unsurprising. What was significantly more chilling was Miss Emily’s response to the Gallery questioning.
The audience learns that Tommy’s theory wasn’t all that far off. Miss Emily summarizes the purpose of the Gallery by saying, “We took away your art because we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all” (Ishiguro 201). Because the clones are able to make art, it seems clear that they also possess souls. This seems to explain Tommy’s outburst at the end of the chapter, something the reader hasn’t seen from him since his temper tantrums at Hailsham. If the clones have souls, then what makes them different from the rest of the populace? Is it simply because they were born of unnatural circumstances and taught they had a predetermined path from the beginning? Where is the line drawn on how long we are able to control the sentient things we create?
If I were Tommy and had these thoughts running through my head I, too, would go off screaming in a field. It’s clear he’s angry, angry at his circumstances and angry at his limited time and angry at the distinction that lies between him and the “normals.” But why, then, does he not try to convince Kathy to run off and try to assimilate into the “normal” world? She has a car with a driver’s license and there are no clear markings on the two of them that scream “clone.” We never hear of people attempting to escape or, consequently, any repercussions of this so what do they have to lose?
Perhaps they’re both scared of the enormity of what they would be facing if they were discovered. The general population sees a clear, distasteful “otherness” towards the clones. In this way, then, Ishiguro’s novel can be seen less in a dystopian view and in a more familiar way; this could be the same reason people choose not to take the risk and immigrate to safer countries from their war-pocked homelands. There lies a fear of rejection from a group of people who are essentially the same as you but feel they possess an inherent superiority.
I think when considering why none of the clones rebel or run away, it’s important to consider not just the individual mindsets of characters or practicality of rebellion, but how this would affect the core messages of the novel. Rebellion or escape would certainly be possible, but Ishiguro would have to present his characters as fiery, determined idealists instead of a doomed but still hopeful group of friends. I think that the way they cling to the small, but inevitably hopeless, possibility of more life, instead of fearlessly fighting the system, creates characters that are easier to relate to. None of us will likely lead a dystopian war in our lifetime, but having hope where none would be expected is an experience we can see in our own world. Ishiguro didn’t want to write a dystopian novel, as he said; he wanted to show certain aspects of humanity that are present in our own world. Although it would be a more satisfying ending to have Kathy and Tommy beat the system and lead a real life, their support of each other when they realize there’s no hope for the future is more impactful and strikes a deeper chord than any triumphant escape could. When they “stood together like that, at the top of that field, for what seemed like ages, not saying anything, just holding each other” (274), the importance isn’t the sci-fi plot, but their actions as humans and how they support each other. This is true of the entire novel; it’s not supposed to be a story about triumph and escape, but about the relationships between the characters and how they simply face their fate.
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