The Choice of Passivity
I'm sure many of us have found Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go to be, in some ways, anywhere from odd to uncomfortable due to his choice in having the story focus not on the rebellion against injustice, but on the acceptance of suffering, and I am no different. Every day in class I find myself in some way having to choke down bile when we discuss the ramifications of this setting for our characters, as I'm sure most everyone can tell from my contributions to the discussion. However, I feel it is important that I both clarify how this makes me feel about the story and briefly reflect on the story's meaning.
I must say that because, not in spite, of Ishiguro's choice, I find myself more interested in the story. The tale of rebellion is a compelling narrative, especially so here in America, as it is in a sense our own story, but while I know there are definitely still plenty of excellent stories of rebellion to tell, the story of quiet acceptance that Ishiguro has chosen here is a refreshingly new and distinct taste, one I cannot properly compare to anything I have come across. Besides, if the point of art is to evoke emotions, then Never Let Me Go has succeeded.
On the matter of the meaning of Never Let Me Go, there will be circumstances, situations, and eventualities that we, personally, cannot overcome. In the face of these events, we can sometimes yield greater results in not fighting against what will come, but in preparing for what comes after, even if we are not there to see it. This is a great show of strength as well, to accept that which cannot be changed in order to look past it.
Rebellion is satisfying story to tell but the fact is that most people don't rebel and just conform to society. The clones are so passive because they have been brainwashed to be passive. The passivity is not an innate personality characteristic but rather a learned behavior that is cultivated and conditioned by the guardians. The thing that I find interesting is, while we have touched on this briefly, that the story can be taken as a metaphor for oppressed minority groups. People with disabilities, people of color, religious minorities, poor people, women, LGBTQA people, have all been oppressed and stigmatized by society. This is where passivity becomes dangerous.
ReplyDeleteWhile some may find it admirable to accept one's fate, telling oppressed people to just accept their fate to mistreatment is a very privileged thing to do. Also, I do not think that Tommy, Ruth, and Kathy's sacrifice (or donations) was fated to happen and that this story should be taken as a cautionary tale for passively accepting injustice. Also, I do not see evidence of "yield[ing greater results in not fighting against what will come, but in preparing for what comes after, even if we are not there to see it", I just see needless sacrifice.