Although the clone life of guardians, carers, donations,
and completion is atypical to an actual human experience, the two upbringings
are similar in many ways. Hailsham
students had an unusually normal time, as Miss Emily notes, “we sheltered you
during those years, and we gave you your childhoods…your happiness at Hailsham”
(268). Just as many children in
developed nations are shielded from danger and responsibility by their parents,
the students at Hailsham were allowed to play, socialize, and relax in blissful
near-unawareness for over a decade. At
first glance, nothing disqualifies these “poor creatures” (272) from appearing to
be genuine human beings; they laugh, bully, discuss, fight, and die. These resemblances are by no means
unintentional. In order to make his
novel’s message more impactful, Ishiguro attempts to make his clone characters realistic
and relatable to readers. Never Let Me Go's major
theme transcends science-fiction: old age and death are always approaching, so always cherish the time
at hand.
In Ishiguro’s world and ours, regardless of any action
taken, life ends the same. Truly, even for
the most loving, talented, and intelligent people that have lived, “there’s
definitely nothing. No deferral, nothing
like that” (266) from death. Tommy and
Kathy seek such an extension due to the nagging feeling that they “were doing
all of this too late” (242) in their relationship; three bonus years, however
improbable, might erase some of their regret.
Clearly, there are consequences to wasting away one’s youth in social
insecurity, teenage drama, petty bickering, and fear of loss. When Miss Emily states deferrals simply do
not exist, Ishiguro is reaffirming that his audience should value passionate
risks and bold talks instead of last-minute bailouts.
Ruth
serves as Ishiguro’s primary example of a life plagued by procrastination and
frivolity. The thought of her immature
actions keeping Tommy and Kathy apart torments her for years. Only when she nears death does she attempt to fix
it, pleading in denial, “It’s not too late. Kathy, listen, it’s not too late”
(233). The price of delaying this uncomfortable
albeit important “serious talking” (234) with small talk regarding subjects “immediately
in front of us” (221), parallels the toll of Ruth’s first donation. Ishiguro’s audience should view Ruth’s demise
as a precautionary tale against harboring repressed emotions, what-ifs, and
regrets. Ishiguro’s clone farming regime
need not utilize force or brainwashing to prevent rebellion; the simple human
nature of second-guessing and fear of failure prevents clones from achieving their
most basic desires, let alone a total uprising.
I agree that carpe diem is a recurring theme throughout this novel. The guardians are fully aware of the fate awaiting each student, yet they continue teaching the students. Tommy vocalizes the question that may form in many readers’ minds when he asks Miss Emily what the point was in such an education when the students were bound to “give donations anyway, then die” (259). Miss Emily then explains the importance of not only the lessons, but the entire atmosphere of Hailsham as she replies, “whatever else . . . you grew up in wonderful surroundings” (261). She holds the opinion that no matter what the students are destined to face later in life, it is important to make the most of the time they have.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I also viewed Ruth’s situation as the most blatant lesson about the dangers of wasting the time allotted in this life. Ishiguro illustrates the guilt Ruth feels for delaying Tommy and Kathy’s happiness—the “worst thing” (232) she ever did. However, he also demonstrates the effects that delaying serious matters can have on others. Because Ruth waited so long to correct her mistake, Tommy and Kathy also face consequences. Ruth not only delayed their developing a relationship, but she did so until it was “too late” (242). Although “there’d once been a time for it” (242), the obstacles Kathy and Tommy face prevent them from developing their relationship to its fullest potential in the time they have left.
It's interesting to see the contrast between the idea of "carpe diem" and the class discussion of the clones. As we discussed, it would make sense if the clones were far more spontaneous and adventurous than those of us who can reasonably expect to live to old age, but instead they simply live a normal life. It makes me question whether there really is such a difference between us and the clones. They aren't traveling the world, but right now I'm not either. They're not working to transform the world in huge ways, and aside from voting and calling my representatives, I'm not either. I wonder if Ishiguro means to paint a quiet life as a tragedy (disclaimer, I know nobody's murdering me for my organs in ten years as long as we don't enter a truly terrible dystopia). But I don't know– is it truly tragic to be close to death and not seize the day? It seems like we mock this impulse when it occurs in the form of a midlife crisis. Is it inherent to the age of the characters? Is it only sad because they're dying younger than we'd hope they would?
ReplyDeleteSince I'm writing a thesis on this right now, I'm reminded of the androids in "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick. Similarly to the clones, they're second-class citizens with shortened lifespans. However, they are notoriously rebellious, necessitating entire police forces dedicated to hunting down the rogues. While that book isn't YA, it's interesting to me that the reaction of the characters to this challenge lines up more closely with what the class perceives as a classic YA reaction, namely trying to escape a bad situation at any cost.
I found it very interesting to see the various ways you connected our human lives to the lives of the clones at Hailsham. Ishiguro definitely explores the idea of choosing fight over flight. In other words, the characters in the novel do not try to flee from their impending deaths, but they embrace the time they do have left. Although it is true that both our lives and the clones lives inevitably come to an end, I think that the clones have much more reason to live by the phrase, "carpe diem" than we as humans do. The primary reason for this is that the clones know exactly what will happen to them. In fact, Miss Lucy even tells them, "Your lives are set out for you" (81). The clones realize that their lives are finite and will come to an end in a short number of years. The clones are merely living on a countdown. However, for us humans, we try not to think about death. We do not know when we will die, and therefore, we are not necessarily always thinking about how much time we have left. While I do agree that Ishiguro is trying to get the audience to value speaking transparently and not holding back, I think that the clones are ultimately more inclined to do so than us humans since they are more conscious of the limited amount of time that they have left.
ReplyDelete