S Inhuman Aesthetics In Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go follows the lives of narrator Kathy H. and her fellow clones, who are raised for the sole purpose of being made to donate their vital organs when they come of age. In the beginning of his article, “Ishiguro’s Inhuman Aesthetics”, Shameem Black poses the question, “Why is it that the characters in the novel fail to stage a rebellion, protest their fate, or move to France?” (793). This observation recounts one of the most glaring questions the reader faces when exposed to the clones’ situation. The students are given almost full reign over their lives after leaving Hailsham, before they begin their training as carers or start their donations. Given an attempt at resourcefulness, it seems as if it would be easy

The clones are conditioned, through use of the Exchanges/Sales system, manipulation of language, and the circulation of artwork to walk complacently toward their death. There is, however, a flaw in this system: Tommy. Tommy is largely unaffected by the communal identity formed in Hailsham, since his lack of creativity made him miss out on the bonding experience of sharing art. This enabled him to develop more of an individual personality and general disregard for the social cues common among his peers. Therefore, if anyone were to run away or form an escape plan, it would be Tommy. Despite this, Tommy never does escape. Black argues that the one of the main purposes of Never Let Me Go is to “[illuminate] the problems that arise when art becomes a governing ideological force” (793). Although this is a logical assumption to make, his claim misses the point Ishiguro seems to be making through his use of Tommy as a character. Tommy is the only character who seems apathetic toward the expectations of his peers. He is the only person in the novel who makes a considerable effort to avoid the donations, taking up art again, despite his general distaste for the subject, in order to prepare for his and Kathy’s meeting with Madame. Yet, his efforts are in vain. Ishiguro uses Tommy to make a statement about the futility of the clones’ situation. The main idea is not to argue the problems that come from art as a “governing ideological force”, but to argue the inherent selfishness of man (793). The rest of Britain outside of the donation system were also victims of conditioning, although self-imposed. They forced themselves to believe that killing the clones was righteous, because “human” lives are thought to be more important. It is because of the general population’s selfishness that any attempts at escape are futile. Regardless of any present