Cloning

Dehumanization of Clones Cloning is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occur in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects, or plants produce asexually. Scientists have had limited success cloning mammals as well. Theoretically cloning humans is on the near horizon. Set in England in the late 1900’s, the science fiction novel, Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro creates a world in which clones are created as sentient beings who are painfully aware that their sole purpose in existence is as a vehicle from which their organs will be harvested for their paired human. Ishiguro uses his characters Kathy and Tommy to portray the social conflict and tragedy as they go through their process of a clone. Like all clones, Kathy is brought up knowing her life would be over at a young age, once her usable organs are depleted. An unlikely romance between Kathy and Tommy occurs, but Kathy knows this relationship is doomed before it can begin. Throughout the book, this relationship becomes very difficult to maintain since they both know that their destiny is predetermined. As a “carer” Kathy is able to delay the inevitable harvesting of her own organs; but upon Tommy’s death, she no longer has a raison de etrere. Kazuo is cautioning that if the world keeps on the path, this dehumanized version and vision could be the future. In the end, Kathy comes to terms with her conflict she has been running away from in the entire novel and accepts the tragedy of her shortened life. Kathy, the main character of the novel, tells the story about her struggle as a clone. Her identity in the novel is extremely confused about who she is and what she is doing with her life. Kathy has grown up learning about who she is from her boarding school Hailsham. Hailsham teaches her that she is born a clone and her purpose in life is to wait until a human was in need of her organs, at which point they will be harvested.