In a world where clones are a reality and forced
donations of organs are expected, Kazou Ishiguro seems to present a moral criticism
on society in his slight dystopian novel Never Let Me Go. While Mr. Ishiguro claims the novel focuses
more on the relationships between the characters, rather than the society
itself, the conversation Tommy and Kathy have at the end of the novel with Miss
Emily and Madame seems to make a larger point.
Whether that point reflects society’s complacency on immoral practices
or a person’s ability to adapt a savior complex over others, is an argument that
I’m not sure is of either merit or disregard.
In her discussion with Tommy and Kathy, Ishiguro
emphasizes Miss Emily’s character flaw that reflects in even today’s society: a
savior complex. With this conversation,
Ishiguro first develops Miss Emily’s take on how Hailsham was a stark contrast
to the poor living conditions of other places, telling Kathy and Tommy that
they “must realize how much worse things once were” (Ishiguro 261). Miss Emily tries to assert to Tommy and Kathy
that they hold a certain privilege over others to begin with, that Hailsham
provides them with a protection from the world. Miss Emily’s wording almost tries to instill a
sense of indebtedness into Tommy and Kathy, in which both should feel grateful
for her and the staff’s work at Hailsham.
This wording is found throughout the conversation, especially towards
its conclusion in which Miss Emily states that “We were able to give you
something” (268). Miss Emily places herself
and Hailsham as distanced from the society that still takes clones organs, as
though their moral treatment of the students should be applauded regardless of
the clones completion in the end.
While simultaneously separating herself and Hailsham from
the rest of society, Miss Emily also tells Tommy and Kathy that herself and
Madame still fear the students. For instance,
she explains to Tommy and Kathy that “[their] presence…appears to have tied
[Madame’s] tongue” (261). When Kathy
asks Miss Emily why Madame never seemed to like the students at Hailsham, Miss
Emily says she held her own fear over the students. On page 269 she states, “And I’d feel such
revulsion…but I was determined not to let such feelings stop me doing what was
right.” Whether this fear is supposed to
be viewed as rational or irrational, it helps to contribute to the idea of Miss
Emily’s savior complex over clones. To
feel a sense of fear because of the students rather than for the students shows
a side of Miss Emily and Madame’s own selfish humanity. That even though they fight for the fair treatment
of these students because all clones have souls of their own, they fear what the clones can become. Or maybe,
their fear reflects their own complacency in society. That despite their
honorable intentions, Miss Emily and Madame are just like everyone else who use
clones for organ donations.
The ethics of Hailsham as a ‘privilege’ for the clones, and of Madame and Miss Emily as ‘advocates’ for the clones, was also something that piqued my interest while studying this novel. The clones have a somewhat parental attachment to the guardians, vying for their affection, and generally the guardians seem to have the best-interests of the clones at heart. Perhaps this is just because from Kathy’s perspective, she was only a child and had never known anything different, but it does become particularly jarring when later Miss Emily explains how she’d “feel such revulsion” when raising Kathy and all of her peers (269). Hailsham is explained to be some experimental utopia, but even the people passionate enough to dedicate themselves to this cause were still repulsed by the presence of the clones. I think this scenario which Ishiguro has created poses the question of whether our actions or our prejudices matter more. While obviously flawed and temporary, the work of Madame and Miss Emily did significantly improve Kathy’s life, regardless of their own personal prejudices. However, at the same time, the children were never given true affection by the guardians, evidenced by how desperately they tried to earn it, and of course Hailsham in the first place was only ever a band-aid on a much larger systemic issue. Compared to the rest of society, the guardians certainly did more for the clones than is expected, but there is something disturbing about Tommy and Kathy’s return to Madame in the later portion of the novel. It’s uncomfortable to see the closest people to parents Tommy and Kathy ever had, describing how when the funding stopped they just simply packed up shop and returned to regular society. And when Tommy and Kathy’s last piece of hope is being shredded before their eyes, Miss Emily and Madame’s preoccupation with their dresser being safely removed by the movers haunts the scene, revealing in the end, the reality of their indifference.
ReplyDeleteHailsham is portrayed as one of the best centers for the clones and sometimes is said to get special treatment. Throughout the book when Kathy was a carer many of her donors wanted to hear about Hailsham and how they were treated. However the whole experiment of the clones at Hailsham calls into question if the guardians really had the clones' interest at heart. The one thing that I found interesting was how in the dark the clones were throughout their life at Hailsham. When Miss Emily talked to Kathy and Tommy at the end of the novel, Tommy asks what happened to Miss Lucy. Miss Emily explained that Miss Lucy wanted the students to be made aware of their futures. However the guardians at Hailsham thought it best to shelter the students as much as they could, so they could have a “childhood”. “Yes, in many ways we fooled you… But we shalted you during those, and we gave you your childhoods" (268). By doing this Miss Emily believed she was saving them from their future, which relates to her “savior complex”. I don't think by not telling them the students were able to enjoy their childhoods any more if they were told. They still didn't have freedom and were forced to stay inside the school. The guardians wanted to justify the killing of these students by giving them the best possible childhood they could. Miss Emilys’ savior complex helped in some way for them to have a better life but in the end these students grew up in ignorance and false hope. They were raised to be donors and still stigmatized against society.
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