Topic > Marxist Ideology in “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishuguro

“Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishuguro is a unique dystopian novel that could be interpreted as a Marxist fairy tale. According to Marxist ideology, the working class has always been exploited to support capitalist oppressors, and here the idea is taken to its logical conclusion. Ishugro's message, which was clearly conveyed by the clones - all from the lower strata of society - is used to support the bourgeoisie. The working classes donated their bodies and health to the cause of industrialization, or to war, to protect the interests of the ruling elite. In this tale, they literally donate their bodies and lives piece by piece (through the ironic name "donations"). Through Kathy's perspective, we are exposed to the daily life of a clone, showing the struggles faced in the post-industrialized era. society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Ishuguro's description of the oppressed students of Hailsham reveals a lack of awareness of the life into which they have been introduced. Their inability to question their place in the hierarchy even after leaving Hailsham represents their lower class position, further highlighting the absence of information and freedom afforded to them. The bourgeoisie, as the dominant force, has control over the students and their destiny seen through Miss Lucy as she makes a direct statement; 'Your lives are meant for you...You will become adults, then...you will begin to donate your vital organs. This is what each of you were created to do", implying that they were constantly fed all this information about their future before they truly understood their purpose in life. In this novel, the characters are shown dehumanized in the robotic society and industrialized as they are constantly monitored with electronic bracelets, making them feel trapped and imprisoned, demonstrating a lack of awareness of the outside world. Additionally, the nurses tasked with keeping their organs healthy for future use reinforce this sense of dehumanization, treating them like robots rather than. as human beings, as if they are machines whose only purpose is to donate organs, this is shown Furthermore, through the perspective of Kathy (a clone) we see the lack of identity and understanding of who the person she is, as she questions herself. whether her identity is connected to the person she was shaped by is made clear by Ishuguro as she portrays the strength of the ruling class, to the point where their identity is hidden or unknown, so there is no longer an enemy against. to fight. The reasons against forming a rebellion are endless, so why not? During their years in Hailsham they were raised to believe that donating their organs was their sole purpose, so they learned to accept it rather than question their fate. As Ishuguro himself stated in an interview; “their circumstances seem normal to them so they feel a sense of duty,” rather than filling their lives with pain. Caregivers are shown to reinforce people's fate as they assume it is the only thing that could happen to them, so instead of questioning their fate, through their motherhood, they reinforce repression and this gives them a greater sense of responsibility. As shown at the beginning of the novel, Kathy takes pride in her work; "It means a lot to me to be able to do my job well, especially the fact that my donors remain 'calm', this sense of pride allows them to have something toaspire in their short life. On the other hand, in this Marxist fable, the students of Hailsham are so confined that they are punished if they question the situation they have been forced into or their fate. While this may create suspicion among the clones, they completely avoid any situation in which their fate is questioned, for example, when Marge K. asks Miss Lucy about smoking (an activity strictly prohibited in Hailsham) and of which the ban is therefore part of the students' internalized ideology, Kathy and her friends spring into action: "For days and days I remember how we did it. Marge's life is utter misery." Ishuguro demonstrates that these oppressed students are quite afraid of rebelling and, similarly in the Marxism, the proletariat struggles in trying to make its voice heard. The fear of standing out and being noticed by others could lead to more punishments and the implicit suggestion made by Ishuguro is that the only way we can stop the exploitation of people. for the war of another class is to completely abolish the class (the ideal of the meritocracy of socialism), demonstrating that the way to remedy this perpetual difficulty is to eliminate stratification. Hailsham was considered a place where clones felt safe and innocent. Towards the end of the novel, when the students are told that it had been demolished, their innocence seems to vanish. For students, Hailsham was a place where they were brought up and received a fair education. During their stay they were given books to read, art galleries were created and they were also given the opportunity to appreciate music. This is shown when he says "That's why we collected your art." We have selected the best and set up special exhibitions. “Here, look!” we could say. 'Look at this art! How dare you claim that these children are anything less than fully human?' Here Miss Emily talks about the importance of art and how it is a joy of life. By participating in regular activities, the clones feel less like robotic figures and more like typical humans. In protest against Marxist ideology, Miss Emily and Madame use art as propaganda for the pro-clone movement. Life at Hailsham was very different to other government homes, where they were treated more like animals than human beings. Miss Emily explains the horrible state of the other houses to Kathy when she says; “At this very moment there are students growing up in deplorable conditions that you Hailsham students could hardly imagine,” indicating that even though Hailsham students are lower class, there are still people living harder lives than them, highlighting the immense power of the bourgeoisie over the lower classes. When Kathy mentions a donor she cared for, she explains that she 'didn't desperately want to be reminded' of the place in 'Dorset' where he grew up, she wanted to know about Hailsham instead. Likewise, even though Hailsham students are presented as more privileged than others, they are still oppressed as they have never been allowed to move beyond boundaries, making them very limited in their experience. These suggestions demonstrate that they remain victims because of the caregivers who suffocate them with attention and love, this confirms their destiny as they become aware of being shaped by the least in society. In addition to this, they refuse to think too deeply about their position in the hierarchy, we see this in chapter 14 when Kathy says to Ruth "But I think Tommy's right", "It's foolish to assume that you'll have the same kind of life as yours." model. I agree with Tommy. It's just a bit of fun. We shouldn't take it too seriously," implying that questioning their fate might lead them to go.