A Study Of Never Let Me Go From The Perspective Of Existentialism

Kazuo Ishiguro is a great British novelist whose novel Never Let Me Go is considered as one of the best novels from 1923 to 2005. Ishiguro shows his concern about the existential plights and inner world of the clones in the novel.As to the novel, critics home and abroad have done different researches from different aspects. However, few critics have interpreted the novel from the theory of existentialism. Based on the fact, the thesis tries to adopt some main contents of existentialism including “absurd world”, “free choice” and “self-transcendence” to carry on a comprehensive analysis of the existential plights and mental state of the clones in the novel.The thesis is composed of three main parts including introduction, the body and conclusion. In the introduction, the paper mainly introduces the life and achievements of Ishiguro, the basic plot of Never Let Me Go and literature reviews on the novel at home and abroad. The main body of the paper is made up of three chapters. Chapter one mainly analyzes the main existential plights that the clones face. The second chapter mainly analyzes the psychological situation of the main characters in the existential plights including the angst for death and loneliness. The third chapter mainly discusses the different transcendence of the main characters. Although the clones are living in the plights, they are not willing to give into them; instead, the characters actively and bravely take action and fight against the predestined fate. Finally, the three characters transcend the plights and themselves.According to the analysis above, the paper comes to the conclusion that Ishiguro displays his deep concern about the existential and spiritual plights of people in modern society by the journey of the characters. Ordinary people should make free choices and explore the potentials in our lives to fight against the predicaments and reveals the significance and value of existence.