An Analysis Of The Clones’ Docility In Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro was a “homeless writer” and confessed that he had no definite role,no country to speak for or write about.Therefore,he takes an international writing style to discuss survival dilemma on different kinds of groups.Never Let Me Go depicts a group of clones’ life experience,represented by Kathy,Ruth and Tommy,and their miserable stories as donors of human organs in an imaginary society.The image of the docile clone presented in the novel has aroused extensive discussion among readers,and exploring the clones’ docility has important text value.With the employment of Foucault’s “docile bodies”,this thesis discusses the clones’ docility.This thesis probes into the clone’s docility from the three aspects as follows.Firstly,on the one hand,when they are kids,the clones stay at Hailsham school and are isolated from outside society.On the other hand,the ubiquitous surveillance and special pedagogical experiment transforms the clones’ bodies,which makes them submissive.Their behavior is monitored and judged by guardians.Secondly,after being classified as“bad” by human beings,the clones try to find their “possibles” in order to gain recognition from human beings.Also,they want to have the right of using own bodies in the face of imminent donation,so they believe in deferral theory.However,it turns out to be a failure.It is the oppression and misrecognition from the society that makes it impossible for the clones to resist.Lastly,as carers,the clones have to work round the clock and witness a dismal scene that their fellows’ organs are cut violently.All of these make them tired and traumatic.Ultimately,the clones cannot stay outside the milieu,so they become human beings’ tools.Therefore,they are lost in recalling Hailsham school.They regard donation as their primary task and volunteer to serve human society.Death is the ultimate destination of the clones.The training of the clones’ bodies and the intensification of their sense of docility gradually internalize docility into their part of character.Through analyzing the clones’ docility,this thesis shows Kazuo Ishiguro’s concern about the condition of the oppressed minorities in the modern society and his philosophical reflection on human mortality and destiny.As to the question of human death and destiny,Kazuo Ishiguro’s answer is to accept it.Human beings cannot get away from the condition they live in,and they are inclined to be passive in the face of death and destiny.To some extent,docile attitude is a meaningful last look at one’s life.