Topic > The theme of a dystopian society in Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

IndexIntroductionDystopian society in Never Let Me GoFear of the outside worldDehumanizationConstant surveillanceConclusionReferencesIntroductionNever Let Me Go, written by Kazuo Ishiguro in 2005, is about the perspective of a woman named Kathy growing up knowing how she will die and her friends. They attend a boarding school called Hailsham which raises them from birth and are informed of their certain death by donating their organs. The book revolves around love, betrayal and mortality between the three friends who move ever closer to their depressing fate of certain death. This book uses the theme of dystopia, where society is experiencing a time of great anguish and injustice, to express how the characters and students of Hailsham are treated and have a dark future ahead of them. Ishiguro used the theme of dystopia in a society by adding elements to the story such as fear of the outside world, society in a dehumanized state, and constant surveillance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Dystopian Society in Never Let Me GoFear of the Outside WorldIn Never Let Me Go, the author used the theme of dystopia in a society demonstrating the fear of the outside world. One example was that Kathy was afraid of the woods outside her home called Hailsham. It explains how a boy ran away into the woods and his body was found two days later. Another was a ghost who haunted the woods and who was a student at Hailsham. Kathy raised a crucial detail after announcing her fear of the woods when she said the older students were told this had happened by their guardians, the Hailsham teachers. He said: "older students told us that was exactly what guardians told them when they were younger." This shows how students' perspective and actions were controlled by the school by falsifying information to implement fear. The fear of the outside world and its effect on the students reinforces that Ishiguro exemplified a dystopian society. Dehumanization Another example of how Ishiguro described a dystopian society was the dehumanized state the society was in. At the beginning of the story, the characters' backgrounds were not provided. , for example who their parents were. They grew up in a boarding school and remained there throughout their childhood. In Never Let Me Go later, Kathy and Tommy eventually discover that they are clones. The clones' purpose is to donate their organs, which ultimately kills them. Ruth, Tommy and Kathy discuss how scary donations are because they could die from their fourth donation or even their second donation. They talked about how a friend of theirs named Chrissie who “completed (died) during her second donation.” They begin to argue about how unfair it is to not have a say in the matter or about their predicted certain death. However, the book does not explain what happened that caused Britain, where the story takes place, to breed clones only to kill and harvest their organs. The clones were placed in Hailsham because of the treatment they received from real human clones and to demonstrate that they are human and should be treated as such. To prove that they are human, the guardians ask them to make works of art to show their emotions and human qualities. Never Let Me Go clarifies how society lived in a dehumanized state with the creation of clones, breeding and killing them for organs. Constant surveillance Ishiguro also portrays a dystopian society in Never Let Me Go, demonstrating how students were constantly under pressure from surveillance and7)