Humans are often plagued with anxieties regarding how they are perceived by others. Similarly, society is obsessed with finding a definition for humanity; so much so that certain groups have become marginalized due to differences that do not fit the mold. In Kazuo Ishiguro’s award winning novel, Never Let Me Go, the plot echoes the question: what makes us human? For Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy, their short lives exist for one reason— to donate their organs for the good of society (Ishiguro 81). The apex of their existence is sacrificed to donating their cloned organs for medical usage until they become complete (Ishiguro 81). For the citizens benefiting from the organ donations, the only struggle they faced was trying to convince themselves that the donors “were less than human, so it didn’t really matter” (Ishiguro 263). While the concept of clones usually raises the question of whether or not they can be considered human, Ishiguro wrote his protagonists in a way that reflects typical human traits. Ishiguro utilizes his characters; their flaws and their personalities, as context for his readers to understand how special it is to exist at all. In the novel Never Let Me Go, Ishiguro answers the question “what makes a human?” by emphasizing the human behavior of his cloned characters to show that human existence is not defined by what humans can be, but by what they are.
From the start of the novel until completion, Ruth urned for companionship and meaningful relationships with others. While she is a student of Hailsham, she purchases a pencil case from the Sale and is mendacious to her friends by telling them that it was gift from Miss Geraldine (Ishiguro 57). While this is certainly wrong of her, it later shows that Ruth desires to have a “special place in Miss Geraldine’s heart” (Ishiguro 61). Similarly, Ruth pursues a romantic relationship with Tommy D, a whirlwind of a partnership that fluctuates throughout the novel. It does not become tumultuous until Ruth, Tommy, and Kathy arrive at the cottages and Ruth begins focusing on proving her relationship for validation. She adapts the mannerisms of the older couples at the cottages, as she believes “she’d been carrying on with Tommy all wrong” (Ishiguro 121). Her relationship with Tommy becomes less about love and more about gaining her worth. She claims to read books she has never read, imitates odd mannerisms from the television, and “hits Tommy on the arm when saying goodbye” (Ishiguro 123). Kathy, calling her out, tells her that she “copies everything they (Chrissie and Rodney) do” (Ishiguro 124). This imitation is an example of Ruth attempting to prove herself to the older students in an effort to become their friends, even at the risk of hurting Tommy.
Dr. Sreenivasan and Dr Weinberger of Psychology Today discuss the human need for other people to combat loneliness. It is no secret that “being alone can result in negative reactions” (Sreenivasan and Weinberger), an issue that plagues Ruth’s mind and behavior. Her dependence on others exemplifies her humanity— humans “evolved into social beings” (Sreenivasan and Weinberger) and cannot thrive without an affiliation with others (Sreenivasan and Weinberger). An issue that prevails in today’s digital age is the affect of social media that decreases meaningful relationships with others, leading to loneliness and depression (Sreenivasan and Weinberger). Despite “how technologically sophisticated we become”, humans will always need each other (Sreenivasan and Weinberger). Ruth is human in that she feeds off of human affirmation and relationships, a trait that Ishiguro uses to show how humans need to be together to survive.
Tommy D experiences, arguably, the most development over the course of the novel. His childhood could be defined as distressed as he spent a great deal of time at Hailsham being bullied by other boys. He was “left out of games, boys refused to sit next to him at dinner, or pretended not to hear him if he said anything in his dorm” (Ishiguro 20). His temper and extreme emotion became the most intense at age thirteen, “when the persecution reached its peak” (Ishiguro 21). Even at the cottages and into early adulthood he struggles with handling his behavior, and outbursts such as the breakdown in the road (Ishiguro 274) show just how intense his emotions can be. However, despite the torment, he is able to develop his creativity and his artistic ability.
Especially towards the end of his life, Tommy becomes immersed with the creation of animal sketches. To him, “they come to life by themselves” (Ishiguro 178) and reflect his soul (Ishiguro 260). Tommy’s art is distinctive to him; and, like the rest of humanity, he can “imagine something and then make it real” (Worrall). Human creativity is distinctive to mankind and differentiates human from animal. Being creative is what “makes humans exceptional” (Worrall) as it allows mankind to grow and evolve over the centuries. Art is a huge aspect of this novel— it is the basis of Madame’s gallery and serves as the proof of the students humanity (Ishiguro 260). The guardians of Hailsham knew that, despite what society preached, the children of the school created art because they had souls (Ishiguro 260). Tommy is the prime example of such creativity, and Ishiguro utilizes the growth from little artistic influence to incredible recreations of animals to show how humans have a natural inclination to arts.
Kathy H, the novel’s narrator and protagonist, is a character who experiences the trials of human mortality and attempts to hold all of the memories in her heart. She is aware of her fate but at the same time she is not afraid of what the future holds for her. Despite having lost Tommy, Ruth, and Hailsham, she “won’t lose her memories of them” (Ishiguro 286), reminding readers of the capacity of the human memory. Ishiguro crafts Kathy into a character that pushes to “make her life meaningful” (“Tribune”) while knowing that, ultimately, she will die. She finds joy in things such as doing a “slow dance” to her Judy Bridgewater tape (Ishiguro 67) and she pursues a relationship with Tommy despite knowing that both of them will die much sooner than they want.
Even after Ruth and Tommy have completed, Kathy embraces her melancholy memories of them instead of forcing herself to forget. Her memories are something “safely in my head, and that’ll be something no one can take away” (Ishiguro 287). Kathy grows into a woman who embraces her mortality and, instead of pushing it away in fear, cultivates it into something that allows her to live the best life she can. Accepting death is freeing as it allows one to make more conscious decisions in the future (“The Art of Dying Well”). While death can provoke anxiety, viewing death in a positive light can prevent destructive behavior and help one to live their best life (“Art of Dying Well”). Kathy, like every human, knows that she will die. Her acceptance of certain death and embracing of her life makes her “undeniably and unambiguously human” (“Tribune”).
Ishiguro delivers the message that there are defining characteristics that make up the human person. Creativity, companionship, emotions, and mortality are just a few of the traits that every human since the dawn of time has grappled. On the surface, these fictional characters withhold these traits to allow readers to relate to such complex individuals, but the meaning goes deeper than that. Ultimately, Ishiguro wants his readers to deeply examine the way that they view the world and the people that inhabit it. This story, while a work of dystopian fiction, provides a modern context of human discrimination and marginalization. Despite differences in culture and custom, mankind comes from the same root and everyone is the alike in some way or another. This would logically present itself to mean that dehumanization is an incredible sin as we all withhold dignity. Humans are not made up of what they do or what they say. Their humanity comes from stripping away all of the excess and simply, purely existing. Ishiguro proves that humans are not just defined by likeness to each other, they are human because they simply are.