While reading Never
Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, it is very difficult not to draw parallels
between the world he creates and the world that we live in. While this seems to
be the Ishiguro’s intention in writing Never
Let Me Go, the concept of raising clones for the purpose of organ
donations does not seem like too big of a leap from our current circumstances.
An interesting question was raised that with the advent of autonomous vehicles,
the number of car accidents will drop significantly. Without car accidents the
main source of organ donations will be lost, and demand for organs will
skyrocket. We frequently see in human history the negative power of rhetoric
and societal norms; Hitler and the Holocaust, or the Crusades, or what is
happening right now in North Korea. It is not uncommon for terrible ideas to
spread and become normal among society, and as such I see the possibility of
our world becoming similar to Ishiguro’s at some in the future.
Towards the end of the novel, Miss Emily tells Kathy and
Tommy that most people did not consider clones to be humans, “we took away your
art because we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we
did it to prove you had souls at all" (Ishiguro 260). They took away their
artwork at a young age in an attempt to highlight the human qualities of the
clones and to prove that they had a soul just like normal people because most
people did not think they were. This seems very similar to the mindset that
many Nazi soldiers had towards the Jewish people. They did not see them as people,
and so they felt okay with the actions they were committing. Likewise, I think
that the normal people in Ishiguro’s Never
Let Me Go did not consider the clones to be human and so felt okay killing
them to take their organs. This book is terrifying simply because of the
obvious similarities between our own society and theirs. With autonomous
vehicles, the demand for organs will rise and questions will start to be asked
about where the new organ donations will come from. If we aren’t able to successfully
grow new organs in labs or in other animals, I fear that an idea very similar
to Never Let Me Go could be
suggested. That we simply grow our organs in a clone of ourselves, and we will “complete”
them when a real person needs an organ.
I agree with your analysis here, Sam. The world of Never Let Me Go appears to be a bit more scientifically progressed than our world. Emily describes this when she tells Kathy that “Suddenly there were all these new possibilities laid before us, all these ways to cure so many previously incurable conditions. This was what the world noticed the most, wanted the most” (Ishiguro 202). While we are incapable of creating perfect human clones right now in our world (I don’t think), the humans in the world of the novel do not seem to be much different than the humans in the real world. Much like with the Holocaust, there were a few dissenters trying hopelessly to stop the madness amongst an overwhelming number of people who had accepted the horrifying new norms because they did not directly hurt them. The women from Hailsham trying to “prove [the clones] had souls” (201) through displaying their artwork simply did not have the numbers or the support to successfully change the system. People (both in the novel and in the real world) are unwilling to give up something that benefits themselves, regardless of major ethical issues. Real world ethical issues will continue to become more complex and questionable as our world develops technologically.
ReplyDeleteYour point about the potential lack of organs in the future is an interesting topic to discuss. According to a BBC article published in 2015, China currently has the largest population in the world, but they also have one of the lowest organ donation levels in the world. Until recently (as recently as the beginning of 2015), China’s executed prisoners were used as organ donors, but this was widely criticized as unethical. Now that organ donations are completely reliant on public volunteers, a thriving black market has developed to compensate for the lack of donors. For many on the receiving end their choices are slim; it could be years before they are able to receive a legally obtained organ and alternative life-prolonging treatments can be money and time consuming. Unlike in the novel, both the recipient and the donor are fully aware and informed, but are driven by their desperation to go through with the illegal trade.
ReplyDeleteUnder these circumstances, it is easy to see how the jump could be made from our current system of organ donations to one more similar to the system in Never Let Me Go. I would even argue that, ethically, these two situations are almost equal. In the novel, the clones are not seen as humans. The “real” people, or organ recipients, have given themselves a moral excuse in that they can say that they are not hurting any humans. In their eyes this is not an ethical or moral dilemma at all, which is why the guardians at Hailsham, who know the clones are very much human, try so ardently to prove the clones have souls.
Link to BBC article: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-33844080
The comment regarding autonomous vehicles and organ donations sparked my interest as well. In the world Ishiguro created in Never Let Me Go, the concept of raising clones is normalized, along with many other contemporary ethical debates such as organ donation, which I believe is meant to make us uncomfortable as readers.
ReplyDeleteWe are uncomfortable because this made up world is eerily similar to our own. The characters introduced, clones and ‘real people’ alike, are just like you and I except that some of them made the decision that cloning and the sacrifice of a human life is acceptable. This is a story line that his been played out in the real world time and time again. A few people make a controversial decision that affects hundreds of innocent lives and a brave few fight back. The parallel can be seen in the relationship Miss Lucy, the clones, and Hailsham itself.
The clones at Hailsham have “been told, but none of you really understand” what is going on in the greater circumstance (Ishiguro 82). They know exactly what the establishment wants them to know. This is the way certain government administrations work. The resistance, another integral part of every historical movement, is represented by Miss Lucy and is summed up by her simple “I can't listen to you any more and keep silent” (Ishiguro 81). This resistance is the way every powerful movement started, with one voice speaking the truth.
Never Let Me Go raises ethical questions to the readers because this fictional world is so realistic that we cannot help but to see our own world within it.
I agree with Sam that this is something that could pose to be a scary possibility in the future, but I think it is a question based on the strength of morality in the world and the understanding and acceptance of the cycle of life. While there are parallels between Nazi Germany and dehumanization to the point where organ donor clones might appear to be an “okay” thing, I feel like this type of thing could never happen. The world is much more regulated now, and most countries are involved internationally with others in some way or another. I think that if something like this were to be started up, there would be no way of hiding or secluding it. I think that most people would see it as completely dehumanizing and unethical, and I think that countries would keep one another in check. Also, In Never Let Me Go and from our in class discussions, it almost makes it seem that people want the organ donations so that they can live longer. I understand this when it’s in comparison to health and it not necessarily being the time to die, but when you get older, you are inevitably going to die, and organ donations won’t stop that, they’ll just defer the end.
ReplyDeleteI also do not think it is a huge possibility of the future because of the way that science and technology are moving in this world. Yes, while it is true that car accidents may be lessened by automatic driving cars leading to less deaths and less organ donations, other advancements will also take place with these cars. There is a very large probability that one day there will be manmade organs that are completely compatible with the human body, and the need for human donations will be gone. This is the main reason why I can’t see what happens in Never Let Me Go happen in our world today or in the future.