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Never Let Me Go Identity Essay

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They say that a person’s identity is all that one has; every person spends a portion of their life wondering “Who am I?” For Ishiguro’s characters, these questions are not spent pondered while gazing up at ceiling panels. Due to the unorthodox anomalies that these extraordinary people face, questions of ‘What am I?’ and ‘Why am I here?’ are posed in place. What seems to be conventional for mankind has been stripped away at creation as Kathy and her group of clone peers combat a world where their destiny is predetermined. Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go is set in a dystopian society where, for the residents at Hailsham, one’s identity is decided for them. The author takes the reader on a journey with what the world regards as a ‘subhuman species’ while they become physically and psychologically identical to normals. They possess the capability to fall in love and wistfully dream, just like their creators do, and yet they are predisposed to the fate of organ donations and ultimately, death. With their futures drawn out before them, the Hailsham students cling onto the sliver of individuality displayed through their pieces of artwork. Through creativity, the clones are able to possess an identity separated from the sole purpose of their own creation: to be a vessel for organs later used to prolong the lives …show more content…

These students are rewarded with praise and recognition for beautiful works of art, establishing a relationship between validation of worth and creativity. They learn at a young age that only the best creations are placed in the gallery, a seemingly clandestine collection that provokes the curiosity of students like Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth. The mystery is only increased by Marie-Claude who gives off an apprehensive aura toward the young students, who look at themselves as

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