Summary Detailed context - Never Let Me Go and Frankenstein
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Course
Unit 2 - Prose
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
Detailed notes on a variety of different context points from Never Let Me Go and Frankenstein, providing ideas and key points to consider in exam essay writings, with a range of scales from personal to historical.
-Use of science and dystopia as a new way to examine the human condition. Ishiguro’s
novel refuses to conform to many of the norms of either dystopia or sci-fi, using these genres
more as stepping stones in a markedly ordinary and relatable story. It’s not a dystopia,
because despite what seems like an apocalyptic, controlling setting, the characters enjoy
their setting and have strong feelings of attachment and belonging to it, which challenges
ideas of traditional dystopian novels, where the protagonist reels against their environment.
Perhaps the human thing to do is to accept whatever situation life throws at us - Ishiguro
argues that ‘human’ rebellion against authority and unjust lifestyles is a rare and unrealistic
event that doesn’t belong in a realistic novel.
-Importance of fear to a dystopia. This is another element that is absent, or at least
suppressed, within the novel.(though could the ‘woods’ point to some kind of fear? The
clones seem to fear the outside and at least feel uncomfortable, eg as shown by Norfolk
episode) The ‘guardians’ are all described lovingly, and the main threats dealt with in the
novel come from interpersonal relationships - epitomised perhaps by Ruth and Kathy’s
relationship - with Kathy still caught up in little details years later, even after Ruth has passed
away - or the loss of the people Kathy is closest to. Perhaps what Kathy fears most is the
loss of her childhood - all the things associated with it, and ultimately her own life. However
this fear is never directly addressed, (maybe during the clown/ balloon episode, actually) and
there is never much fear towards the ‘dystopian regime’ present in the novel - it is not an
important aspect of the novel, I would argue.
-Setting of 80s and 90s as a culturally tumultuous time, with Thatcher in office. There was a
resistance to change in this time, and an ‘ England drained of all bright [colors].’ in Ishiguro’s
words, which is reflected in the surroundings that Kathy often describes. ‘the sky big and
grey and everchanging’ (start of chap10, part 2) The declining state of industrial towns and
seaside resorts seeps into the setting of NLMG, making a depressing contrast to the bright
and picturesque setting of Hailsham. As we reach the present, and the end of Kathy’s life,
England’s setting shows its true lack of colours and features. Norfolk perhaps a key setting.
The final scene of the novel is beside a field, yet there is lots of imagery of the coastline: ‘like
the debris you get on a seashore’, shore-line of odd stuff’, ‘everything I’d ever lost since my
childhood had washed up’, perhaps echoing Norfolk. Beside the sea is where Kathy feels
she can connect to her past. The natural cycles of the waves and the ‘wind’ of the last
scene, - links to water motif running throughout the novel - perhaps evoke the natural
brevity of our lives. Kathy accepts her fate by curating her life and immortalises herself by
telling her story. Water appears when people slip away - Tommy, Ruth ‘walks off into the
rain’, they are ‘peering into the rain’ when Miss Lucy tells them about their future in chap7,
etc. Key motif of the future and mortality catching up to them.
-The closure of mines and industry increased class divisions during this time period.
Thatcher was and remains a divisive political figure. Classism and a ‘them and us’ attitude
recur throughout the novel, reflecting these anxieties - in Kathy’s strange address to the
implied listener, and at the Cottages, with the characters of Rodney and Chrissie. Ishiguro
comments that by separating themselves, the clones create an identity of ‘Hailsham
, students’, uniting them and allowing them to ignore the plight of other groups of people - very
true of real life, and of the non-clones within the novel too.
-Rapid advance in biotechnology and genetics. Creation of artificial tissues and maybe
organs. This raised ethical questions which are explored in NLMG. A hall-mark of sci-fi,
Ishiguro wonders what new dangers could be posed by unchecked scientific advancements.
Although science is created with supposedly noble intent, perhaps shown best with Victor’s
character in Frankenstein, it can lead to harm and further conflict in society. Although stem
cell research and organ harvesting could improve medical care for some, Ishiguro warns that
such advances will always have adverse and unpredictable costs, if not handled very
carefully.
-Dolly’s creation in 1996. - a key contextual moment that bears upon the novel.
-Ethics of organ donation and euthanasia - is it ok for a living patient to give organs, if they
consent or are going to die anyway? Or is this still wrong? Ishiguro questions the morality
and rights of humans that are dead or planned to die. The clones choose to give up their
lives, but they are clearly coerced. This is a key problem that comes with real life euthanasia
laws - to what extent would a vulnerable patient truly have the presence of mind etc to
decide their own life? There are ongoing discussions about the ethics and possibility of
‘death by donation’ - a tricky ethical area that combines organ donation with euthenasia - two
already controversial issues. The idea of consent is crucial both in real life ethics and within
NLMG, where Ishiguro highlights how easy it is for individuals to be brainwashed, seemingly
surrendering true ‘consent’.
-Idea of NLMG as belonging to the genre of the British Boarding School, including key works
such as Mallory Towers, The Worst Witch, or Harry Potter. Ishiguro uses the universality of a
school experience to lull readers into similar feelings of security within Hailsham, only to
reveal its insidious nature. Ironically parodies this genre, especially due to its target audience
of children (usually). Emphasises the non happy ending that awaits the clones, and their
special case of complete isolation. Parentlessness of protagonists within this genre (harry
potter, for example), makes it an apt fit for the clone conundrum, and hides the darkness at
first in the novel. Humanises the clones. The popularity of this genre actually matches with
the time period that the novel is set in, fairly closely (First half of 20th century). Ishiguro’s
own experience is clearly important too.
-Ishiguro’s work as a social worker likely informed his depictions of the ‘carers’, and may
have led to questions about what the best way to care for people, especially those who are
dying, is. Are the points of view of Madame/ Miss Emily correct? Or Miss Lucy? - ignorance
is bliss viewpoint key to the novel. Could be linked to the anti-science moral of Frankenstein.
Key quote on his opinion on this matter: ’All children have to be deceived if they are
to grow up without trauma.'
-Arguably, the sci-fi aspect of NLMG is less important than the themes of dealing with
mortality and the past - Ishiguro has stated that the use of cloning technology slotted in
perfectly - it allows for a speedrun of the clones’ lives, exploring stages of grief on a rapid
timescale, and also adds additional interest and importance to the growing up progress of
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