In Ishiguro’s dystopian novel, Never Let Me Go, health-care becomes fueled by state-sanctioned human cloning designed to farm organs. The clones live separate from regular society, unknowing of their status as clones until they must begin donations as young adults. The novel is told through the perspective of Kathy, a clone who escaped the donation process, as she recounts her relationships and experiences as a student and carer. For the first part of the novel, the reader does not know Kathy or her classmates are clones until it is revealed to them. If used in a class, it would be best not to reveal this twist.
The novel raises ethical questions about the human experience and the medical system. While fictional and dystopic, the themes of morality, exploitation, and autonomy in medical contexts make this piece a basis for discussions of principle issues in bioethics.
Never Let Me Go uses the first person perspective to put the reader into the shoes of a “clone,” not of someone receiving their organs. This use of perspective is worth noting and could lead to discussions of perspective and identity in healthcare and health narratives. Who do we align ourselves with? How do we relate to characters, or more broadly, to people experiencing circumstances different from our own?
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Details
Language: English
Type of Story: Book
Medium: written
Contributed by: Genevieve Baldwin ( lc21-0660@lclark.edu )
Citation:
Ishiguro, K. (2005). Never Let Me Go. Faber and Faber.