The, Never Let Me Go, By Kazuo Ishiguro

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Who’s Existence
In today’s world, the word identity has taken a great amount of interest to the point where it has brought up many debates on topics such as race, sexuality, ethnicity, etc. What is important before debating on the topics is understanding what does identity actually mean, or what meanings does it have. The word identity means a person’s individuality and what makes them who they are. Someone can easily find out their identity by both looking through their family’s history and putting the puzzle pieces together. Many can say that it is very simple finding out where they come from, but in a clone’s case it is the complete opposite. According to Leyla Dinç, “Cloning is the production of one or more individual plants or animals that are genetically identical to an original individual. It has been used for centuries in plants and insects by using various techniques. However, mammalian cloning is a very recent development” (239). In the novel, “Never Let Me Go,” author Kazuo Ishiguro writes about three best friends, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, who happen to be clones and live in a world in which technically they do not exist. Throughout their lives they struggle with finding out who they really are, where they came from, and where they will end up going. At such a young age they are being prepared for their reality, in which this case is being donors, living a restricted life and dying after donating. They struggle with knowing why them? Why are they the chosen ones to be in that position? They want to be able to understand why they live in the life they do, they want to be able to identify themselves without questioning whether or not it is true. Ishiguro elaborates on the issue of identity that the characters struggle wi...

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...n because they are clueless. They know what they are told. They cannot go search for their family’s background and see where they were born or who their ancestors are. In reality they have no family at all. The struggle that Kathy, Ruth and Tommy go through with identity is the struggle that all the children of Hailsham must have gone through. Being confused and having the loss of hope in finding out who you really are takes a toll on the three of them. As much as identity is an issue about individuality, it is also a social issue. Being characterized as a clone is not only rough but living the life they do is also agonizing. Kathy, Ruth and Tommy at the end come to the conclusion that they have lived their lives not knowing what they are and they will die not knowing either. They have no way of finding out. So in reality who are they if they themselves do not know.

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