Biotechnology as a cause of dystopian society In Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let me Go

 

In an effort to create a perfect world where everyone is happy and live a long life, human have created a different class of people called the clones. 

In this article I will analyze the novel “Never Let me GO” by Kazuo Ishiguro with focus on biotechnology as a major cause for a dystopian society. We are concerned about all the positive impacts of biotechnology but the novel is an eye opener about the dark sides of biotechnology and the dire consequences that it may bring upon us.

 There was a time when the average life of a human would be 40 years. But with development of science and medicine, the life expectancy of human is ever increasing. But we are not satisfied with our present life expectancy. We are always in effort to increase our life. Everyone wants to live longer.  What Ishiguro displays in Never Let Me Go is this hunger in us humans that gives us the drive to use everything at hand to our benefit, most of the time completely ignoring the consequences while doing so. This is exactly why Kathy H, a clone made for human use, is the narrator. The book stands as a warning to people, giving the message that some outcomes matter, even though they have no effects whatsoever on our daily lives. In a way the book offers a way of soul-searching and preventing possible future problems, since being a human means realizing facts when it is too late to turn the tables.

 

 

Human beings often imagine about a perfect world where there is no poverty, hunger, disease and everyone lives a happy long life. Plato imagined an enlightened republic ruled by philosopher kings. Many religions promise blissful afterlife. And throughout history various groups have tried to build paradise on Earth. Thomas More’s 1516 book “Utopia” gave this concept a name, Greek for no place. Though the name suggests impossibility, modern scientific and political progress raised hopes of these dreams finally becoming reality. But time and time again they instead turned into nightmare of war, famine and oppression. And as artists began to question utopian thinking, the genre of dystopia, the not good place, was born. While lots of dystopian works are fictional, the best known dystopias were not imaginary at all. As Europe suffered unprecedented industrial warfare, new political movements took power. Hitler’s idea of a pure world led to World War II. Some promised to erase all social distinctions, while others sought to unite people around a mythical heritage. The results were real-world dystopias, where life passed under the watchful eye of the state and death came with ruthless efficiency to any who didn’t belong. In his novel, “Never Let me Go”, Ishiguro describes of a futuristic world (although it is set in 1990’s) which is a nightmare, a dystopia. This novel tries to tell us that in attempt to achieve utopia, we may lead the world to dystopia. Prolonging life unnaturally is like going against the nature and one has to bear the consequences when he goes against the nature.

 

Only humans question and challenge the rules of nature. We do not see animals or plants expand their horizons, dress up, or go for more than they need. Only humans have the capacity to want more, and we go all the way to get what we want in every possible field. In Ishiguro's novel, which is set in past times unlike most dystopian novels, there has been a breakthrough in medicine as we are informed at the beginning of the novel. The average life span of humans is in 100s, because clones are there to donate vital organs to people who need them in order to live longer and healthier lives. We are not told how many clones a person is assigned or if everybody gets them, so there are some elements that are open to interpretation. I believe, since the clones think they are modeled on "trash", everybody gets clones, which means the cloning process was not developed in order to have the beautiful minds live longer and be more productive, but as a gift to humanity from biotechnology.

 

Biotechnology is considered most important for its implications in health and medicine. From King Gilgamesh of Sumerian City of Uruk to Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang, from Egyptian Pharaohs to Rakshyas of Hindu mythology, all seem to seek for a long or if possible never ending life. And now with the development of biotechnology, this seems possible. But at what cost? Human beings have always been selfish. They have exploited natural resources for their selfish desires. In present world we mass produce animals in order to consume them. They are not allowed to live their natural life. They have a purpose to serve human and their whole life is under control of human beings. The animals don’t know the purpose of their existence. They are tortured and killed gruesomely. They never get to live the life that their wild counterpart enjoy. Something similar is shown in Ishigiuro’s novel “Never Let me Go”. The clones are considered as the ‘others’, i.e, they are inferior to humans. They exist only for the purpose of prolonging human life. Human totally ignore the fact that the clones also have same feeling, needs, wants and desires as any human. Unlike animals, the clones are totally conscious and as capable as a real human. But they never get to live a life like a real human. The clones have to life a restricted and controlled life as if they were some animals produced in a farm.

 

Development of biotechnology in Ishigiro’s “Never Let me Go” proves that science can be a boon as well as a curse. In an effort to create a perfect world where everyone is happy and live a long life, human have created a different class of people called the clones. The real humans may be glad to enjoy the prolonged life but they have neglected the very existence of the clones. They consider the clones nothing but a medium to prolong human life which is not true. The clones are treated inhumanely. Hailsham was the last place where the clones were treated in a little humane way. This shows that the world would be harsher for the clones in future because the human consider them as other and ignore their freewill. There was a time in human history when the white people considered the black people as second class citizens. They exploited the black people and considered it as their right to do so. Here in the novel too, the real human don’t consider the clones to be their equal. Instead they think it is totally right to use the clones for their good despite danger to the latter’s life. Such a world is nothing but a dystopian world.

Being Hospitalized for the first time

 

I came to some realizations during my first hospitalization experience. In fact, I would never know those things if I weren’t been hospitalized at that time. Something big needs to happen in our life to bring a big change in our life. Being hospitalized in order to get shoulder surgery was a big thing in my life. Last month I got admitted to Dhulikhel Hospital to get surgery for recurrent shoulder dislocation. I got admitted a day prior to my surgery and had to stay in the hospital for five days post-surgery. The experience made me think about many such things which I considered trivial and not worth even thinking of. I came to realize things such as the difference between hearing about a thing and actually experiencing it, the difficulties of a patient who has just undergone surgery, hard work done by medical professionals, and the importance of true friends.

There is a huge gap between hearing or learning about a thing and actually experiencing that thing. That’s why it is said that practical learning is the best way of learning. Prior to my surgery, I had watched some videos of the surgery called “Latarjet”. I also met some people who had undergone the same surgery as mine. I took all these things lightly. I thought that I would enter the operation theatre, get the surgery and exit. That would be all. I would return from the operation theatre as if I had gotten an X-ray image taken. But it was nothing as I imagined. I signed a consent form before getting the surgery. It said that the surgery may have side effects or it could totally fail but the hospital wouldn’t be responsible. I readily signed it because I couldn’t back out at that point where I was lying on the hospital bed. I remember getting a strong anaesthesia dose and nothing after that. I came into my consciousness after five long hours. But it felt like fifteen minutes to me. Here I realised the real feel of anaesthesia which until this time, I had only read about in books. After the surgery, I was so weak that I could barely move my body let alone walk on my legs different from what I had imagined. I had to be shifted to the inpatient ward with the help of a wheelchair. After I reached the Inpatient ward, I was fully conscious. Then I realised that as a side effect of the strong anaesthesia I was unable to move my right hand. My left shoulder had just gone through surgery and my left arm was under an arm immobiliser so there was no chance that I could move my left hand. These all experiences led me to a realisation that we understand a thing completely only when we truly experience that thing in our life. If I hadn’t gone through that surgery, I would have never known what it would feel like to have surgery or to be unable to move both your hands for 48 hours or to spend five long hours thinking it was just fifteen minutes.

 

 

 

People who have never undergone surgery can never understand the pain and trauma of the person who has gone through surgery. Similarly, people who have never gone through ageing never understand the problems of the elderly. People who have proper eyesight can never tell how difficult it to be blind is. This can go on. I remember being bothered by my grandfather who would take two minutes just to get on a bus. I would wonder why he wouldn’t get on the bus as quick as I did. I remember seeing patients in hospitals who would walk here and there slower than a tortoise, perhaps. I remember patients who would spend thirty minutes in the toilet and made me wait for eternity. I would wonder why all these people were so slow. Can’t they be a little faster? The answer is: no they can’t. Forget doing things fast. Doing things slowly is painful to them. How do I know this? Yes, you guessed it right. I know it because I have gone through a nightmare. After my surgery, I had to take the help of a caregiver to do practically everything. It was for about two days. After two days I was able to walk, eat and dress on my own. But my body would pain every time I did these activities. And I was unbelievably slow. My body would pain every time I coughed or sneezed. But the caregiver, the nurse and other people seem not to understand my situation. They handled me harshly and sometimes would be angry as I was too slow with things. Once when I was in the X-ray room to get an X-ray, the radiographer undid my arm immobilizer abruptly. I felt intense pain in my left shoulder. He didn’t even apologize even though he could see the pain in my face although I didn’t express my pain through words. All these experiences made me think that we may be sympathetic but we can never be truly empathetic unless we have experienced the same kind of thing or we have closely observed some near ones who have experienced the same kind of thing.

Bad times show who your true friend is. I had informed my friends about my surgery date. I had expected them to show up and assist me. But most of them had their own things to do. Now I am not telling that they are bad people. It is just that I was not on their priority. My friend, Santosh was the only one to show up. He accompanied me to the hospital, talked to the surgeon for me and waited for five long hours anxiously during my surgery. He was more worried about me than me. After the surgery, he took the best possible care of me. As I was unable to move both hands, he assisted me with everything. I burst into tears when he undid my pants’ zip so that I could take a piss. I had never thought that I would ever need the help of another person to urinate. That was a very strong moment for me. Thousands of things ran into my mind. I realized the importance of a true friend. “One true friend is better than thousand superficial ones”. I had read this numerous times but realised this statement only on that day. People who remain by your side at your worst are your true friends. And if someone chooses to desert you when you need them the most, it’s their choice. You can do nothing about it. Actually, it would be worthless to try.

Medical professionals are one the most hardworking people. Their work is sensitive, full of pressure and challenging. They have to work different shifts on different days. I spent a whole week with these people so I can say at least some things to sing their praise. In a country like Nepal, where a doctor has to serve 1700 patients per day and a nurse has to take care of 1000 patients, it takes a big heart to choose such a profession where you have to work to your bone and you aren’t even paid well. I saw that the work was hectic for the medical professionals. The surgeon who operated on my left shoulder is one of the top orthopaedic surgeons in Nepal. One needs to wait for two hours to get a five-minute appointment from him. Hundreds of patients visit him every day. If I had to deal with hundred people per day in my work, I would have resigned right away. But he was too modest and remembered the names of all his patients. He clarified everything to me regarding my surgery. Similarly, other staffs of the hospital were also hard workers. Some would get anxious and shout at patients or the visitors but I think anyone would do the same when you have to deal with hundreds of people in a day and some of them are assholes. I realised that the medical professional of Nepal, especially those working in government hospitals are really hard workers. They do their best in order to fulfil their duty.

It is said that strong emotions lead to strong actions. My time in Dhulikhel hospital brought many moments where I felt strong emotions. I realised the importance of a true friend. We do need a helping hand sometimes in our life. So, we must work hard to earn true friends and work even harder to maintain a good friendship with them. After all, we also need to be worthy of their friendship. Similarly, I learnt that to understand others, we need to feel empathetic. If you want to understand the person in front of you, you need to be in his shoes. You need to think from his perspective. Finally, the best teacher of our life is life itself.

 

My First Book

 

My first book has taught me to always believe in myself. If you want a thing wholeheartedly, then the whole world conspires to bring that thing to you. This is a world-famous line from a world-famous book, “The Alchemist” which happens to be my first and my favourite book. It might be a matter of surprise that I did not read any books besides my textbooks during my school days. Neither my parents nor my teachers encouraged reading. That's why I consider "The Alchemist” as the first book which I read during my 3 months holiday after my S.L.C examination. It is a novel written by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho. It was first published in 1985. A.D  and got a lukewarm response. But with the passage of time, the masterpiece got worldwide recognition and has been translated into several languages. I read the book in the English language in 2011 A.D. Since then, I have re-read the book several times. In fact, I read the book every time I feel low in my life to boost my energy once again. The book tells the story of a young Spanish shepherd who wishes to roam around the world and his adventure to Egypt. This book has taught me to always follow my dreams, have faith in self and god, have a purpose in life and let time decide your fate at times.

 

Santiago, the protagonist of the novel is a well-educated young man. His parents wish that he takes a prestigious job on par with his education. But he expresses his desire to visit new places and meet new people rather than staying in the same place doing table work. When he learns that he is not rich enough to be a traveller and that only a shepherd travels despite being poor, he decides to be a shepherd. Undoubtedly, his parents are greatly disappointed in him. The same goes for society. Had he chosen to live according to the will of his parents, he would never have a fulfilled his dream. This made me realise that we are not born to fulfil others' dreams but our own. Our dream and our vision may appear small to others but they should not affect us. We should never hesitate to follow our dreams even if people around us become unhappy or get offended. Similarly, at the beginning of the novel, Santiago experiences a series of recurrent dreams every night. When he visits a Gypsie woman to interpret his dream, she suggests he go to Egypt and find his treasure. An old king of Salem, Melchizedek also advises him the same. Then Santiago spends all of his life earnings to start his new adventure. His real treasure is the journey itself. He risks everything, his earnings and even his life to follow his dreams. In the same way, we should not be afraid to take risks in our life. If we get too attached to things or people, we will have to live a mediocre life. We should always pursue our dream and enjoy the journey rather than get fearful of failure.

To me, god is a kind of warm feeling that I always have inside my heart. I don't expect miracles from god. Not the god himself, but my faith in God is the more important thing for me.

 

The character of Santiago taught me that we should always have faith in ourselves and on the god. Many times, many people are unaware of their own capabilities. They are just one try far from achieving great feats. That’s why we should always believe in ourselves and push ourselves to the highest point possible. We may doubt ourselves at times but we should always be on the track with our life. Similarly, we should have faith in god. God is someone or something who acts as a guardian to the whole world. When no one is by our side, it is the god who remains by our side. We should do good deeds and refrain from doing bad deeds. Because even if we hide our crime, god watches everything. To me, god is a kind of warm feeling that I always have inside my heart. I don't expect miracles from god. Not the god himself, but my faith in God is the more important thing for me.

 

Another important character of the novel, the alchemist who is capable of turning glass into gold says that everything on this earth has a purpose. Iron is not lesser than gold. If one wants to make gold, then he needs to understand his purpose of making gold. He cannot make gold just for the sake of making gold or if he thinks iron is more valuable than gold. In the same way, we should have a purpose in our life. There is a popular saying which goes like this, "You're born twice, once when you are actually born and the second when you know why you are born." A purpose is a must in our life. A man without an aim is like a ship without direction. If you want your life to have a direction, an aim, have a purpose.

 

There are many times when Santiago is uncertain of his upcoming future. He doesn't know whether he will make it alive tomorrow or not. We also have such times in our life when we don't have things under our control. We try to pull all the strings to balance everything and have everything under our control. But we may lose control sometimes. In such times instead of having a mental breakdown or losing all our hopes, we should do everything that we can and leave the rest to our fate. Time is a very powerful thing. It can heal wounds. It can improve relations. It can turn your life upside down. So, no matter how worse the situation is or how miserable our life is at present, we should never give up and at such times we should surrender ourselves to our fate which is decided by time.

 

"The Alchemist" is a great self-help book for me. It has made me optimistic. It's like a friend to me whose support I seek in my dark times. Just like Santiago achieving the goal of his life due to his dedication, winning attitude and belief in self. I am sure that I will achieve my aim one day. I strongly recommend this book to everyone, especially the lovers of adventure, mystery and quest.