Never Let Me Go Identity

To explore identity is to explore a person’s true being, not knowing who a person is or what they are, can be attributed to many factors but most specifically their environment. Kazuo Ishiguro and Susanna Kaysen the authors of the science fiction novel Never Let Me Go and memoir Girl, Interrupted respectively, both explore how their character’s setting influences their search for identity by placing their characters into a journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Although not described as a stereotypical science fiction novel, Never Let Me Go can be defined as one. This novel explores the extension of human lives made possible by organ donations given by clones created for this specific purpose in a dystopian world. Never Let Me Go follows
Both authors use the similar techniques of symbolism, motifs and characterisation while foreshadowing is used by Ishiguro and metaphors by Kaysen to explore how the characters’ confined setting effects their search for their true identity. While the authors may use both similar and dissimilar literary techniques, both effectively explore how a confined setting influences a person’s need to discover their true identity and to be accepted in society.
Both Ishiguro and Kaysen express how identity is a person’s most valuable asset through their use of recurring symbols and motifs to explore their characters’ search for their true identity both in and away from their confined settings. A recurring motif which was used extensively throughout Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro was animals. Animals were used as a motif in this novel as it symbolised the Hailsham students’ yearning for freedom from their confined setting as their school was controlling and oppressive. To combat this setting students used animals in their artwork; for example, one Hailsham student drew
Both authors have effectively used the same technique of characterisation in their novels to signify the importance of appropriately written characters to the readers and story. Ishiguro characterises the students of Hailsham as naïve due to the sheltered environment in which they were raised, for example Kathy expresses her naivety of adulthood and her sexuality when she states “Do you ever get it so you just really have to do it?” which she asked as a question to Ruth as she thought there was something wrong with her mind and body. Similarly, Kaysen uses characterisation to effectively show the effect the environment has on a person’s identity when living in a psychiatric hospital among those who are truly insane by writing “and we were their six lunatics, so we acted like lunatics”. This links with Susanna’s search for her true identity both in the hospital and when she was released, as if she were truly crazy she would not have to act crazy, therefore insanity is not her true identity. Another similarity which is seen in both novels is character credibility as both authors have characterised their characters as society rejects. Ishiguro wrote that the clones (Hailsham students) were not accepted