Never Let Me Go: Does the Will to Rebel Make us Human?
In today's world, if you turn on the TV, all you will see are rebellions and revolts led by different groups and across the world. For example, currently, Hong Kong residents are protesting against the Chinese government. Another influential strike is the one led by Greta Thunberg who motivated millions of teens to stand up for climate change. Why are rebellions and protests such a big part of our everyday life? Does the will to rebel make us human?
We have all rebelled in our lives, whether it's against our parents when they ask us to clean our room or maybe against a politician when their policies do not correlate with our personal values. In Never Let Me Go, Tommy, one of the main characters, rebels against the world he is in.
Growing up, Tommy was made fun of because he was not artistic. He struggled socially with his classmates, which led to tantrums. These outbursts show Tommy's rebellion against the system that was in place at Hailsham. Kathy tells Tommy years later, "I was thinking maybe the reason you used to get like that was because at some level you always knew" (Ishiguro 275). Tommy was able to analyze the world around him and see the deeper issues. The ability to critical think is something humans work on for years. Tommy is able to think and reflect like any human.
Additionally, Tommy did not try to be creative at Hailsham. Even though it was a requirement and emphasized by the Guardians, Tommy did not follow the rules. He did not attempt to exceed teachers' expectations. Tommy was over the system that was set. Even when Tommy did try, his peers still laughed at him, which affected him. Kathy explains how Tommy reacted, "So before long Tommy had gone back to his original defense, producing work that seemed childish, work that he couldn't care less" (20). He did not see a point in trying since no matter what, his classmates made fun of him.
Other signs of Tommy's rebellion are his conspiracy theories. Tommy came up with many throughout the book. For example, he had a theory about Hailsham's teaching. He believed that they slipped information into the students' brains without them being aware of it (82). Another theory Tommy had was about Madame's gallery. "Suppose two people... they're in love. She can find the art they've done over years and years. She can see ... if they match" (176). Tommy believed that the art Madame collected could determine whether two people were really in love and would be eligible for deferrals. Tommy was always trying to find deeper explanations for the twisted education he received.
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| Photo Credit: Amazon.com |
In Never Let me Go, the author, Kazuo Ishiguro, argues about clones' ability to rebel. While many are disappointed that the students did not form a rebellion, I believe there are many instances throughout the book show signs of revolts.
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines rebellion as the "opposition of one in authority or dominance". Tommy's tantrums and defiance to art, the students' hope for referral and their "dream future" are signs of rebellion.
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines rebellion as the "opposition of one in authority or dominance". Tommy's tantrums and defiance to art, the students' hope for referral and their "dream future" are signs of rebellion.
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| Tommy in the movie Never Let Me Go Photo Credit: Everett Collection |
Additionally, Tommy did not try to be creative at Hailsham. Even though it was a requirement and emphasized by the Guardians, Tommy did not follow the rules. He did not attempt to exceed teachers' expectations. Tommy was over the system that was set. Even when Tommy did try, his peers still laughed at him, which affected him. Kathy explains how Tommy reacted, "So before long Tommy had gone back to his original defense, producing work that seemed childish, work that he couldn't care less" (20). He did not see a point in trying since no matter what, his classmates made fun of him.
Other signs of Tommy's rebellion are his conspiracy theories. Tommy came up with many throughout the book. For example, he had a theory about Hailsham's teaching. He believed that they slipped information into the students' brains without them being aware of it (82). Another theory Tommy had was about Madame's gallery. "Suppose two people... they're in love. She can find the art they've done over years and years. She can see ... if they match" (176). Tommy believed that the art Madame collected could determine whether two people were really in love and would be eligible for deferrals. Tommy was always trying to find deeper explanations for the twisted education he received.
Students hoped that they could be deferred so they could fulfill the hopes and dreams they had growing up. Their dreams went beyond being a carer and donor. Ruth was enthusiastic about her "dream future"; she would work in an "open-plan office with three or four people who worked in it having some kind of joke with each other" (144). Many students created a "dream future". They were aware that this vision would never be possible, but they hoped for the slight chance it could happen.
The students in Hailsham rebelled intellectually because of the inner struggles they faced. However, in the movie Ex Machina, the AI, Ava, physically rebelled. She was created by Nathan, who is is an extremely smart person who worked on creating a machine with consciousness. Ava had the ability to trick everyone around her to create a rebellion and freeing herself from a captured life.
It is important to see how the treatment of Ava in Ex Machina and the students in Never Let Me Go was extremely different. Ava did not have any physical contact with anyone. The only people she knew were humans who were studying her. She was enclosed in a small room with little to no freedom. She was aware of her prison life, so she worked hard to trick everyone she knew to escape.
On the other hand, the students at Hailsham had the chance to be surrounded by people like them. They grew up together facing the same issues and questions. They were able to relate to each other, which made them less likely to rebel. The students were clearly oppressed: they were separated to the outside world, expected to keep their body clean, pushed to accept their fate. Yet the school was on a beautiful property where they had the chance to play and feel fulfilled. Their oppression was very different from Ava's.
After all this rebellion, the students ended up accepting their fate and what their society expects of them. Tommy's last tantrum was when he was a donor. After all these years of wondering about referrals and his fate, he finally recognizes what he was meant to do: donations. He knew that no matter what, there was no way he could escape what he was created to do.
Society tends to see oppressed clones who do not rebel as "less human", which makes it easier for us to ignore them. After watching Ex Machina, I was marked and nervous about the world. Seeing Ava's ability to physically rebel hit harder. It made me realize what our future could be like with machines taking over. However, does it make the psychological revolts less important? The ability that the students at Hailsham had to rebel and find ways to challenge what they're taught is a very human characteristic. Not every human stands up against society's norms; only a few do, but we all challenge the world around us.
If these two different situations were applied to humans, the outcome would have been similar. It is less likely for us to rebel when there are many positive things that outweigh the negative points; however, when everything feels like torture since you are enprisoned, missing human contact, and have no one to talk to, it will most likely lead to a physical rebellion.
Clones had the ability to rebel and challenge society. Each individual is able to reflect on their lives and stand up for what they think is right. They can critically think and challenge the world around them. These abilities are particular to humans, so does all this make them human or does it challenge what we have always been told?
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| Ava from Ex Machina Photo Credit: Fandom.com |
On the other hand, the students at Hailsham had the chance to be surrounded by people like them. They grew up together facing the same issues and questions. They were able to relate to each other, which made them less likely to rebel. The students were clearly oppressed: they were separated to the outside world, expected to keep their body clean, pushed to accept their fate. Yet the school was on a beautiful property where they had the chance to play and feel fulfilled. Their oppression was very different from Ava's.
After all this rebellion, the students ended up accepting their fate and what their society expects of them. Tommy's last tantrum was when he was a donor. After all these years of wondering about referrals and his fate, he finally recognizes what he was meant to do: donations. He knew that no matter what, there was no way he could escape what he was created to do.
Society tends to see oppressed clones who do not rebel as "less human", which makes it easier for us to ignore them. After watching Ex Machina, I was marked and nervous about the world. Seeing Ava's ability to physically rebel hit harder. It made me realize what our future could be like with machines taking over. However, does it make the psychological revolts less important? The ability that the students at Hailsham had to rebel and find ways to challenge what they're taught is a very human characteristic. Not every human stands up against society's norms; only a few do, but we all challenge the world around us.
If these two different situations were applied to humans, the outcome would have been similar. It is less likely for us to rebel when there are many positive things that outweigh the negative points; however, when everything feels like torture since you are enprisoned, missing human contact, and have no one to talk to, it will most likely lead to a physical rebellion.
Clones had the ability to rebel and challenge society. Each individual is able to reflect on their lives and stand up for what they think is right. They can critically think and challenge the world around them. These abilities are particular to humans, so does all this make them human or does it challenge what we have always been told?
I think this idea is well-developed. I love your examples in terms of rebellion. They are very obvious and prove your point well. I also like the contrast of the students at Hailsham and Ava because it shows that they were in two completely different situations, but still rebelled. I do wonder however if you think that their rebellion was justified? Like do you think their rebellion makes them more human?
ReplyDeleteThank you Nnenna! I think their rebellion was justified because of the unfair expectations they received. I think seeing their rebellion makes them more human because we get to see deeper into their emotions
DeleteI agree that the students did not have nearly as much of a reason to rebel as Ava had. From an outsider's perspective it seems like there was a major injustice to forcing the clones to donate their organs, and we feel like there should be no reason that they do not rebel. However, the clones did not have a terrible life compared to the cramped confinement of Ava. I feel that if they were as unhappy as many think they were then they would have rebelled. But since they did not they had made peace with their fate.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree. Their life was not awful enough for them to form a rebellion. I wonder how they would have rebelled if they did decide to do so.
DeleteI agree with the fact that the students were rebellious in small ways but do still feel somewhat unfulfilled by the lack of a large-scale rebellion. To answer the question if psychological revolts are less important however, I cannot say they are. In many cases, physical revolts are dangerous and all that people are left with is a psychological revolt that allows them some peace of mind when faced with the reality that other options are not possible. Because of that fact, I do appreciate those small ways we see the clones rebel and I really agree with the examples used above.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the lack of rebellion can be disappointing; Ava's rebellion was very needed to emphasize her humanity. I wonder if we would see the clones as more human if they did create a rebellion. For the physical rebellion part, I agree. Physical rebellions are dangerous and sometimes unnecessary. Psychological rebellions do not have as much as an impact, but it lets people truly reflect on their injustices.
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