NVLMG context Flashcards
Social change
‘Social change unleashed by new technological advances could undermine core human values unless we engage with science, warns author Kazuo Ishiguro, imagining a two-tiered society with elite citizens’
Liberal democracies
‘In liberal democracies, we have this human being which is meant to be fundamentally equal. We’re coming close to a point, where we can, in some case, create people who are superior to others – as seen by author (Ishiguro or Shelley) as
Pluto Cave allegory
never strive to see the real world
We are all in chaos - ‘the effect of education and the lack of it in our nature’ - because of how we have been raised, we conform to expectations
Forces us to confront reality - ‘glimpses’ of what we understand
Seen in characters of NVLMG have no meaningful connection to the outside world where Hailsham is absolutely real – there is little sense of a casual, linear life as they have the inability to make connections and remember. They have a partial inability to understand the outside world and remember. They have hope – it is dashed.
Hailsham as an Elite, Yet Isolated Institution
Cue: The novel opens with the idyllic, almost boarding school-like setting of Hailsham, where the students live under strict rules and isolation from the outside world. The teachers (called “guardians”) emphasize creativity, health, and physical well-being but are unusually vague about the students’ futures.
Significance: The environment at Hailsham is portrayed as ideal but also unnervingly controlled. The isolation and secrecy around the purpose of the students hint that something is being deliberately hidden from them, foreshadowing their true role as clones raised for organ donation.
Language: “Donations” and “Carers”
Cue: Throughout the novel, characters refer to key aspects of their lives using terms like “donations,” “completing,” and “carers.” These terms are treated as normal by the characters but are unfamiliar and unsettling to the reader at first.
Significance: The use of euphemistic language acts as a clue to the larger, disturbing reality of their existence. “Donations” and “completion” slowly reveal the ultimate fate of the characters as organ donors, while “carers” hints at a system of maintaining clones’ health before and during this process.
Miss Lucy’s Revelation
Cue: Miss Lucy, one of the guardians, breaks the unspoken rule of keeping the students in the dark about their futures by bluntly telling them, “You’re not like the actors you watch on your videos… You were brought into this world for a purpose, and your futures, all of them, have been decided.”
Significance: This is a critical moment of clarity for both the characters and the readers. Miss Lucy’s directness cuts through the students’ ignorance, revealing that their futures are predetermined and they are clones created solely to donate their organs.
The Importance of Art and Creativity
Cue: The students at Hailsham are encouraged to create art, and their work is scrutinized and sometimes taken by Madame for a mysterious gallery. At the time, the students do not fully understand why their creativity is so important.
Significance: Art and creativity serve as a subtle indicator of the students’ humanity. Later in the novel, it’s revealed that their art was meant to show the outside world that they had souls, suggesting the ongoing ethical debate about the humanity of clones. The gallery becomes a symbol of a failed attempt to humanize clones in the eyes of society.
The Rumor of Deferrals
Cue: The characters cling to a rumor that if a couple can prove they are in love, their donations may be “deferred” for a few years. This gives Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth hope, despite the lack of evidence or clarity about the deferrals.
Significance: The rumor of deferrals serves as a false hope, reflecting the characters’ desperate need to believe that they have some control over their fates. It hints at the limited agency clones have in their world and the deep longing for more time, love, and a life beyond their predetermined role as donors.
Society’s Attitude Toward Clones
Cue: When Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth leave Hailsham and enter the outside world, they begin to notice subtle yet pervasive signs of prejudice against them. Madame’s reaction to the students—crying when she sees them, as if they are pitiable—is one such cue. Later, Miss Emily explains that society has accepted the system of cloning, as long as it remains out of sight.
Significance: These social attitudes hint at the broader ethical implications of the novel’s world. Society benefits from the organs harvested from clones but treats them as less than human. This detachment allows the exploitation of clones while keeping the moral dilemma at arm’s length.
“Completing”
Cue: The term “completing” is used to describe a clone’s death after multiple organ donations. The term is clinical, yet emotionally detached, indicating how normalized the process of dying after donations has become within this society.
Significance: The euphemism “completing” suggests a lack of recognition of the clones’ humanity and underscores the novel’s theme of dehumanization. It’s a subtle cue that society views the clones as tools rather than individuals.
The Disappearance of Hailsham
Cue: Late in the novel, the characters learn that Hailsham has closed down, symbolizing the end of an era. The experimental program that sought to treat clones more humanely has been shut down, and other donation centers are much harsher.
Significance: The closure of Hailsham reflects the final abandonment of efforts to humanize the clones. It signifies society’s full acceptance of the organ donation system, with no need to pretend that clones deserve better treatment. This is a grim cue to the increasing commodification of human life.
The Lack of Family and the Clones’ Origins
Cue: None of the students at Hailsham have parents or familial backgrounds. This lack of family is presented as normal for the characters, who never question it.
Significance: The absence of family structures is a subtle hint at the artificial origins of the students. They are clones, created in labs, which is eventually revealed. This lack of personal history reinforces their status as products rather than fully human individuals in the eyes of society.
The Donation Process
Cue: Towards the end of the novel, as characters begin their “donations,” the cold, detached nature of the medical system is revealed. The process is matter-of-fact, treated as a simple medical procedure, even though it leads to the characters’ deaths.
Significance: The mechanical, dehumanizing aspect of the donation process highlights the broader societal indifference to the suffering of the clones. This system treats their lives as disposable, emphasizing the theme of exploitation.
