Deterioration of Proletariats in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go

Abstract

Kazuo Ishiguro, a British novelist, screenwriter, musician, and short story writer, explores a dystopian world in his medieval fantasy novel, Never Let Me Go. The narrative revolves around the creation of human clones destined to donate their organs as young adults to the privileged class. This paper delves into Ishiguro’s depiction of the working class from a Marxist critical perspective, examining power struggles between social classes, the organization of the economy, and the exploitation and mistreatment of the powerless. Ishiguro maintains a Marxist focus on the bourgeoisie’s inventions and their impact on the proletariat. Additionally, he employs symbolism to illustrate that, despite their efforts to embrace Hailsham’s ideals and integrate into mainstream society, clones remain proletariats. Ishiguro strongly critiques the expectation for lower classes to not only obey but also sacrifice their lives for the ruling elite, challenging societal norms through this novel.