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On the Constraints and Freedom in Kazuo Ishiguro’s >Never Let Me Go<, Master thesis, World Literature, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai, China 2020 [application of Fromm's theories to art].

  • Kazuo Ishiguro(1954 –) is a British-Japanese novelist and playwright. In 2017, Kazuo Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Most of his works focus on the universal value of human beings in contemporary society, and emphasize the trend of integration and coexistence of multiple cultures in the era of globalization. At present, Ishiguro is one of the most famous writers in the English-speaking world today. He has written 7 novels and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize four times. His work >Never Let Me Go< in 2005 was listed on Time magazine’s list of the 100 greatest English language novels since the magazine’s first publication in 1923. >Never Let Me Go< also marks the first time that he attempted to write sci-fi novels.– The novel centers on the eternal literary theme of >destiny< and >freedom< in the context of human genetic technology. Through her memory flashback, the protagonist, Kathy, recalls the story between Ruth and Tommy, who grow up in Hailsham. Adopting a temperate and sentimental tone, Ishiguro traced the cloned group’s growth from childhood to adulthood, revealing their struggle with the >destiny< of organ donation and the end of life. >Never Let Me Go< contains the science-fiction elements that has not been involved in the previous novels of Ishiguro, and touches on the topic of morality and ethics of human cloning, which is a contentious issue in contemporary society. Critics have shown strong interests in this novel. In-depth studies of surrealism, genetic engineering, reflection of science and technology, have introduced many new interpretation methods. For the >non-resistance< of the clones in the novel, many studies are limited to the reasons for its occurrence, and many readers question its rationality.– This thesis attempts to start with an understanding of Ishiguro’s consistent writing style and early life experience. Through analyzing the >constraints< and >freedom< in the novel, the thesis tries to explore the nature of the clones’ >non-resistance< with Fromm’s theory of freedom, thus, uncover Ishiguro’s reflection on human’s living condition. The first chapter explores the >constraints< in the novel. In the process of the clones’ growth, they suffer from various kind of constraints, like spatial isolation, social exclusion. This living state of the clones mirrors the condition of modern people in general. The second chapter mainly studies the >freedom< in the novel. In all kinds of >constraints<, the clones can still obtain a certain level of >freedom<. They create artworks, establish friendship and pursue love. Although they finally accept the doomed fate in the end, their short lives still triumph. The third chapter compares the clones’ choice of facing >death< with human beings’ choices and analyzes the positive meaning of the clones’ >non-resistance< approach. The thesis argues that the >non-resistance< of the clones in the novel is not >escape from freedom<. Their behavior, thoughts and destiny are circumscribed, which makes them the >others< of the society, but they have not resisted in a violent way. Through positive artistic creation and establishing emotional ties, they find a sense of belonging, value of existence, thus gaining >positive freedom<. >Never Let Me Go< is not a typical science fiction novel with the theme of >cloning<. The novel’s concern is the ordinary people’s confrontation with futility and fate. It is in this sense that Ishiguro is a humanist writer with >compassion<. In >Never Let Me Go<, Ishiguro affirmed ordinary people’s value of existence when confronting the deter¬mi¬nistic force, which shows his concern for the living condition of modern people. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]

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Metadaten
Author:Kai Zhou
Document Type:Dissertations
Language:English
Year of first Publication:2020
Release Date:2024/04/04
Format:no download and copy possible
IdNo:Zhou_Kai_2020
Writings about Erich Fromm (Secondary Literature):Dissertations / Dissertationen
Erich Fromm's Library and Erich Fromm Archive:Dissertations / Dissertationen
Licence (German):
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