The Euphemism of Escape in Never Let Me Go

Abstract

Among scholarly discussions of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go (2005), the idea of the clones’ manipulation in order to fulfill their roles in the organ transplantation system is pervasive. Many posit that the clones begin to place their sense of self and identity within their roles as organ suppliers. However, I argue that there is a lack of discussion and significance attributed to the role of the potential outlets of “escape” and their role in the clones’ submission to exploitation. I posit that the clones’ belief in the possibility of “escape” from this system, whether this comes in the form of relationships, identity, or future plans, is essential to the continued function of the system itself. Employing a Marxist lens in the form of Althusser’s ideas of ideological state apparatuses (ISA) and interpellation as described in his work Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (1971), I highlight the ways in which the clones are distracted from the horrors of their roles in the overall system by false feelings of agency and individuality provided by these “escapes.” Ultimately, by overlooking the role of these outlets for “escape” from the ISA in the interpellation of the clones, we are in turn failing to acknowledge the ways the ISAs around us ensnare our participation by manipulating us into creating our sense of individuality and identity around the parameters of the system. While the clones form relationships and begin to characterize themselves, they do so only through their participation in the ISA and through their sense of fulfillment thereof. This in turn perpetuates the system and prevents any mass forms of rebellion, escape, or overturning of the ISA.