As time has
progressed, society has conformed to certain rules and actions that culture has
put out in public. The people today feel as if they don’t do this or that, they
won’t fit in or gain acceptance into society. In the story Never Let Me Go,
Kazuo Ishiguro uses the characters to show the cultural effects of conformity.
For example, Wile in the farming cottages Ruth seems to imitate everything that
the characters do in the show she watches. As well as how Kathy constantly
thinks her appearance is normal and emphasizes how “typical” she is. When the
characters are farmed for their organs, it all goes without a problem because
the donors are taught to conform and accept their fate of being only donors. In
the novel, Ishiguro shows no signs of suggestion that there may not be another
alternative for the clones but too end their lives. The characters don’t seem
to rebel against the idea of being murdered for their organs. The only time
where there is a bit of opposition is when Tommy gets out of the car and yells
and goes into a tantrum for not being able to do anything about his “completion.”
Conformity seems to be something that cannot be challenged in the book, whereas
in reality there is questioning and rebellion. Why don’t the characters seem to
want to find other ways to live? Is there a specific reason as to why they
would rather “complete,” than being free and being able to live?
