Dialectics of utopia and dystopia in "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Abstract

Based on the historical shift from utopian to dystopian fiction, the article argues that Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro does not invite a clear dystopian reading. The novel shows an innovative method of lengthening the human lifespan by implementing an ethically controversial system. Its analysis shows the dynamics between the communities and their positions in the world of the novel. Ishiguro constantly balances the elements of utopia and dystopia, but at the same time, the narrative provides a set of subtle suggestions which lead to highlighting the flaws of the system. As a result, assuming a certain set of values of most readers, the novel may be roughly qualified as dystopian fiction, but its boundaries between utopia are not clear-cut.