NRJ#2: Sexuality
When the students were taught about sex in Hailsham, Ishiguro extends the sensation of Kathy’s feelings about her sexuality in Never Let Me Go. The students were told that sex could be dangerous if they were to have feelings for another human being outside Hailsham. They could potential get a disease if they weren’t careful with whom they chose to sleep with. Ishiguro demonstrates that even as a clone, sexuality is important and sacred. Sex shouldn’t be taken as a joke but also with the respect of the human body and the feelings of others. One of the guardians tell the students that when they find someone to share the experience with, to make sure they are the one because the feelings that come with being sexually active can have a strong impact with your emotions.
Ishiguro’s use of symbolism on sexuality is to show his readers how it’s our nature to feel a special bond for a man or a woman. No matter how different we are as human beings we still are the same when it comes to our physical needs. Some people may have different religious views or outlooks but its how humans were created. Miss Emily expresses to her students how important it was to their bodies, to “respect their physical needs,” and how sex was “a very beautiful gift”. Kathy remains pure while she was at Hailsham but her intentions to explore her sexuality were not innocent. She was thinking of who would be a perfect candidate for her first time but she wanted it to be with someone who her feelings weren’t attached to.
With sexuality symbolizing a physical need for the human body, Kathy mentioned about having a few one nighters when she lived at the Cottages. One evening, Kathy was talking to Ruth about those incidents with the guys and how she never wanting to do it with them. But because her urge to really need it she ask Ruth, “…Do you ever get so you just really have to do it? With anybody almost” (128). The author demonstrates the sense of human nature and even though Hailsham students were clones, they need the same physical need as “normal” humans
I think the use of sexuality in this story was used for many purposes, but one of the big ones that stood out to me was as a way to prove that the clones were just like normal humans. Proof that clones and humans are similar is found all around the novel and this was used as another way of stating that. Ishiguro makes a point to illustrate to us that the clones have the same feelings and desires as everyone else. They are no more different then everyone else. Like you pointed out, they have the same human thoughts and acts regarding sex as the rest of society.
ReplyDeleteJen,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on your statement about Ishiguro using sexuality to show the physical needs of everyone. What i questioned about all of this because It seemed to be a large part of the story, was why were the clones told that they would feel different from the humans, as if they did not have the same emotions, or if they may not get physically attached like some "normal" humans did.
I agree with your analysis of how Ishiguro highlighted sex as being inherent to human nature. I too, saw this in the book. The children were talking about it and making attempts at it even while at Hailsham, when they thought they could get away with out being caught. This sounds like the type of thing that goes on in middle schools today; children talking about sex and some attempting to do it. It is human nature.
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