Never Let Me Go and The Island

In both Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go and Michael Bay’s movie, The Island, the audience is introduced to a dystopian society where conformity and science play pivotal roles in the plot. Both science fiction stories revolve around the idea of cloning and harvesting organs to prolong human life.

In Ishiguro’s novel, readers are introduced to the narrator, Kathy, and her upbringing in a secluded school for “donors.” Through her perspective, we are able to see the various relationships she shares with the people around her, as well as her environment (Hailsham and the Cottages). Readers soon realize that Kathy, along with her friends, is a clone who is expected to make organ donations when she comes of age. Similarly, the science fiction thriller, the Island begins the story in an isolated compound where its residents reside. These people are told that the outside world has become too contaminated for them to live in with an exception of an island. Believing this to be true, the residents abide by strict rules of the compound to ensure their chances of going to the island. However, the protagonist, Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) soon discovers that not only is the island non-existent, but also that residents chosen for the island are clones, killed for their organs.

These two stories share multiple themes and ideas. The idea of cloning or stem cell plays a big part in the narration, acting as the backdrop to both plots. In Ishiguro’s novel, the characters develop into young adults who must come to terms with their fate as donors. For The Island, the residents are brought into the compound for the sole purpose of organ harvesting, maintaining a health body for their opportunity to be on the island. In addition to cloning, the themes of seclusion and conformity are evident in both works through Hailsham/ the Cottages and the compound. Hailsham and the Cottages are two places that are specifically isolated from society in order to separate the clones from the “normal.” When Kathy was at Hailsham, she and the other students were not allowed to leave the vicinity, as seen by the electric fence and rumors surrounding the school about the woods. While at the Cottages, the characters would have to travel a bit to reach Norfolk. The compound within The Island parallels the isolation of Hailsham and the Cottages. The clones are directly told that they are living in a secluded environment, cut off from the outside world. In both works, the separation and detachment from the external world would infer safety for not only the clones, but also the people outside.

Moreover, the characters in both stories conform to their surroundings. For example, Ruth copies the manners of the older students in the Cottages and the residents continue their daily routines in the compound without much question of what happened to the outside world. Ishiguro stresses the issue of conformity, as the students readily accept their fate as donors with a complacent attitude, with the exception of Tommy. Similar to Tommy, Lincoln and his friend, Jordan (Scarlett Johansson) are unable to accept their fate. (Granted that most of the residents do not know the truth.) However, unlike Ishiguro’s characters, Lincoln and Jordan choose to fight back and escape the compound in an attempt to change their fate and live.

Never Let Me Go, written by Kazuo Ishiguro, can be compared to Michael Bay’s The Island in many ways. With similar themes of cloning, seclusion, and conformity, these two works introduce the moral issues that surround cloning and society. Evident through the students of Hailsham and the residents of the compound, the clones were not fully educated about their purpose in life. Kathy and her friends are revealed to be clones that are simply used for their vital organs. She, along with her peers, fail to question the details of the process, signifying their acceptance of the role.  The residents in The Island are deceived from their true identities as clones. Although they are hidden from this secret, they also go along with their roles inside the compound. They do not have any doubts about the things they are told. Furthermore, the ethical issues of killing, despite being a clone, for the harvesting of organs is a very sensitive concept.

If you have yet to watch The Island, I would definitely recommend the movie if you like action films and the actors in it. This movie was the first thing I thought of when I realized Kathy and the students were clones, grown for their organs. It’s a good film just to watch for fun and boredom.