The Role of Knowledge in the Development of the Clones’ Character in Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go (2005)

Abstract

Traditionally, power in systems is what is visible and manifested; however, it is not the case with all the different forms of systems. In effect, the disciplinary institutions which its power could be demonstrated through its invisibility disseminate specific knowledge to control the subjected ones. In this regard, this dissertation aims at exploring the role of the institutions' knowledge in developing the clones' character in Kazuo Ishiguro's dystopian novel Never Let Me Go (2005). Using Michel Foucault's concepts of power/knowledge, this study examines the knowledge given at the educational and medical institutions and how the clones' engagements to these institutions affect their character development. In order to achieve the planned objective, the qualitative approaches as well the descriptive analytical method are relevant to this study. The results show that the clones' character was unquestionably manipulated, controlled, and thus constructed by the educational and medical institutions' knowledge.