Never Let Me Go vs. Brave New World

Hello friends! For my last blog post I will be comparing the societies from Never Let Me Go and a book my AP Literature class read last fall: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Initially, I thought the similarities between the stories were rather broad: two futuristic clone-ridden societies confronting the idea of what it means to be human. However, further analysis reveals they address many of the same subjects, each with their own stance.      

As I mentioned before, both books are set in a dystopian society that features clones. Actually, in the case of Brave New World, the World State society uses the Bokanovsky Process which “produces several thousand nearly identical human embryos,” but for my sake I’m going to say they are comparable to clones. As we know, the society in Never Let Me Go creates clones for organ donation, many of whom grow up at Hailsham.

Each society has a distinct attitude towards their clones, and therefore treats them differently. In Brave New World, unorthodoxy is frowned upon. Each infant clone is assigned within the caste system, and is conditioned to behave accordingly. Then over their lifespan they are brainwashed with hypnopaedic suggestions, leaving them no room to think critically. Basically, there are only five different types of people in the World State society, and any deviation could get someone a one-way express ticket to Iceland ;). 

On the other hand, the clones at Hailsham in Never Let Me Go are encouraged to find their unique identity through creating original art and making unique memories. We find out towards the end of the book that the reason Hailsham was created is to serve as a facilitator for giving the clones humane experiences and unique memories. This raises the question, which protocol is better: giving clones a humanized life despite their predestined early death as in Never Let Me Go, or pumping them with artificial happiness as in Brave New World?

The main characters from each novel, John and Kathy, reveal that the former conduct is best. When John travels from the Reservation to the World State, he finds himself baffled by the way the society is run. To him, the World State citizens do not have any substance to their personalities: only tunnel vision for immediate gratification and one-liners that somehow everyone seems to know. In the end, John can’t cope with himself for allowing himself to participate in the shallow, World State culture. Although the Reservation is archaic in comparison to our world, John represents our modern perspective.

Contrastingly, Kathy and the Hailsham students are able to find peace in their lives. Even though they are clones, the were given the opportunity to make memories full of laughter and love that sustain them through the terminating donation process. Kathy, a clone herself, certainly had a high quality childhood that nearly parallels a “normal” person’s. Unlike the World State citizens, she was able to think critically of the authority without consequences and enjoy artwork such as her Judy Bridgewater tape. Kathy’s life proves that giving clones  human experiences--although they are replaceable--is better than living in a meaningless and soulless life.

Another subject that is central in both books is death. Death is inevitable, but the way one deals with loss is quite telling of the society itself. On one end of the spectrum, young residents in the World State are given “death conditioning,” as a method of teaching that death is a natural process. Since the World State has the technological advances, the citizens there believe people are disposable, especially since no one is unique in their thoughts and actions. On the opposite side of the spectrum, John freaks out while watching his mother die and lets the whole situation arouse his anger, which leads to an outburst of violence. (Although to be fair there is more to Linda’s death that must be taken into consideration.) The society in Never Let Me Go is somewhere in between. The students are exposed to the idea of their own death at a very young age. When Kathy must experience Ruth and Tommy’s deaths, she is mournful but remains a level-headed functioning person. Both societies stress the importance of understanding a clone’s purpose in life without letting it heavily affect one’s spirit.

Finally, that last topic I’d like to discuss is the failure to produce societal change in both novels. In Brave New World, John and Hemholtz speak out against the World State’s policies that silence science, literature, history, and overall knowledge. Unfortunately, their fellow citizens turn away for they are too fearful to agree in case of banishment from the World State. John’s self whipping at the lighthouse at the end of the book further alienates him from the society, and is the ultimate sign of defeat for him and any movements for change. 

In Never Let Me Go, Marie-Claude and Miss Emily attempt changing their society’s view of clones that is keep them in the shadows rather than giving them humanizing stimulation. Hailsham and the other boarding schools’ shut down shows the failure of this movement. With a heavy heart I’m sad to say that in this regard neither book has a happy ending for the catalysts. They were up against societies that were unwilling to change, despite some of the questionable morality. I don’t think the message of these books is to give up fighting for individual beliefs. Rather, do all that you can, even if it produces just a small amount of change because someone will appreciate your efforts.