From Being Disciplined to Becoming “Zoe”: The Posthuman Subjectivity of Clones in Never Let Me Go
College of Foreign Languages and Literature, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| Abstract: | As a core concept in philosophy and critical theory, subjectivity holds fundamental importance in that it constitutes the cornerstone of an individual’s self-awareness, moral status, and existential significance. It also serves as the intrinsic basis for their entitlement to dignity and rights. With the development of cutting-edge technologies such as genetic engineering, biotechnology, and cognitive science, the issue of subjectivity has become a key topic in academic discussions within the posthuman context. Never Let Me Go, a novel by the Japanese-British author Kazuo Ishiguro, centers on a group of clones, vividly depicting their life trajectories and the tragic fate as organ donors for humans. From the perspective of the clone protagonist Kathy, the novel showcases the process in which the clone community resists against their given fate of sacrifice and strives to pursue and construct their own subjectivity. Based on Rosi Braidotti’s theory of posthuman subjectivity, this paper analyzes how the clones strive to escape from their fate as sacrifice caused by their assigned alienated identities and instrumentalized bodies, generate the pure life “Zoe” by means of deterritorializing nomadic resistance and establishing connections with other forms of life, and thereby demonstrate their posthuman nomadic subjectivity. By depicting the clones’ pursuit of their own subjectivity, Ishiguro in this novel expresses his contemplation on the tragic fate of the clones and the ethical problems caused by cloning technology. |
| Keywords: | Never Let Me Go; Clones; Posthuman Subjectivity |
| DOI: | 10.57237/j.ha.2025.03.001 |
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Received: 29 September 2025
Accepted: 17 November 2025
Published Online: 24 December 2025
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