what does it mean to be human?

In the concluding chapters, Miss Emily claims belief in part of the objective of the Hailsham experiment: that it could be demonstrated that the students do possess souls. Yet, in the way she expresses pity towards Kathy and Tommy and disdain for their situation, it becomes apparent that she does not sincerely accept that the students are the same as she, that they are as human as she. The non-clones in Ishiguro’s Dystopian society view cloned humans as lesser beings, in some way lacking elements of real humanity. It is interesting how Ishiguro toys with this question, what does it mean to be human?

On one hand, Kathy’s narrative of her childhood allows the reader to relate to her character through the ‘coming of age’ story. The conversational tone especially is engaging and convincing of the idea that these students are perhaps like any other young people, experiencing the heart aches and pleasures of friendship and young love.

Yet on the other hand, upon realizing how the ‘rest of the world’ views these children, the reader’s perspective shifts. At least, as I read the concluding chapters I began recalling how many emotional and intellectual qualities seem absent in the students throughout the novel. It’s the questions don’t ask that make them seem like... something’s missing... For example, they never seem to question what their greater purpose is. Ruth states that her purpose is to donate and complete. But it is not at all convincing that she made a personal self-discovery regarding this purpose, rather she (and the other donors) hardly even questioned her fate. The donors, it seems, barely give thought to will happen to them, to their souls, after they die. I would have expected that in a place like a recovery centre where they are just waiting to complete, the topic of life after death would have been prominent.

We do see great desires of the characters to feel a need to relate to something that could in some way give them a purpose, relevance or meaning. This is evident in the importance of Kathy’s friendships, and their obsession with ‘possibles’. However, the relationships between Ruth and Tommy and Kathy just seem to lack real feelings of love and friendship. Kathy’s account of her friendship with Ruth is always so rational and calculated, and the attempt of couples “in love” trying to get deferrals seems so insincere and without passion.The propensities to try to ‘belong’ give the students the appearance of experiencing genuine emotion and deep desires, but upon reflection the realness of the children's humanity along with their school are made to look like a ‘sham’.

Ishiguro prompts the reader to consider what qualities make a person human, or deem them in possession of a soul. However I also think that Ishiguro is also making a statement about how making such a determination is extremely complicated. We, as readers, try to evaluate the clones based on what we think it might mean to possess a soul, but what would we find if we in turn evaluated ourselves with the same criteria? How often do we apathetically accept a pre-chosen path for us without exerting any measure of independence or defiance? Do we consider what may happen to us after we die? How many times, when we have questions, do we just avoid discussion or dismiss controversial ideas, just because it’s easier? How often do our relationships lack sincerity and meaning?

It is difficult to create a criteria of ‘what it means to be human’. I think the aspects I discussed above are only a very small part of it. Every person is different and may experience these ‘types’ of human experiences in varying amounts and with different intensities. There are all different kinds of existence that we are perhaps too ethnocentric to appreciate.