Wednesday, February 27, 2019

How is the fascination of the children with Madame reminiscent of “Frankenstein”?

Both Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro and Frankenstein by Shelley are works of science fiction. Madame in the former novel is reminiscent of Victor Frankenstein in the latter because both characters represent creators to their creations (whether or not that is literally true) and other characters in the novels seek answers from both Madame and Victor.
Let's start with Frankenstein. Victor builds a creature from the body parts of the dead and brings the creature to life. Horrified by what he deems his monster, Victor abandons his creation; the creature must then fend for itself, almost like a baby, and learn how to function in the world around him. Eventually, the creature learns language by observing the De Lacey family and begins to read. Among other symbolic texts like Paradise Lost, the creature reads a journal written by Victor. He learns about how he was made, and this makes the creature believe Victor may have some answers for him that might help him make sense of his identity. He also recognizes that Victor is ashamed of him and has abandoned him, so he thinks he may be able to make demands of Victor. He pleads with Victor to make him a female companion and threatens Victor if he does not do so. Even though Victor reluctantly agrees, he ends up destroying the creation, which results in the original creature's murderous vindictive rampage. The rejection of the creator is met with rage from the creation.
In Never Let Me Go, Madame serves a similar purpose in some ways, though the characters in Ishiguro's novel do not react in such an extreme way when they finally confront Madame. The narrator Kathy, and her friends Ruth and Tommy, along with many other young people, are raised in a school called Hailsham. They are isolated from the outside world. Madame, who is some sort of authority figure, visits the school at times, and the students must be on their best behavior. Eventually, when the students figure out they are clones and have been manufactured to supply organs to "real" humans, they assume Madame is something like a creator. They want to know more from her, but Tommy and Kathy in particular approach her with a request: they have heard a rumor that students who are truly in love can have their operations/transplants put off for a time. They decide to go to Madame's house to pursue this possibility. Of course, they learn that there is no such exception and Madame and other authorities of the school marvel at the silly rumors that circulate about Madame and her powers. Since so much of their youth is shrouded in secrecy, it's no wonder that Kathy and the others invent or hope for solutions to their fates. While they are obviously disappointed to hear there is nothing Madame can do for them, Tommy and Kathy do not rebel; they simply play their given roles.
In both novels, Victor and Madame are creators or authorities to whom the inferior characters or creations appeal for help and for information. While the characters serve similar functions in the novels, their refusal or inability to really help the creature, Kathy, Tommy, or any of the other clones, is met with vastly different reactions in each text.

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