Memory, Identity, and Resistance: Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go as Critical Dystopia

Document Type : Original Article

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Department of English and Linguistics, Faculty of Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Kamyaran, Iran

10.22034/lda.2025.142741.1030

Abstract

This paper examines Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go (2005) as an exemplar of critical dystopian literature. By employing the concept of critical dystopia, first introduced by Lyman Tower Sargent (1994), the study situates the novel within the broader context of science fiction’s utopian and dystopian traditions. While utopia traditionally envisions an idealistic, unattainable society, and dystopia portrays a markedly worse world than the reader's reality, critical dystopia exists in the liminal space between these extremes. It critiques dominant socio-political systems while maintaining an element of hope or resistance within its narrative framework.
In addition, the paper explores the role of defamiliarization, a technique rooted in Russian Formalism and discussed by Booker (1994) as fundamental to dystopian fiction. Defamiliarization involves rendering the familiar strange, encouraging readers to question assumptions and view societal norms from a fresh perspective. By applying these theoretical frameworks, this study argues that Ishiguro employs the conventions of critical dystopia and defamiliarization to craft a narrative that critiques ethical issues surrounding identity, autonomy, and the commodification of human life. Ultimately, this paper demonstrates how Never Let Me Go not only aligns with but also expands the boundaries of the critical dystopian genre.

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