Entanglements:
Journal of Posthumanities
E-ISSN: 3107-488X

(Article) ‐ Volume 2, Issue 1 (Open Issue)
Clones as Scapegoats: Slow Violence in Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go (2005)
Authored By — Tabir Amjad & Qurratulaen Liaqat

Abstract

Mimesis and violence are the integral constituents of human nature. From these human tendencies of imitation and violence emerges mimetic desire, the desire to imitate others and to usurp others' possessions through violent practices. The contagious and envious nature of mimetic desire creates disastrous consequences, which we, as humans, have witnessed throughout history; this research accounts for these drastic consequences. This paper suggests that scapegoating is an instance of slow violence, imperceptible in nature but embedded in the fabric of society, and traces its attritional effects in the clones of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go (2005). Drawing on insights provided by Mimetic Theory, this study sheds light on how the contagious nature of mimetic desire compels humans to sacrifice clones as part of a scapegoating mechanism. Through close textual analysis of the characters and the narrative structure, this research reveals the intricacies of clones' lives as scapegoats, which are not demeaning, trivial, or different from those they donate to. The key finding of this study is that mimetic desire drives humans to commit violent acts of sacrificing these post-human subjects as scapegoats. To justify this inhumane action, they deny the clones' humanity, reducing them to mere vessels and sacrificial resources containing organs. This research contributes to a broader understanding of structural and slow violence, human clones, and scapegoating as a pseudo-coping mechanism for the survival of society.

Keywords

Animal Studies, Artificial Intelligence, Speculative Fiction, Companion Species, Anthropocene, Bio-Robotics, Posthuman Ecology, Film Studies.

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