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When Boundaries Dissolve: The Abjection of Clones in Never Let Me Go From a Kristevan Perspective
CHEN Chenxi
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DOI:10.17265/2159-5836/2026.05.005
University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
Drawing on Julia Kristeva’s theory of abjection, this paper explores the existential predicament of clones in Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go. It argues that clones are constructed as the “ultimate abject” within a modern biopolitical context. This abjection operates on three fundamental levels. First, the clones’ origin in genetic replication lacks a maternal body from which to separate. Second, their physical bodies are rendered boundaryless containers, disassembled through organ harvest. Finally, society performs a symbolic cleansing of these abject beings with euphemism like “donation”. By tracing this trajectory, the paper reveals how Ishiguro’s novel exposes that certain lives are systematically reduced to an inhuman state.
abjection theory, Julia Kristeva, Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro, clones
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