Fragmented Self and Postmodern Anxiety: A Lacanian Reading of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Abstract

This paper investigates the fractured nature of subjectivity and the pervasive atmosphere of postmodern anxiety in Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro through a psychoanalytic framework grounded in the theories of Jacques Lacan. Reading the novel within a postmodern paradigm, the study argues that Ishiguro’s cloned characters exemplify a divided self-shaped by linguistic structures, institutional control, and the perpetual experience of lack. Employing Lacanian concepts such as the Mirror Stage, the Imaginary, the Symbolic, and the Real, the analysis demonstrates how Kathy H.’s reflective narration exposes a subject split between memory and repression, desire and resignation. The clones’ formation of identity within the rigid framework of Hailsham illustrates the workings of the Symbolic Order, where language and social law regulate existence and normalize subjugation. Their longing for “deferrals” and meaningful recognition signifies the pursuit of the unattainable objet petit a; the elusive object that sustains desire yet remains forever out of reach. The paper further contends that the novel articulates postmodern anxiety through ontological uncertainty, emotional detachment, and the instability of fixed identity. The clones’ quiet compliance with their predetermined destinies reveals an unsettling confrontation with the Real, underscoring the limitations of autonomy within a technologically mediated and biopolitical society. Ultimately, this Lacanian reading positions Never Let Me Go as a profound exploration of the fragmented self, exposing the fragile boundaries between humanity, memory, and existential anxiety in a posthuman condition.