Science, Technology and Development ISSN : 0950-0707

HOPE, FAITH, LOVE, HUMAN AND HUMANOID: A STUDY OF KAZUOISHIGURO’S KLARA AND THE SUN

S. Bavetra Department of English SASTRA Deemed to be University, Thanjavur, Tamilnadu, India

R. Ravi Department of English SASTRA Deemed to be University, Thanjavur, Tamilnadu, India

ABSTRACT

Kazuo Ishiguro, the winner of Nobel Prize for Literature has come out with his eighth novel titled Klara and the Sun, six full years after the publication of his previous novel, . Klara and the Sun is a typical Ishiguroian novel that raises several pertinent questions about human beings; their love, their joy, their pain, dreams and aspirations. The questions gain poignancy, thanks to the fact that the human experience is narrated through the eyes of Klara, an artificial friend and a robot. Klara being a keen observer and a quick learner is tuned well enough to become a good and genuine artificial friend. She walks into the life of Josie when Josie was fourteen and half years old and stays with her till Josie no longer required her. Along with Josie, Klara also grows and grows into a smart, determined, affectionate, trustworthy friend. Josie’s physical weakness causes serious concerns in the minds of her mother, Chrissie Melania, her house keeper and Rick, her real childhood friend. Klara also learns that after genetic upgradation, Josie’s sister had died and Josie too is following suit. She commits herself to the cause of saving her friend from becoming oblivion. What has been medically declared to be a hopeless case, ends in miraculous recovery, thanks to Klara’s faith, hope and conviction in the healing touch of the Sun. One tends to compare the humanoid with the humans as one gets a feeling that the humanoid is more humanistic than the humans per se.

Key Words- Artificial Friend, Klara, a keen observer and a quick learner, Genetic Editing, Healing touch- Sun.

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I.INTRODUCTION

Kazuo Ishiguro’s seven published novels have revealed a fact that he is not a writer to be treated lightly. His is a serious style of writing that does not suit effortless beach reading. One tends to read and re read his works over and over again to get anywhere closer to his intent. Klara and The Sun, the eighth novel of Ishiguro, published in the year 2021 only reiterates the point once again that Ishiguro is a genuinely committed writer. His commitment to the cause of understanding human beings through their memories and emotions, has moved on to a newer altitude as in Klara and The Sun, Klara, an artificial friend, a humanoid, a robot indulges in such an exploration seeking answers for some disturbing questions relating to the place of Hope, Faith and Love in the lives of the human beings. When human interacts with humanoid, the limitations of the humanoid are expected to come to surface. But every interaction between the human and the humanoid only reveals the insufficiency and inadequacy in the human. As an observer, as a friend, as a nurse and as everything Klara proves to be so perfect that one wonders if the imperfect human is capable of creating a living, feeling and thinking machine that matches perfection in everything it does. This article aims at studying the role of Hope, Faith and Love in the lives of the human as seen by a humanoid.

II. Klara, the most efficient AF

Even among machines the democratic principle of all being equal does not work. Klara is smarter than her fellow AFs. Her manager knew from the beginning that Klara was wiser than the other machines. The story is perhaps set in United States of America, technologically an advanced Nation in which people buy AFs (Artificial Friends) to keep the loneliness of the teenagers at bay. These AFs are machines tuned and trained to understand the human beings and to act accordingly to please them. Their ability to react emotionally to hurting remarks makes them more human than their intellectual precision. The manager of the stores whose very duty is to observe the AFs closely regards Klara to be better than the advanced B2 and even B3 versions. Klara, in her opinion was a great observer, quick learner and as an AF is bound to be an asset to the owner. Twice she allows Klara to grace the window of the shop knowing that Klara preferred to be an observer. Klara regarded the sun to be the prime source of energy. She respected the sun and genuinely aspired for contact with the sun. The sun that was worshipped by human as God, was also worshipped by these Robotic friends. Ishiguro, the author has used the Sun as a driving force in the novel. Klara watches the sun, worships and talks to him with true devotion. Once from the window of her shop, Klara had watched the sun pouring out his special energy to bring a dead beggar and his dog back to life. In utter excitement Klara says

The Sun was pouring his nourishment onto the street and into the buildings, and when I looked over to the spot where Beggar man and the dog had died, I saw they weren’t dead at all – that a special kind of nourishment from the Sun had saved them. (37)

Her faith and respect for the Sun grew in leaps and bounds since then. Rosa, her companion in the store was the first one to find a home. With her going away, Klara was left alone to contemplate upon her observations till Josie, a young girl chose her for her friend. Klara moves into her new house not knowing what was in store for her. She observes and learns to handle the mood swings of Josie, of Josie’s mother and of Melania, the house keeper. The

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house keeper in particular was against her very presence, from the beginning. She reprimanded Klara, even when Klara tried to please her by doing all that she liked. Klara was smart enough to observe Josie’s Mom whose face overflew with kindness also had another side to her. For several days she could go about doing her work “unsmiling and tense”. (51) Klara could also guess that it was all due to the indifferent health condition of her daughter. Klara understands and appreciates the mother’s love for her daughter and vice versa.

Ricky, Josie’s childhood friend is introduced to Klara as “a special person” (62). In the interaction meeting friends question Josie as to why she had not gone for a B3. Josie pleases Klara with her response. She says “There is nothing any B3 can do Klara can’t” (76). But when Klara fails to comply with the requests of the guests to sing and to greet, Josie laughingly admits “Now I’m starting to think I should have” (77). This simple casual remark hurts Klara. Klara’s only aspiration in life is to satisfy Josie. She feels bad about not standing up to her expectations. The remark of Josie brings to Klara’s mind the teenager who walked ahead of his AF, not bothering to turn back to see if his AF was following. “…and I wondered if Josie and I would ever walk in such a way.”(82) Danny one of the visitors suggested that they should put Klara to scrub’s test. Rick came to Klara’s rescue and Klara thanked him for it. Klara may be a machine but a machine with human sentiment and emotions and that is the take home point of the interaction meeting. When Josie’s mother pays her a compliment, Klara feels delighted.

...Josie is so much more calm, so much more cheerful since you got here. You are doing very well Klara. I want you to know that (89)

Trip to Morgan Falls brings Klara closer to Josie’s Mother. Actually Josie was the one who planned the trip for Klara. Klara had not seen Falls, therefore Josie wanted Klara to enjoy. But on the day of the supposed trip, Josie fails to keep good health and so her mother wanted her to stay back at home. Klara was surprised with the decision of the mother to go ahead with the plan in spite of the indifferent health condition of Josie. For the first time ever mother talks freely to Klara. She asks Klara to speak like Josie and is amazed at the proximity achieved by Klara. She imitates Josie’s mannerisms perfectly well enough but reveals the hope and faith of Klara which is unavailable to anyone else. she says

There is special help coming. Something no one’s thought of yet. Then I’ll be well again (105)

Klara hopes that the sun would pour out his special energy as it did to the beggar man in the street. She connects the illness of Josie to lack of appropriate attention from the sun. She was very confident that her Sun knows his time and would not delay unnecessarily. The confidence in the voice of Klara is taken for ignorance and Mother walks away, paying no serious attention to it. But Klara waits and waits with hope and faith. Her love for Josie and her faith in the magic of the Sun keep her in the swim. But neither Josie’s parents nor the house keeper share Klara’s faith in Josie’s recovery. When Josie’s movements become rare and minimum, they almost decide that they will have to get ready to face the inevitable. Josie, like her sister Sal would die, they thought. Klara, on the other hand would not give up. She was bent upon winning the attention of the Sun through sincere prayers. The Robot, the super symbol of technical advancement, trusts the oldest God of the Universe, the Sun. In the novels of Ishiguro, nothing extraordinary ever happens. The regular readers of Ishiguro would not expect anything to happen blatantly or

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dramatically. But it happens thanks to the courage of conviction shown by Klara, the Sun visits Josie’s room and pours out his special nourishments to answer Klara’s prayer. Josie recovers. But no one understands how? The Sun that is responsible for her recovery is not recognized and Klara who made it happen is coolly forgotten. It is not only Klara, the humanoid who learns a lesson or two about the human ability to stay indifferent to vital issues in life but also the readers. Every reading of Ishiguro leaves the readers with a sense of void; emptiness about human existence. But there would also be a ray of hope from some corner indicating the continuum of the journey in a distant positive note. But Klara’s end disturbs. For it indicates the inability of the human beings to recognize merit, to honour sincerity and to stay thankful. The smarter the inventions are, the duller the inventors become are the impression the readers get when they reach the final pages of the novel wherein Klara is found conversing with the manager of her stores. Like the soldier boy in the dramatic monologue of Robert Browning, The Incident of the French Camp, Klara expresses her total satisfaction over how she had served her friend, Josie with all her mighty heart. She even goes to the extent of saying that she would have willingly gone on to live the life of Josie if situation came to it. Yet she is quite contended with the way things have gone for herself and for Josie. Klara, whose life was driven by a sole source of energy, love for her friend Josie, almost was disappointed with reality. She finds people being too flexible and too uncertain to be understood. But Klara knew her strengths and also her limitations. To her store manager she says

…The Mother,Rick,Melania House keeper,the Father.I’d neverhave reached what they felt for Josie in their hearts…. (306)

Mr. Capaldi’s comment that he searched and searched for something special in Josie that couldn’t be continued but found nothing,is analyzedbrilliantly by Klara; an instance of rare insight into human psyche

Mr. Capaldi…was searching in the wrong place. There was something very special, but it wasn’t inside Josie. It was inside those who loved her. (ibid)

Klara forgets not the role of the Sun in the miraculous recovery of Josie.

The Sun was very kind to me. He was always kind to me from the start. But when I was with Josie, once, he was particularly kind (307)

III. Conclusion Thus in terms of faith and love Klara stands tall amidst those who are neither capable of faultless faith nor of genuine unflinching love. Josie’s own mother beyond a particular point, begins to think of the next best adjustment to be made to tackle Josie’s ever declining health. She wanted Klara to take up the role. She even allures Klara with the promising rewards the role is likely to bring to Klara.

“It is not Faith you need. Only rationality”, Mr. Capaldi had said in his effort to convince Chrissie, Josie’s mother of his point that “Josie’s impulses and desires” could be comprehended thoroughly by Klara. (210) But Klara gets the Sun to visit Josie’s chamber to pour out his special energy, not by comprehending the impulses and desires of Josie

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and not definitely by rational thinking, but by unshakable, blind faith in the Sun as the elixir of life. In the battle between Faith and Rational thinking it is not rationality but faith that wins.

Kazuo Ishiguro, the author also depicts two incomplete love stories in the novel. One of Rick and Josie and the other of Mr. Vance and Miss Helen, Rick’s mother. It’s the lack of genuine commitment on the part of the human hearts that makes both the stories incomplete. They couldn’t just care enough to give full shape to it. Klara tries to accept one as quite natural but struggles. So do the readers. That is the story of Rick and Josie.

Rick and Josie were neighbours and friends from their childhood days. “We are going to spend our lives together” (55) says Josie while introducing him to Klara. She further says with absolute certainty that with her and Rick it got decided long time ago and it’s not going to change. Klara respects Rick for his genuine gentleness. She comes to know that Rick was not genetically upgraded and so would not be admitted into top institutions. Instances show Rick’s genuine care and concern for Josie. He helps Klara in the interaction meet. He accompanies her to Mr. McBain’s barn to help her offer her special prayers to Sun. He assures Klara of his cooperation in all that she does for Josie’s welfare. The affection that Rick shows to Josie is quite unmistakable. Josie too responds in her own way, giving no scope for wretched doubts. These two together give the readers some real moments to cherish. Klara is so impressed with the intense certainty of their love that she decides to invite the sun in the name of their love to Josie’s house and shower on her his special energy, his special nourishment. She is delighted to hear from Rick the following words

Josie and I grew up together and we’re part of each other. And we’ve got our plan. So of course our love is genuine and forever. And it won’t make any difference to us who’s been lifted and who hasn’t. That’s your answer, Klara, and there won’t be any other. (270)

Klara makes a specific mention of this when she prays to the Sun.

...then Josie and Rick could go together into their adult lives just as they wished for…I can myself vouch that their love is strong and lasting… (275)

Klara believed that the Sun would help genuine lovers meet even after years of separation. She believed that human beings are capable of eternal love and she trusted that the Sun has the power to heal the wounds caused by time. She is dumbfounded to find Rick and Josie preferring to go their own way, years later. She heard Rick explain in a matter of fact manner, the following

…that was the truth at the time. But now we are no longer kids. We have to wish each other the best and go our different ways…. I will always keep searching for someone just like her. (292)

Klara half-heartedly accepts the explanation with millions of questions in her mind, probably about the ability of the human heart to find a substitute for the one loved so earnestly once in life. The second love story is truly a lovely loveless story of Miss Helen, Rick’s mother. Fickle mindedness of the people involved in the episode hurts and disturbs. There is nothing romantic about the story. For it’s an effort made by Miss.Helan to recall her neglected lover of the past in order to solve a pressing problem in the present. Rick’s future looked very bleak as he had not

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been genetically upgraded. Children like him who are not upgraded would not be admitted into any useful programmes in any standard colleges. Atlas Brookings, a generous and liberal college would be the right institution for higher studies. But gaining admission wouldn’t be an easy affair. Therefore, Miss.Helan thought that she could take the help of Mr. Vance who loved her with all his heart once upon a time. But the meeting proves to be a complete fiasco as in it Mr. Vance finds an opportunity to satisfy his hurt ego and to take revenge on Miss.Helan, the one who broke his heart in the past. His questions cannot be merely brushed aside as irrelevant as they are cautiously and deliberately engineered to hurt. When Love evaporates in the extraordinary heat of ego, hatred flourishes,

After all these years. All these years of your not answering my messages. All these minutes and hours and days and months and years of my thinking about you. (251)

After 27 years, Mr. Vance succeeds in taking revenge on ‘fragile’ Helen and the ‘queen’ Helen begs for the future of her son. Mr. Vance was enjoying every second of the meeting. He did not consider the crux of her request which was Rick’s Future. He seems to be contended with the plight of the lady who had the audacity to ignore his interests in her. Had Rick not interfered, the episode would only have grown nastier and this is the second story that reveals the inability of human heart to love or respond to love in earnestness.

Klara and the Sun was actually a novel written for children. Kazuo Ishiguro couldn’t keep it simple. We understand Ishiguro’s daughter Naomi told him that

…there’s no way you can tell that story to children. You’re just going to traumatize them. I thought, ooh, well maybe I can use it for a novel, and that’s kind of where Klara and the Sun came from.

Klara and the Sun is actually a novel that can be read and enjoyed by children and grownups alike. Seriously it’s a novel that turns your eyes inward and the reading of it might excite the Children but would disturb the adults as all the novels of Ishiguro do.

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References

[1] Barry, Peter. (2015). 3rd ed., Begining Theory, An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory . Viva Books.

[2] Bethune, B. (2021b, February 26). Kazuo Ishiguro’s newest book, “Klara and the Sun” is an “emotional reply” to “.”

Macleans.Ca. https://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/kazuo-ishiguros-newest-book-is-an-emotional-reply-to-never-let-me-go/

[3] Ishiguro, Kazuo (2021). Klara and the Sun. Faber and Faber.

[4] Poem Hunter. (2001). Incident Of The French Camp Poem by Robert Browning. https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/incident-of-the-french-

camp/

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