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Delusions
Memory and Identity in Kazuo Ishiguros Fiction

















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MA Module Synopsis. Spring 2005. Roskilde University
Supervisor: Ebbe Klitgrd
Written by: Sren Hellerung and Cecilie Skaarup
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1. Introduction
This synopsis will propose an analysis of the narrative technique and psychological character
depictions in Kazuo Ishiguros two most recent novels: When We Were Orphans (2000) and Never Let
Me Go (2005). To a large extent these two novels share a common ground of themes and perspectives.
In our reading, both novels are concerned with the notions of memory and identity and it seems that
identity is somehow dependent on memory. This means that the key to understanding Ishiguros
characters lies in the analysis of their individual ways of remembering their past. Essentially, this is our
main approach in this proposed report.

2. Problem Definition
The two novels in question present some of Ishiguros main thematical concerns and convey an
immense psychological depth especially in the protagonists. The themes that we believe to be at the
centre of the novels are memory and identity. These themes seem closely connected in Ishiguros
perception. The protagonists of the novels, Christopher Banks and Kathy H., respectively, both seem to
create their identity from their interpretation of their childhood memories. Consequently, our cardinal
question is:

How does Ishiguro deal with the notion of memory in his novels When We Were Orphans and
Never Let Me Go?
How is the identity of Ishiguros characters dependent on their memory?

3. Delimitations
As we have chosen to concentrate on two specific themes in the novels, we naturally also have to
exclude other aspects in our analysis. Consequently, we have left out a more broad literary analysis of
the works in order to be able to focus on specific thematic elements that are clearly important in both of
the novels.

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4. Theoretical overview
This section will help establish an idea of the academic context of the theorists that will be
implemented further on in the proposed report. The section may not constitute a full chapter in the
report, but we find it necessary to include the notions at one point.
First of all, we will be dealing with the literary theories of Seymour Chatman and Jakob Lothe. Both
theorists operate within the field of narratology which is a type of literary analysis concerned with the
general theory and practice of narrative in all literary forms (Abrams, 1999:173). We will mainly
concentrate on the terms that describe the well-known model of the narrative communication model:

Historical author Implied author Narrator Narratee Implied Reader Historical reader

Note that this model represents Lothes adaptation of the narrative communication model (Lothe,
2000:16). The most significant differences between Lothe and Chatmans theories on this point are,
first of all, that they have diverging ways of designating the articles outside of the box, but we will not
move into the implications of this. More importantly for our purposes is the fact that there are slight
differences in the ways that they define the so-called implied author. Chatman writes that the implied
author is, reconstructed by the reader from the narrative. He is not the narrator, but rather the
principle that invented the narrator, along with everything else in the narrative (Chatman,
1978:148). Lothe refines this description by saying that, the implied authorbecomes practically a
synonym for the ideological value system that the text, indirectly, presents and represents. (Lothe,
2000:19). This notion is important because it is these latent values that can indirectly suggest that the
narrator is unreliable. The unreliable narrator is found in texts where the norms of the narrator
somehow deviate from the norms of the implied author (Chatman, 1978:233). In other words, the
narrators artificial authority (Lothe, 2000:25) is undermined from what can be read between the lines.
In the full report, we would suggest a more in-depth treatment of the literary theories, including e.g. a
description of the relationship between the implied author and the implied reader in the case of the
unreliable narrator.

Moving on from the purely literary theories, it will be necessary to include a theory that can facilitate
the analysis and description of the psychological mechanisms of memory that Ishiguro conveys in the
two novels. To this end, we have chosen to use the theories of Mark Freeman, who deals with
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psychological processes concerning peoples constant revision, or rewriting, of their personal history.
Mark Freeman takes his theoretical point of departure in psychology, but includes approaches from
philosophy and, to a smaller degree, literary theory. The most important philosophical influence comes
from the field of phenomenology where one of the essential ideas is, roughly, that the relationship
between reality and our perception of it is arbitrary
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. From literary theory, Freeman mainly borrows
some broad terms and definitions.
Freeman utilizes these ideological starting points to describe the act of rewriting the self as it occurs
both in actual autobiographies and in everyday reflections over ones personal history. He sees the
essential part of this autobiographical act as the interpretation of past events into meaningful patterns
(Freeman, 1993:26). These patterns are important in determining the self, i.e. identity. As an echo of
the abovementioned phenomenological view, Freeman argues that all types of interpretation are
inevitably subjective. Furthermore, all interpretations are fictions in that they often try to
impose meaning and coherence where none exists (Freeman, 1993:30). This essentially means that no
one can conceivably render their past exactly as it was.

5. Analysis
The analysis chapter of this synopsis will carry points that would be distributed between the analysis
and the discussion chapters in the proposed report. The first segment (5.1.) serves as an introduction to
the two novels and our reading of them. The analysis chapter will then move on to deal with specific
themes and fully implement the theoretical tools (from 5.2. on).

5.1. Introduction to the Novels
In the following segment, we will give a short thematical introduction to the two novels. Each novel
will be presented in broad terms to give an idea of the setting, and we will then move on to analyse the
characters with the main aim of outlining their individual perceptions and attitudes towards memory.

5.1.1. When We Were Orphans
The novel takes place between the very beginning of the 20
th
century and 1958. The protagonist and
narrator of the novel is Christopher Banks. His entire life is affected by the fact that his parents were

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As defined in Politikens Filosofileksikon, p. 148.
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kidnapped when he was a child living in Shanghai. Banks grows up to become a renowned private
detective in England. The book resembles a detective novel at first glance, but this expectation is soon
broken on the readers behalf. The detective elements move out of focus lending room to the themes
that will be discussed below. But Banks main aim remains to solve the mysteries of his parents
disappearances. Eventually, he returns to Shanghai in order to do this. The story is mainly told through
more or less vague remembrances from his childhood and later events in a way that constantly
challenges the readers judgment.
As a character, Banks is deeply concerned with trying to make sense of his childhood memories in
order to somehow understand his present situation. Only gradually, does the reader learn that Banks
interpretations are largely delusional, and that he seems to be lying to himself so as to avoid being
confronted with the traumatic memories that loom over his life. From the very beginning of the novel,
it is indicated that Banks was something of an odd bird or a loner as a child. Banks himself,
however, does not seem to recognise this perception. Eventually, it is the huge number of these
indications that support the interpretation that he somehow inhabits his own distorted reality. This
interpretation of Banks character could also potentially imply that his childhood friend, Akira, is
imaginary. The long passage where Banks moves through the bombed out neighbourhoods of Shanghai
eventually demonstrates beyond doubt that Banks is not completely sane. He attaches the identity of
Akira to a seemingly random wounded Japanese soldier. This suggests that the character of Akira may
well have been formed over Banks perception of a generic Japanese person. Such a simplified way of
perceiving things is a typical trait of a childish imagination, and arguably Banks retains the mentality of
a child almost until the very end of the novel.

5.1.2. Never Let Me Go
The novel takes place in a contra-factual version of England in the late 1990s. As such the novel
essentially belongs to the science fiction genre although this is hardly the thematical focus of the book.
The protagonist and narrator of Never Let Me Go is Kathy H. The story is told through her recollection
of her stay at Hailsham, which appears to be a regular, English boarding school. Life at Hailsham
revolves around art and usual teenage concerns, creating what is apparently an almost normal
upbringing for Kathy and her two closest friends, Tommy and Ruth. The gradually unravelling truth
behind the matter is that Kathy and her friends at Hailsham are clones, brought up to donate their vital
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organs to normal people. Kathy is at the point of telling the story a carer, tending to active donors
and waiting to become a donor herself.
As a character, Kathy H., like Christopher Banks, tries to make sense of her childhood experiences.
The fact that her life is predetermined is reflected in her character. As is the case with most of the
clones, Kathy seems strangely neutral and inert, having maybe already accepted her destiny at some
subconscious level. The only character trait that seems to set her apart from her fellow clones is her
objectivity and serenity towards her life and inescapable future. It may be these unique traits that have
made her tell the story as it appears in the novel.
As opposed to Kathy, the character of Ruth has a tendency to let go of her past. Ruth was Kathys best
friend and Tommys girlfriend at Hailsham, but on a very basic level she is different from them. Later
in her life she claims to have forgotten many of their common memories, maybe as an attempt to leave
behind the happy, carefree past that puts her current situation into a grim perspective. Through this
denial, Hailsham is slowly disappearing out of her conscience. At the end, Ruth appears as a weak
character compared to Kathy and Tommy, both mentally and physically. Maybe this frailty is a result
of her letting go of her past life. Another possible cause for her frailty may be that her secret realisation
of how perfect Kathy and Tommy are for each other is eating her up.
Tommy seems to be the black sheep at Hailsham. He has a hard time controlling his temper, which
might be interpreted as a reaction to his sub-conscious knowledge of his future. Tommy is more
contemplative than the average student at Hailsham. He keeps pondering over what to make of the
things that Miss Lucy tells him. Piecing together the mysterious incidents that occur from time to time
is a common concern for Tommy and Kathy. This demonstrates the profound connection between the
two characters.

5.2. Memory
Memory is an explicit theme of both novels. Both narrators are concerned with their own recollection
of the past, and how their memories seem to fade over time. They are well aware that their memory
may not serve them correctly (e.g. Kathy H.: This was all a long time ago so I might have some of it
wrong
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), but this does not prevent them from relating their stories. While being very similar at this
basic level, the characters of the two narrators are in fact, in our opinion, quite different. Banks is
evidently a rather self-delusional character. This can be discerned from e.g. his outrageous conviction

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Never Let Me Go p. 13.
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that his parents have been held captive in a house in Shanghai for several years. Kathy H. is very sound
and reasonable in comparison. She seems to be aware of the natural limitations of her recollection of
the past.
Through a thorough analysis of the narrative technique in When We Were Orphans and Never Let Me
Go, we expect to discover that Chatmans concept of the unreliable narrator may be able to describe the
technical aspects of the novels, but that it fails to recognize the deeper thematical implications of
Ishiguros techniques. The technical aspect is obviously only a fraction of what Ishiguro seeks to
accomplish with his novels. The unreliability of both Kathy H. and Banks is merely the surface of a
much more profound theme for Ishiguro, i.e. the portrayal of the deeper psychological aspects of
memory.
Comparing the unreliability of the narrators in the two novels, Banks appears to be the most severe
case. Reading between the lines, there are arguably many reasons to think that Banks is misleading
himself. Returning to the aforementioned example, about Banks being a loner, it can be seen that he
distorts his memories in order to create a bearable image of himself as a child. The interesting thing
about these indications is that Ishiguro uses them as a form of so-called delayed decoding. They occur
from quite early on in the novel, and only towards the end does the reader realize their full
implications.
Kathy H. would debatably not fall squarely under the category of unreliable narrators as there do not
seem to be any major divergences between her views and the values of the implied author. This could
be a point speaking against Chatmans way of defining unreliability in narrators. Kathy explicitly
admits that her memory is unreliable, but this simply is not a factor in Chatmans theory. Thus for
several reasons Chatmans theory falls short of our purposes, therefore we will turn to Freemans
descriptive psychological approach.

Freemans perspective on the matter puts the limited applicability of Chatmans theories into
perspective. In a sense, it does away with Chatmans basic assumption that such a thing as reliability
exists in the first place. Ishiguros shares Freemans view on this matter. When We Were Orphans and
Never Let Me Go seem to demonstrate that there is no such thing as a reliable narrator. In other words,
the novels convey the universal fact that everyone rearranges, rewrites and consequently distorts their
past when reflecting on it. As the connection between memory and identity is very close, it will be
natural to continue the discussion in the next segment.
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5.3. Identity
This chapter will utilize Freemans explicit theories on the subject to clarify the implicit ideas in the
two novels in question. Taking our point of departure in these assumptions, we propose an analysis of
Ishiguros idea of identity, and exactly how this is dependent on the characters individual habits of
either suppressing or embracing memories.
Using Freemans terminology on the two novels, we can discern that each character has a different way
of rewriting their past into new patterns that determine their self-understanding, i.e. their identity. In
turn, this understanding is then displayed in the way that the characters talk about themselves and relay
their memories to others (Freeman, 1993:139). The following examples will illustrate tentative
approaches to analysing the characters from this perspective.
Kathy H. is an example of a character who chooses to hold on to her memories. She manages to
maintain a unique personality in a position, having her life predetermined, where one would expect a
defeatist attitude. Throughout the novel, Kathy H. undergoes a certain development in her self-
understanding. She adapts her identity according to what is expected of her, changing from a regular
teenager into a thoughtful adult and a conscientious carer. The two latter identities exist side by side in
her perception of herself.
Conversely, Ruth seems to let go of her memories and as a result she ends up appearing somewhat
empty and worn out. She seems to fade in her transition from innocence to experience as she is
somehow losing the prominent identity that she possessed as a teenager at Hailsham. She is slowly
letting go of her will to define herself as she realizes that her life does not belong to her. In a sense,
Ruth is the character in Never Let Me Go that most closely resembles Christopher Banks in that she
maintains a faulty self-identity, which is only shattered at a relatively late point in her life.
Christopher Banks self-image resembles a stereotypical 1930s private detective. A large part of his
identity hinges on his belief that he will be able to find his parents, and that everything consequently
will return to normal, i.e. a restoration of his childhood. As the truth of his parents destinies finally
dawns on Banks, he is forced to reinterpret his past including this new knowledge. The realisation does
not only shatter his self-perception, but even his ontological certainty; he has to revise his entire
worldview.
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6. Conclusion
Without having carried out an in-depth analysis and discussion of When We Were Orphans and Never
Let Me Go, we assume that the conclusion of the proposed report would have resembled the following:

Ishiguro deals with the notion of memory on several different levels in the two novels. On an explicit
level, both novels contain several remarks that tell about how the narrators feel about the way they
remember, or have started forgetting, their past. Implicitly, the novels are structured around the way
that memory works. Both novels are essentially stories that are being retold through the eyes of the
narrators/protagonists. Therefore their individual ways of rewriting their past is directly reflected in the
structure of each novel. Using Mark Freemans theories, this very same structure also defines the
characters images of themselves. Thus memory, identity and narrative structure are inseparable in
Ishiguros fiction.

7. Further Perspectives
The following points are suggestions for themes that would be interesting to include in further
discussions of the two novels. We could choose to deal with:

The way that Ishiguro uses delayed decoding to advance his plots and to make late
revelations confer new meanings of the earlier parts of the novels.
Ishiguros use of historical and geographical settings, and specifically the vagueness of the
settings.


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Bibliography

Ishiguro, Kazuo, 2000, When We Were Orphans, Faber and Faber, Ltd., London

Ishiguro, Kazuo, 2005, Never Let Me Go, Faber and Faber, Ltd., London


Chatman, Seymour, 1978, Story and Discourse Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film,
Cornell University Press, New York (Chapter 4 and pages 233-37)

Freeman, Mark, 1993, Rewriting the Self History, Memory, Narrative,
Routledge, London

Lothe, Jakob, 2000, Narrative in Fiction and Film An Introduction,
Oxford University Press, Oxford (pages 16-27 and 32-48)

Lbcke, Paul (Red.), 1983, Politikens Filosofileksikon, Politikens Forlag A/S, Copenhagen