A eugenic attempt to create “upper class”: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Abstract

During the first third of the 20th century, scientific advances in genetic research led to an alarm for the modern world and mankind. Under the coercion of artificial intelligence and sterilization programs sponsored by the state, cultural values have been deeply influenced. British author Kazuo Ishiguro, along with his latest novel Klara and the Sun, poses several pertinent questions about the moral standards of existence and humanity. Klara and the Sun is a dystopian novel that offers a speculative future through which the effects of advanced technology, science, and artificial intelligence concepts may be decoded. Ishiguro’s serious concerns about a new society and changing social relations question human insecurity in different layers of the community. The desire to create a master race through a gene-modification process forms the main structure of the narrative. Therefore, based on eugenic attempts in the modern world, this study, addresses the violation of ethical standards that cause inequality, marginalization, and miscommunication. This study seeks to present important insights into the science of genetics and eugenics through the characters of the novel. Josie, a lifted girl, and Rick, an unlifted boy, exemplify the superiors and inferiors of the community that punctures the goals of a biocapitalist and technology-dependent society. In this sense, this article aims to uncover the results of eugenic programs that force people to modify their genes for social improvement, especially social relations.