From Being Disciplined to Becoming “Zoe”: The Posthuman Subjectivity of Clones in <i>Never Let Me Go

As a core concept in philosophy and critical theory, subjectivity holds fundamental importance in that it constitutes the cornerstone of an individual’s self-awareness, moral status, and existential significance. It also serves as the intrinsic basis for their entitlement to dignity and rights. With the development of cutting-edge technologies such as genetic engineering, biotechnology, and cognitive science, the issue of subjectivity has become a key topic in academic discussions within the posthuman context. <i>Never Let Me Go</i>,<i> </i>a novel by the Japanese-British author Kazuo Ishiguro, centers on a group of clones, vividly depicting their life trajectories and the tragic fate as organ donors for humans. From the perspective of the clone protagonist Kathy, the novel showcases the process in which the clone community resists against their given fate of sacrifice and strives to pursue and construct their own subjectivity. Based on Rosi Braidotti’s theory of posthuman subjectivity, this paper analyzes how the clones strive to escape from their fate as sacrifice caused by their assigned alienated identities and instrumentalized bodies, generate the pure life “Zoe” by means of deterritorializing nomadic resistance and establishing connections with other forms of life, and thereby demonstrate their posthuman nomadic subjectivity. By depicting the clones’ pursuit of their own subjectivity, Ishiguro in this novel expresses his contemplation on the tragic fate of the clones and the ethical problems caused by cloning technology. 主体性作为哲学与文化批判理论的核心概念之一，其重要性在于它是个体之自我认知和道德地位及其存在意义的根本基石，也是个体享有生命尊严与权利的内在依据。随着基因技术、生物技术、认知科学等前沿科技的发展，在后人类语境下，主体性问题再次成为学界讨论的重要话题。日裔英国作家石黑一雄创作的长篇小说《别让我走》以克隆人群体为叙事核心，深刻描绘了其生活轨迹及作为人类器官捐献者的悲惨宿命。小说透过克隆人主人公凯茜的视角，展示了克隆人群体抵抗被给定的牺牲者命运，努力追寻和建构自身主体性的过程。本文基于布拉伊多蒂的后人类主体性理论，分析小说中克隆人试图摆脱其被给定的异化身份和工具化身体所导向的牺牲者命运，并通过解辖域化的游牧抵抗以及与其他生命形式的关联而生成纯粹生命“佐伊”，从而呈现出其后人类游牧主体性。通过描写克隆人群体对自身主体性的追寻，石黑一雄在该作中表达了对克隆人的悲剧命运以及克隆技术所引发的科技伦理问题的思考。