Throughout history, an emphasis on collective thought over a singular mindset has been viewed negatively by American textbooks written a country where individual success is paramount to almost everything else. The western culture present in every aspect American society dictates that conformity and communal thinking are harmful: although the media may convince the public to try to fit a certain mold, in reality the necessity of being different and achieving individual success is widely known and accepted. Although modern Japan is similarly focused on individual success, elements of their culture still have some influence over their values: from the determined loyalty to their country that the samurai held, to the influence of neo-Confucianism
…show more content…
The intention of the guardians is to slowly feed the students information about what was expected of them until it was ingrained in their mind, until it was the only path that they could ever think to follow; by doing so, they “managed to smuggle into [the students’] heads a lot of the basic facts about [their] futures” (Ishiguro 83). One of their methods for inducing conformity was to reveal information at the same time as they revealed other, more captivating information, such as during their sex education: “We’d be focusing on sex, and then the other stuff would creep in” (Ishiguro 84). Another method was to glorify their lives at Hailsham and allow not only the students, but those outside of Hailsham, to believe that the students were truly lucky: even after they leave Hailsham, the students were told by other clones that “you Hailsham lot, you're really lucky” (Ishiguro 152). In The Handmaid’s Tale, the Aunts glorify Offred’s duties in the same way by repeating how their new role in society “is a position of honor” (Atwood 13). The attempts to influence the students, and the handmaids, by idealizing their situations results in acceptance and occasional gratefulness for their designated position. The reason that Miss …show more content…
Kathy describes a veteran, Chrissy, a “tall girl who was quite beautiful when she stood up to her full height, but she didn’t seem to realise this and spent her time crouching to be the same as the rest of us” (Ishiguro 141). With Chrissy’s character description, Ishiguro is clearly highlighting the downsides of the emphasis on group similarity. Other veterans display similar signs of conformity, such as their many “mannerisms [that] were copied from the television” (Ishiguro 120). Even more damaging, and something that is brought up often throughout the novel, is Ruth’s overly conforming nature, and how it damages the relationship between Kathy and Ruth. When Ruth sees the other couples at the Cottages slapping their “partner’s arm near the elbow” instead of kissing goodbye, like the Hailsham students did, she begins to do the same (Ishiguro 121). This is initially ignored by Kathy, but she eventually confronts Ruth about it, leading to an argument with Ruth claiming that Kathy is “‘upset because [Ruth has] managed to move on, make new friends’” (Ishiguro 124). Kathy quickly learns to support Ruth and her actions in trying to make the veterans like her. She tries to convince Tommy to do the same, and occasionally he defies her attempts: Tommy’s natural temper
The intention of the guardians is to slowly feed the students information about what was expected of them until it was ingrained in their mind, until it was the only path that they could ever think to follow; by doing so, they “managed to smuggle into [the students’] heads a lot of the basic facts about [their] futures” (Ishiguro 83). One of their methods for inducing conformity was to reveal information at the same time as they revealed other, more captivating information, such as during their sex education: “We’d be focusing on sex, and then the other stuff would creep in” (Ishiguro 84). Another method was to glorify their lives at Hailsham and allow not only the students, but those outside of Hailsham, to believe that the students were truly lucky: even after they leave Hailsham, the students were told by other clones that “you Hailsham lot, you're really lucky” (Ishiguro 152). In The Handmaid’s Tale, the Aunts glorify Offred’s duties in the same way by repeating how their new role in society “is a position of honor” (Atwood 13). The attempts to influence the students, and the handmaids, by idealizing their situations results in acceptance and occasional gratefulness for their designated position. The reason that Miss …show more content…
Kathy describes a veteran, Chrissy, a “tall girl who was quite beautiful when she stood up to her full height, but she didn’t seem to realise this and spent her time crouching to be the same as the rest of us” (Ishiguro 141). With Chrissy’s character description, Ishiguro is clearly highlighting the downsides of the emphasis on group similarity. Other veterans display similar signs of conformity, such as their many “mannerisms [that] were copied from the television” (Ishiguro 120). Even more damaging, and something that is brought up often throughout the novel, is Ruth’s overly conforming nature, and how it damages the relationship between Kathy and Ruth. When Ruth sees the other couples at the Cottages slapping their “partner’s arm near the elbow” instead of kissing goodbye, like the Hailsham students did, she begins to do the same (Ishiguro 121). This is initially ignored by Kathy, but she eventually confronts Ruth about it, leading to an argument with Ruth claiming that Kathy is “‘upset because [Ruth has] managed to move on, make new friends’” (Ishiguro 124). Kathy quickly learns to support Ruth and her actions in trying to make the veterans like her. She tries to convince Tommy to do the same, and occasionally he defies her attempts: Tommy’s natural temper