Summary
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro explores themes of humanity, identity, and technology in a dystopian future America. The story is narrated by Klara, an Artificial Friend designed to accompany children. For Klara, a solar-powered robot, the sun serves as a source of healing, vitality, and hope. Exploring genetic modification, social inequality, and the ethical implications of artificial intelligence, the novel also raises questions about the essence of human experience and emotion.
Plot
Klara and the Sun unfolds in a future America where Artificial Friends (AFs) serve as companions for children. The story, narrated by Klara, an AF, begins in a store where she observes human interactions. A solar-powered robot, Klara views the sun as a vital life source and healing power.
Klara is purchased by Josie, a 14-year-old affected by a genetic enhancement process called "lifting," designed to boost intellect. This process led to the death of Josie's sister, Sal. Josie is close to Rick, her young neighbor, who faces ostracism because he is “unlifted.” Klara learns about Josie's fragile health and her mother's plan to replace her with a robotic replica if she dies. To save Josie’s life, Klara begins to imitate Josie's behavior. She also turns to the sun.
Klara attempts to destroy a polluting Cootings Machine, seeking the sun’s aid. Afterward, Josie's health unexpectedly improves, highlighting themes of faith in technology and existence. As Josie recovers, she shifts focus to academics and social life, reducing her reliance on Klara. When Josie departs for college, she and Klara part ways.
The novel concludes with Klara retiring to the Yard, a resting place for AFs. She reflects on her experiences and the sun's generosity, finding solace in her past role as a companion and the kindness she encountered.
Themes
Artificial intelligence
Klara and the Sun explores artificial intelligence through Klara, an Artificial Friend who provides insights into a technologically advanced future and human nature. Kazuo Ishiguro uses Klara's perspective to examine the ethical and emotional dimensions of AI. Klara's ability to observe and empathize demonstrates AI's potential to mimic human emotions. Her interactions with characters like Josie highlight the vulnerabilities and complexities of human emotions, raising questions about the distinction between human and machine.
Klara's empathy and willingness to sacrifice for Josie demonstrate AI's potential for human-like devotion. Her fragmented visual processing symbolizes the challenges AI faces in understanding human subtleties. These elements emphasize the ethical dilemmas involved in creating sentient technology and prompt reflection on identity and love in an increasingly mechanized world. Klara's experiences challenge the boundaries between machine and human, probing the understanding of connection and consciousness.
Identity
Klara and the Sun examines identity and consciousness through Klara, an Artificial Friend. While Klara's observations explore self-awareness and machine intelligence, her commitment to Josie, shown through her efforts to understand human emotions, considers love and loyalty beyond biological limits. Klara's journey poses a critical question—can AI possess consciousness similar to a human, or is it fundamentally different? Ishiguro explores whether personal identity is exclusively human and can extend to artificial beings.
The sun
In Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun, the sun is a central symbol connected to spiritual and metaphorical themes. For Klara, a solar-powered robot, the Sun serves as both an energy source and a deity-like figure. This belief shapes her actions and perspective.
Beyond her reliance on the sun for energy, Klara appeals to the sun to heal Josie, her young human companion. Klara’s devotion portrays the sun as a beacon of hope and a source for potential healing, mirroring ancient human traditions of celestial worship. This alignment suggests a link between her programmed views and human spirituality, revealing the novel’s themes of faith, consciousness, and the complex relationship between artificial and human experiences.
Quick facts
Klara and the Sun is set in a dystopian future America featuring genetically enhanced children and artificial friends.
Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017, Klara and the Sun was highly acclaimed by critics and longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize.
Klara, the protagonist, is a solar-powered Artificial Friend designed to provide companionship to children.
Klara views the sun as a divine entity with healing powers, symbolizing her religious-like reverence.
Klara and the Sun delves deeply into philosophical questions surrounding artificial intelligence, consciousness, and what defines humanity.
Narrated by Klara, the novel captures her voice through controlled and detached prose.
Klara's unique perception of the world, described in geometric grids and boxes, reflects her robotic nature.
The scenes often unfold through Klara's limited yet perceptive observations, offering insights into human emotions and societal norms.
Klara and the Sun has drawn comparisons to Ishiguro's earlier dystopian novel Never Let Me Go, which also explores the boundaries between artificial beings and humanity.
Sony’s 3000 Pictures acquired film adaptation rights for the novel.
Klara and the Sun raises ethical questions about class disparities, meritocracy, and human reliance on technology.
Key characters
Klara: The protagonist and narrator. Klara is an Artificial Friend (AF), designed to be a companion to children. Her solar-powered existence shapes her understanding of the world, influencing her belief in the Sun as a source of hope and her commitment to healing Josie.
Josie: The 14-year-old girl who purchases Klara. Josie suffers from complications due to a genetic process to enhance her intellect, called “lifting.” Her interactions with Rick and reliance on Klara suggest her desire for connection and understanding.
Rick: Josie's childhood friend and neighbor. Rick confronts societal challenges because he is "unlifted." His care for Josie and developing friendship with Klara explore themes of loyalty and social inequality.
Chrissie: Josie's mother. After losing her first daughter to genetic enhancement, Chrissie faces Josie’s illness with practicality, considering a robot as a potential replacement. Her actions highlight her deep maternal commitment mixed with desperation and pain.
Melania: The housekeeper in Josie’s home. Melania initially distrusts Klara but eventually shows a gentler side due to her focus on Josie's well-being.
Manager: The unnamed manager of the AF store. He identifies Klara’s unique traits and recognizes her potential, setting her on a path to friendship with Josie.
Rosa: Another AF. Rosa differs from Klara with her warmth and less precise perception, illustrating the variety in AF personalities.
Mr. Capaldi: Mr. Capaldi, the artist and scientist connected to Josie’s potential robotic replica. He presents the ethical dilemmas surrounding the replication of human identity.
Film adaptation
In 2020, Sony's 3000 Pictures acquired the rights to adapt Klara and the Sun for the screen. Taika Waititi is slated to direct, with Dahvi Waller writing the script. Kazuo Ishiguro will serve as executive producer. The cast includes Jenna Ortega as Klara and Amy Adams as Josie’s mother. Mia Tharia and Aran Murphy will play Josie and Rick, respectively.
About the author
Kazuo Ishiguro is a critically acclaimed British author of speculative, historical, and contemporary fiction. Born in 1954 in Nagasaki, Japan, he moved to England at age five. His writing, known for its emotional depth and nuance, explores themes of memory, identity, regret, and empathy. His notable novels include The Remains of the Day (1989), which won the Booker Prize and was adapted into a 1993 film starring Anthony Hopkins; Never Let Me Go (2005), a cautionary tale about cloning, which inspired a 2010 movie starring Carey Mulligan; The Buried Giant (2015), an existential fantasy tale drawing on Arthurian legend; and Klara and the Sun (2021), the poignant story of an “Artificial Friend” and the human child she becomes determined to save. In 2017, Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for creating works that “uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world.”
