Technology, Humanity, and Society in Klara and the Sun

As technology advances, the lines that distinguish humans from machines disappear. Klara and the Sun, a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, tries, from the perspective of a robot, to redefine what it means to be humane, as well as to reveal societal values and how we often reward love and sacrifice with indifference.

Can we replace friendship with technology?

In the first part of his novel, Kazuo Ishiguro presents a near-future setting in which kids have robots as their friends, and parental surveillance is delegated to robots. This portrayal is not just imagination; instead of robots, nowadays we are witnessing an increase in people associating with screens and large language models, while human connections are fading.

The first part reveals how a society with weak social bonds seeks to commodify love, care, and friendship, with technology at the center. Therefore, even though people live in an individualized society, they always want to connect; it is in their innate nature.

However, when facing this, the important questions that arise are:

• Can we trust technology?
• What consequences does this have for people?
• What has led us to this situation, and who benefits from it?

What does it mean to be an adult in today’s society?

As we continue reading the novel, we explore the expectations and challenges that adulthood brings. First, Josie's mother has less time to spend with her daughter. Most of her time is devoted to her job. Second, the father does not participate much in the story. All this displays a culture consumed by work, in which adults are expected to devote most of their time to their jobs and less time to their families. This leads us to ask why this model exists, why we prioritize work over family, and why social needs have come to be satisfied by consumption instead of love.

Josie and her friend Rick demonstrate two opposing philosophies of what it means to become an adult. The two characters are teenagers who are in love, hoping to stay together as they age. Josie, in order to fulfill the mission expected of her, has a dispute with Rick. Rick's mother has no shame in maintaining their maternal relationship, and he accepts it, while Josie refuses that idea. For her, to become an adult, one has to leave home and socialize with other people.

Josie is open to change, whereas Rick is afraid. Although he is eloquent, talented, and socially confident, he has negative expectations of society. He is afraid that society could change his girlfriend, as he noticed how her behavior changed when they were socializing with the other kids in her house, and so did Klara. Rick’s point of view intersects with the school of philosophy that considers humans pure by nature, who become corrupted as they meet other people. Instead, do people act badly because of their selfishness? Or is what drives them to act badly towards others socially constructed? Do we learn from society how to coexist with others, or do we learn how to maintain injustice through hierarchical social classes?

Klara’s ending as a reflection on how we dismiss others’ sacrifice

As we read about Klara's devotion to her faith in the Sun and to Josie's well-being, we expect Josie to be grateful. Klara took the initiative to save Josie by destroying the source of pollution, the Cootings Machine. Later, after Josie's health had been restored, she abandoned her AF, Klara. This ungrateful behavior from Josie returns us to the fears Klara had while she was pondering in the store, and fulfills Rick's expectation when he witnessed her changing as she was surrounded by his friends.

Josie’s behavior at the end depicts how we punish those who devote themselves to the service of others. We often mistake this for naivety. Expecting and acting on shared goodness is what makes people trust each other and foster inclusive, mutual relationships within society.

Klara represents what it means to be humane: love, caring, and selflessness. Unfortunately, her sacrifice was met with selfishness and indifference, which symbolizes how weak societal bonds are nowadays. In essence, this novel does not only anticipate the future of technology and its impact on society; it also reveals the societal norms we have accepted today.