Moral dilemmas in the twentieth-century dystopian fiction:

Abstract

the present dissertation explores the moral dilemmas in twentieth century dystopian fiction, with a specific focus on Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. It aims at shedding light on the conflict between self-preservation and serving the needs of society that strips individuals of autonomy and moral agency, mainly through the application of utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics, alongside psychoanalytic and dystopian perspective particularly the concept of false utopia. This dissertation reveals that emotional suppression, passive acceptance and lack of freedom are the central forces that uphold the dystopian system and discourage resistance in Never Let Me go. The findings highlight how dystopian literature raises significant questions about the meaning of being human, and the cost of conformity in a dehumanized world.