Year: 2025
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: This paper explores the theme of loneliness in Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun, examining how technological advancements and the integration of artificial intelligence impact human relationships and social structures in a posthuman society. Previous research has predominantly focused on human-robot relationships, with limited analysis of human loneliness. Drawing on Hartmut Rosa's acceleration-theoretical critique of alienation from Social Acceleration: A New Theory of Modernity, this article explores human-human and human-object interactions demonstrated in Klara and the Sun, examining how technology acceleration fosters the experience of loneliness among humans in a posthuman society. My analysis suggests that in a society driven by utilitarianism and conformity, the humans in Klara and the Sun lead increasingly isolated lives, gradually coming to resemble the technological servants they employ. The constant replacement of objects around them reduces familiarity and weakens their connection to their surroundings. This detachment erodes their capacity for empathy and intimacy, fostering loneliness. By conforming to social trends, they sacrifice their subjectivity, losing a sense of belonging to any meaningful “group” and becoming further isolated. By applying Rosa's framework, this study investigates how technological advancements and the rapid pace of societal change disrupt human relationships and emotional connections, ultimately intensifying feelings of isolation.
Author: Yichen Dong
Institution: Beijing Language and Culture University
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4411379491