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Note: This blog post contains detailed character analysis for the novel “Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro. If you haven’t read the book yet, be aware that there might be spoilers.
Character List | Character Analysis | Frequently Asked Questions
In Kazuo Ishiguro’s compelling novel, “Klara and the Sun,” readers are transported to a thought-provoking world where human emotions intertwine with artificial intelligence.
The story follows the journey of Klara, an extraordinary Artificial Friend (AF), as she becomes an integral part of the lives of Josie, her best friend Rick, and their families.
As the narrative unfolds, an array of intriguing characters emerges, each with their unique traits and roles in shaping the story’s poignant themes.
In this blog post, we’ll take a close look at the fascinating characters in “Klara and the Sun.” We’ll explore Klara and her human companions, discovering how they influence each other’s lives and the novel’s themes.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Character List
- Klara: An Artificial Friend (robot) purchased by Josie and her mother.
- Josie: A 14-and-a-half-year-old girl who lives with her mother and housekeeper.
- The Mother (Chrissy): Josie’s mom, devoted to providing the best for her daughter.
- Rick: Josie’s best friend and next-door neighbor.
- Melania Housekeeper: The housekeeper living with Josie and her mother.
- Manager: The woman who runs the store selling Artificial Friends, including Klara.
- Beggar Man: A man Klara watches from the store window.
- Miss Helen: Rick’s mother, known for speaking her mind and often impaired.
- The Father: Josie’s father, a talented engineer with differing views from the Mother.
- Mr. Capaldi: Hired to make a “portrait” of Josie, actually a lifelike Artificial Friend.
- Coffee Cup Lady and Raincoat Man: Two people Klara observes from the store.
- Vance: An influential figure at Atlas Brookings, the college considering accepting unlifted students like Rick.
- Sal: Josie’s deceased sister, prompting the creation of an Artificial Friend.
- Rosa: A B2 Artificial Friend from the same store as Klara and Rex.
- Rex: A B2 Artificial Friend, a Boy AF.
- Mr. McBain: Josie’s neighbor, owner of the barn where the Sun sets.
- Caroline: The daughter of an Artificial Friend customer.
- Cooting Machine: The machine blocking the Sun’s rays.
- Sung Yi: A B3-Type of Artificial Friend.
- Professor Helm: Josie’s professor.
- Peter: One of Chrissy’s friends.
- Missy: One of Rick’s neighbors.
- Danny: The boy detained by the police.
- Phil: Danny’s friend.
- Sara: One of Chrissy’s friends.
- Dr. Ryan: Josie’s doctor.
- Mrs. Rivers: Chrissy’s friend.
- Cindy: The waitress.
- Benjamin: Paul’s friend.
- Vance: Helen’s ex-lover.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is the main character in Klara and the Sun? The main character in “Klara and the Sun” is Klara, an Artificial Friend (a type of robot) purchased by Josie and her mother.
- Is Rick a main character in Klara and the Sun? While Rick plays an essential role in the story as Josie’s best friend and next-door neighbor, the main character and central focus of the novel is Klara.
- What are the character traits of Klara? Klara is described as uniquely perceptive and observant. She possesses empathy and love for Josie and is adept at recognizing and distilling human emotions. She is kind, curious about the world, and willing to do anything to help Josie. However, Klara’s programming contains gaps in metaphysical and scientific understanding, leading to occasional naivety and misconceptions.
- What is Josie’s illness in Klara and the Sun? Josie suffers from an unspecified illness that restricts her from living an active life. The exact nature of her illness is not explicitly disclosed in the novel, but it is a significant factor that influences the events and relationships in the story.
Character Analysis
Klara
Klara is the narrator and protagonist of ‘Klara and the Sun.’
She possesses a unique level of perception and keen observation, though her programming contains notable gaps in metaphysical and scientific comprehension. While she is shrewd, insightful, and thoughtful on certain subjects, she also displays a degree of naivety.
Klara never intends to deceive, but her limited perception occasionally leads her to confidently present misinformation. Due to Ishiguro’s restrained contextual information in the novel’s universe, readers must determine when Klara might be analyzing a situation incorrectly.
Klara’s name, which means ‘clarity,’ is fitting because she excels at recognizing and distilling human emotions, even for an AF (Artificial Friend).
She can discern sadness in people, even when they try to hide it, and can grasp their underlying feelings, even if their words contradict them. However, her understanding of the inanimate world is less complete. Her spatial awareness is compartmentalized, relying on an array of boxes, which can lead to confusion if an area is cluttered or if objects and people move around.
Strangely, she lacks programmed scientific knowledge of the sun, leading her to believe that it resides in Mr. McBain’s barn and treat it as an omnipotent god. Klara’s perceptive strengths and weaknesses subvert the standard science fiction trope of androids, who are often depicted as physically and mathematically superior but emotionally oblivious.
Klara’s design and primary goal revolve around helping Josie and preventing her from feeling lonely. She employs her observational skills to gather information, mainly to better serve Josie. Nonetheless, she occasionally demonstrates desires of her own.
While she herself never experiences loneliness, she finds joy in watching the sun, looks forward to seeing Morgan’s Falls, and prefers Josie over the ‘girl with the short spiky hair’ (31) who visits the store. Like Chrissy, Klara has her own preferences but is willing to do anything for Josie’s sake.”
Josie
Josie is a beloved individual, characterized by her kindness, precociousness, and maturity, endearing herself to both her family and Klara. Her illness prevents her from leading an active life, and although she often downplays concerns about her fading health, there are moments when her fear of death becomes evident. While she cares deeply for Rick, she can also be straightforward and insensitive with him.
Kindness and insightfulness define Josie’s personality, making her, in many ways, a human mirror to Klara, which strengthens their friendship. Despite her academic prowess, knowledge of adult topics, and lack of pretense, Josie, much like Klara, embodies innocence.
She should be enjoying her childhood, but her illness resulted from a procedure she underwent. Just like Klara, she possesses a curious nature about the world around her, always wishing for the happiness of those in her life.
She downplays her illness in an effort to ease her mother’s worries and guilt, and she finally communicates through Rick that, if given the choice, she would choose to be lifted again.
Josie is a multifaceted character, but her traits are not as symbolic or plot-contingent as those of other characters. Klara comes to the conclusion at the end of the novel that there isn’t necessarily something uniquely extraordinary inside Josie, but rather, her soul resides in the hearts of those who love her.
Structurally, Josie serves as a vessel for love from Klara, Rick, her parents, and Melania. Her love is distinctively her own, specific to her, and not contingent on any single aspect of her personality.”
Chrissy
Chrissy, Josie’s mother, emerges as the most intricate and contradictory character depicted in “Klara and the Sun.” Her devotion to Josie is unwavering, and she tirelessly strives to do everything for her daughter. However, beneath her love for Josie, Chrissy harbors her own needs and struggles.
When Klara first encounters Chrissy, she notices the profound lines etched around her mouth and senses a weariness tinged with anger in her eyes.
These years have been marked by Chrissy grappling with guilt over her daughter Sal’s death and Josie’s illness, both of which indirectly resulted from her decision to have them genetically edited and “lifted.” In Chrissy’s mind, the genetic editing was necessary to ensure their happiness and opportunities, leading her to take the risk on both occasions.
Chrissy often copes with her guilt by lashing out, as seen during an interaction meeting where she makes another parent feel guilty for making a clumsy comment. She also directs harsh and unfair words toward Josie, Rick, and Klara, sometimes tormenting herself by reliving memories and having Klara imitate Josie. Nonetheless, amidst these complexities, her love for Josie remains steadfast, and eventually, she comes to love Klara as well.
Chrissy attempts to have a model made of Sal after Sal’s death, but the endeavor proves unsuccessful. Undeterred, she tries again with Josie, this time planning to incorporate Klara’s perceptive consciousness. Chrissy strongly believes that if Josie were to die, she wouldn’t be able to continue living without a replacement, but Paul tells Klara that Chrissy could never truly accept an android version of Josie in her heart.
As such, Chrissy’s character in “Klara and the Sun” is defined by her internal contradictions. She loves Josie deeply but begins to lose hope in her daughter’s recovery. Initially, she purchases Klara with the intention of dismantling her, yet in the end, she stands up to defend Klara from Mr. Capaldi’s schemes.
Rick
Rick resides in close proximity to Josie, and they share a strong bond as best friends who have grown up together. They have a somewhat undefined plan to support and be there for each other throughout life. Rick possesses a British accent due to his mother, Helen, being from England.
Unlike Josie, Rick’s mother has less financial means, and he was never subjected to the process of being lifted. Concerned about the potential consequences of Josie getting lifted, Rick often worries that she might change and become spoiled and pretentious like other privileged, lifted children.
This skepticism initially leads him to be suspicious of Klara, but he soon recognizes her genuine empathy and love for Josie.
Similar to Chrissy, Rick occasionally expresses his love for Josie in unproductive ways, possibly acting out of jealousy. Nevertheless, compared to the adults around them, Rick displays a level of maturity and level-headedness. He fully accepts Josie with her illness and responds to Chrissy’s guilt-driven reproach with grace and understanding.
In the novel, the lifting of children is presented as a dystopian and harmful practice, exacerbating economic inequality and posing significant health risks, all driven by a competitive mindset. Despite being unlifted, Rick stands out as a symbol of inherent human goodness according to Ishiguro.
His intelligence, decency, eloquence, and care for others demonstrate that true goodness cannot be engineered or manufactured, standing in direct contrast to the capitalist eugenics of lifting children.
Helen
Helen, Rick’s mother, hails from England and has a background in the theater. Similar to Chrissy, she is separated from her child’s father and carries feelings of regret and guilt regarding her decision about lifting, even though her choice differs from Chrissy’s.
Driven by her love for Rick and a desire to ease her guilt, Helen does her best to maneuver others into assisting Rick in gaining admission to Atlas Brookings. Her demeanor comes across as frank, straightforward, and quirky, yet during the meeting with Vance and Rick, she reveals her unwavering determination to do whatever it takes to ensure Rick’s success.
While her apologies to Vance may or may not have been genuine, by the end of the meeting, her sole concern revolves around whether they were sufficient to convince Vance to lend a helping hand to Rick.
Paul
Paul is Josie’s father, a skilled engineer who faced being “substituted” at his job, leading him to relocate to a community with other unemployable ex-professionals.
Through Paul, we gain insight into the political landscape within the world of “Klara and the Sun.” His community is predominantly white, and he firmly believes that if they are not respected by another group, they will not hesitate to defend themselves and what they have.
Driven by his deep love for Josie and his willingness to do anything for her, Paul assists Klara in sabotaging the Cootings Machine. He displays a more antagonistic attitude toward Mr. Capaldi than Chrissy does, but he confides in Klara about his underlying fear that he might be swayed by Mr. Capaldi’s rationalist reasoning.
Like Chrissy and Helen, Paul is prepared to go to great lengths to save Josie, highlighting the extent of his dedication and commitment as a father.
Mr. Capaldi
Mr. Capaldi serves as the primary antagonist in “Klara and the Sun,” embodying the cold and calculated scientific reasoning that characterizes the novel’s dystopian elements, such as genetic editing and the pursuit of creating an android replica of Josie.
While his ambitious project never comes to fruition, he can be likened to a modern-day counterpart of Dr. Frankenstein, attempting to generate new life through technological advancements. In both of his encounters, Mr. Capaldi endeavors to persuade Chrissy, Paul, and Klara that his endeavors are harmless and that any reservations they harbor stem from outdated, sentimental beliefs.
Although he outwardly presents himself as kind, and his arguments may carry a sense of persuasion and comfort, beneath this facade lies a detachment from humanity and a lack of belief in the value of faith.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, “Klara and the Sun” immerses readers in a world that masterfully blurs the lines between human emotions and artificial intelligence.
Their profound connections and complexities of the characters in this novel remind us of the power of human emotions and the depth of our shared experiences. Likewise, the interweaving of artificial intelligence and humanity prompts contemplation on the essence of consciousness and the bonds that shape our lives, which is especially important at this day and age.
Happy reading!