Who, in the end, seems more human to you—the people or the AFs?

Who, in the end, seems more human to you—the people in the novel, or the AFs?

In this extremely stratified near-future society, very little empathy is visible between the citizens. The majority of people we meet are self centered and either focused on achievement or in despair. Klara, with a keen awareness of her need for solar power in order to thrive has a greater empathy for human frailty and their need for nurturing than the humans themselves. The latter she has been built to deliver as a service provider, the former, Ishiguro suggests, is part of her extraordinary ability to utilize her programming to extrapolate emotion. Klara accesses an aspect of humanity that is elusive to most humans she meets.

I think clairelm expresses the answer to that perfectly. Thank you!

The only AF that really seemed human to me was Klara which is what her so unique. For the most part, The humans in the book aren’t people I’d want to know. So very judgemental.

I agree with the previous posters. Klara, with her keen powers of observation and introspection, seemed more human that the other characters, who were too wrapped up in their own lives and needs to have much empathy for others.

Klara seemed more human, more caring. I also agree with all the previous posts.

Klara wins hands down.

I agree with the other readers that Klara certainly had more human qualities such as compassion, empathy, even faith. The AFs all apparently experienced emotion. Klara was an extraordinary AF, having been created specifically to be a companion and who was steps ahead of the others. I wonder if the other AFs, such as those who replaced people’s jobs, had the same qualities. And I’m not sure but it also appeared to me that the AFs themselves were developing more human characteristics, not necessarily the positive characteristics.

I agree with many of the posters here. Klara seemed more highly developed than the other AFs. Ishiguro doesn’t really go into the details of how the AFs are programmed, so I wonder if they all start from basically the same place and develop as they interact with their surroundings. Klara seemed to soak up and incorporate everything, i.e., learned it, much as humans would. I was trying to decide if there are any of the people I actually like. I think I like Josie and Rick, but they are young and in the end they grow apart.

I still think the humans seemed more human. They had a greater range of emotions and more flaws.

I think that Klara in particular seems more human than both the humans around her and other AFs. The AFs are purchased as friends for the children, and yet we’re able to to observe cruelty and mistreatment of these so-called friends, making them walk dejectedly behind their child friend, or tossing them across the room like a nerf ball just to see how they’ll land. If this is how they treat their artificial friends, how will they treat each other, and what does that say about their future society, despite their artificial advantages? Being lifted doesn’t seem to lift their sense of humanity. Klara, on the other hand, seems to be developing a real sense of love for Josie, and seems the one that’s most intent on trying to save her.

Klara, Rick, and Josie's dad felt most human to me. Klara clearly had empathy and love for Josie. Rick also loved Josie and had better personality traits/empathy than the "lifted" children. The dad seemed to have empathy and a better moral compass than the rest of the adults. He seemed relatable.

Everyone seems somewhat artificial (except maybe Rick). The children are “lifted” and have no real interaction. The Father has been replaced at work by a robot, the mother is trying to replace her daughter with an AF and the AF’s seem like someone who has been taught to think about empathy, but not really feel it. A vary disturbing book.

In my opinion, none of them!

I agree with the comments that Klara was the most "human." Claireelm said this very well in her response. It was Klara's empathy and selflessness that are qualities that are so valued in humanity.

I agree with most of the posters that Klara seemed the most human. I didn't really like any of the human characters in this book.