Cloned Lives by Pamela Sargent
"Cloned Lives" explores the complex and emotional journey of Paul Swenson, an astrophysicist who, encouraged by his friend Hidey Takamura, decides to undergo cloning when a moratorium on such practices is lifted at the turn of the millennium. The narrative grapples with the moral implications of genetic engineering, as Paul’s decision to clone himself stems from a desire to nurture multiple talents across his successors. The story unfolds through the perspectives of his five surviving clones—each grappling with their own identities and societal perceptions of their "abnormality."
As they grow, significant events shape their lives, including the tragic death of Paul, which forces them to confront their individuality and the bonds they share as siblings. Themes of love, separation, and the quest for personal identity are woven throughout their experiences, particularly as they navigate relationships and aspirations marked by the shadow of their origins. The narrative culminates with the revival of Paul, who must re-engage with the clones he once conceived, raising questions about memory, identity, and the essence of self. Ultimately, "Cloned Lives" invites readers to reflect on the implications of cloning and the nature of familial bonds in an increasingly complex world.
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Subject Terms
Cloned Lives
First published: 1976 (based on the novella “A Sense of Difference,” 1972, and the novelettes “Father” and “Clone Sister,” both 1973)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—extrapolatory
Time of work: From the eve of the year 2000 to 2037
Locale: The United States and the Moon
The Plot
Astrophysicist Paul Swenson—who has demonstrated unusual brilliance in other fields, including poetry and music—is persuaded by his friend Hidey Takamura to allow himself to be cloned once a U.S. moratorium on this kind of experimental venture lapses with the coming of the new millennium. Takamura argues that one lifetime is insufficient to develop Swenson’s multifaceted abilities and that if transplant surgery is morally acceptable, then cloning also ought to be. Jon Aschenbach, a minister, urges Paul not to do it, on the grounds that genetic engineering is an unwarranted interference with nature, but Paul decides that he will be a father to the children as well as a brother, nurturing the native abilities they will inherit from him.
One of the five surviving clones (one dies in the embryo state) is given an extra X chromosome to replace a deleted Y and thus is born female. The middle chapters of the novel work from the points of view of each of the clones in turn, picking up the story at different stages in their development, from 2016 to 2136.
In 2016, Paul has taken the children away from the publicity circus that surrounded their birth, but they still are made to feel their “abnormality” by many people they meet. This has made them draw closer together, although Paul has made every effort to differentiate them from one another by encouraging each of them to develop a different talent.
Edward, who remains closest to his progenitor, is disturbed to learn that Paul is planning to take an extended trip to the Moon, although the others think he should. Edward’s state of disturbance is increased when Paul is killed in an accident, leaving his sibling/children to fend for themselves.
In 2020, James, disappointed in love, wonders whether he will ever be able to establish a separate identity and a life of his own, or whether he should even try. Incestuous intercourse with Kira threatens to tie him more securely to the group but forces him instead to make the effort to break away.
The year 2025 finds Michael on the brink of separation from Edward while following more closely in Paul’s professional footsteps than his siblings. A new generation of cloned children gradually is winning social acceptance, but he still finds the thought of isolation difficult to bear.
In 2028, Kira has begun a relationship with Hidey Takamura, having gravitated toward biological science. Antiaging technology cannot conceal the difference in their ages, and the relationship causes some friction with her brothers. They both know that the work they hope to do in developing technologies to prolong life is highly unlikely to bear fruit in time to save them from separation by Takamura’s death.
In 2036, Albert has long been a resident of the Moon, working on the development of spaceships capable of traveling between the stars. He is accepted onto the list of those who will make the first experimental flight beyond the solar system.
The final section of the narrative alternates the viewpoints of all five siblings as they come together briefly on the Moon. New technologies developed by Kira have been employed to revive the long-preserved Paul, who is once again confronted by his duplicates. Although he seems at first to have lost the greater part of his mind and memory, he begins to make progress, although it is dubious whether he will ever regain any real sense of connection with the people who are no longer his reflections.