“A deep and heartbreaking study of personality, culture and class” How do you feel about this assessment of the novel.

The protagonist of “The Remains of the Day”, Mr Stevens takes the reader on a journey through his own past that allows him to explore the world outside of Darlington Hall. The complexity of Stevens’ thoughts is slowly revealed to the reader. He is free to either be deeply depressed or infinitely frustrated. Post-modernists are known for their intricacy and ambiguity. This allows the reader to determine whether Stevens’ thoughts are truly heartbreaking. However, it is possible that there are aspects of the book that aren’t as profound or heartbreaking. It is important to understand Stevens’ personality through the interaction between him and the reader. The reader can observe the repression inherent in Stevens’ personality by comparing what he recalls freely with what is “fragmented”. Stevens’ narrative often lacks reliability due to the restraint with which he recollects memories. Stevens says that it “often disguises greater than it lays be”. Unreliable narration in postmodernist literature is used to pressure the reader into deciding what is true. It often mirrors the confusion and complexity of modern living. Stevens is an intradiegetic Narrator. This means that his narrative voice is unreliable. Stevens sees the story and is also present within it. Although this narration shows Stevens’ blindness and knowledge, it raises questions about whether the reader ever sees his true personality.

Stevens’ narration is prone to being unreliable due to emotional repression. This is evident in Miss Kenton’s hearing about her aunt’s funeral. Stevens could have misunderstood the passage by using words like “confused”, “fragment,” and other similar phrases. He adds, however, that the incident continues to be “vivid over the years”. These contradictory views are linked to Newton’s observation about Stevens “gliding through his memories alternately looking at them away” and how he hides his personality from readers. He may also be showing that he can become overwhelmed by certain emotional experiences. Stevens suppresses that particular memory either because of his poor professional conduct and the regret he feels about not comforting Miss Kenton. This memory’s contrasts show the complexity of the narrative’s concealment and reveal of knowledge. He describes the “strange feelings” that he feels, leading readers to speculate whether he is feeling emotion or deep regret. The novel’s other events can be read as heartbreaking. The reader feels empathy for an elderly butler who is unable to express his emotions outside of his work environment.

Stevens is also able to suppress his sorrow at the loss of his father. He chooses to treat his reader like a guest or employer and does not try to burden them with his personal grief. Adam Parkes describes Stevens as having a “fear that losing control”. This is why some emotions and memories are suppressed. Stevens’ sexual obsession with Miss Kenton is one such example. Stevens refers to Miss Kenton’s comment as “chatter” and it is obvious that this suggestion, particularly from Stevens, had an impact on him. Stevens uses metalanguage to convey that he is uncomfortable talking in unprofessional terms as he fear it will affect his job. He also excuses, commenting about how the cocoa evenings maintained a “professional tone”, which is a sign that he doesn’t want the reader to see him as unprofessional. The reader is led to believe that Stevens cannot “fully trust himself”. He lies to himself and tries to keep his dignity. Stevens defends the “incidental delight” he has in romance novels. He asks the reader rhetorical questions such “What shame is in it?” In this way, the reader gets a profound insight into Stevens’ personality.

Stevens employs an unusual narrative style to hide his fear. It is both formal and precise. David Lodge believes that this “butlerspeak”, is of no literary merit. Although Stevens’ voice is refined and elegant, the vocabulary conveys Stevens as a complex character. His narrative must be read to uncover its true meaning. Stevens’ stifled personality is also evoked in every sentence. Petry says that the narrative is Stevens’ “non-formation of his identity”. This observation is based on the fact that Stevens is completely anonymous to the reader’s past, including his mother, childhood, friends and Christian name.

Stevens could argue that his job is what has made him who he is. He has removed all distractions from his life and allowed his profession to define his personality. As a result, his character is based on obedience. He obeyed a travel guide at the start of his journey. Ishiguro says he is “stuck in the margins” because he is neither Japanese or English. Stevens can relate to this as he, while he loves his job, doesn’t belong in any way to Darlington Hall’s aristocratic society. Stevens wouldn’t be what he is without his job. This personality trait is also similar to Christopher Banks’ in When We Were Orphans. He struggles to fit in school and speaks extensively about how he can gain acceptance in social clubs through his “well-connectedness” to “various higher levels of life”. Banks’ personality is very similar to Stevens’. His main goal is to achieve a false goal. Banks is also faced with conflicting issues regarding love and duty. But, unlike Stevens’s late epiphany, Banks realizes that unconditional love doesn’t need to be earned through “dignity” or “duty”. Even though he realizes too late, the reader can still feel empathy for him. Stevens frustrates with his blind loyalty towards professionalism.

Ishiguro refers to the story of “The Remains of the Day”, saying that it is “not random” and being “controlled” by the “things that Stevens doesn’t tell”. This restraint acts to prevent many readers from reading the deeply moving ending of the novel. The reader must feel that Stevens is feeling regret in order to be emotionally compelled. Sometimes this requires reading more about the character than what he narrates. Stevens is devastated when Miss Kenton mentions she won’t go back to Darlington Hall. This is evident throughout the novel. Although he didn’t tell Miss Kenton about his feelings, it doesn’t convey his true grief. Stevens’s “heart broke” is the only way he can reveal this. It is a remarkable revelation from a character that shows very little emotion throughout his novel. Stevens realizes that his “degree” of sorrow is not hidden, even though he tries to hide it. It’s a bittersweet and deeply painful climax of their relationship. Stevens’s inability to discuss what “Day Five” would look like adds complexity to their story. It is easy for the reader to picture Stevens alone and lost, with no chance of intimacy.

In the end, it is unclear how much Stevens realizes that he has deceived him. This postmodernist theme is all about the ambiguous conclusion. Stevens may express regret with statements like “I suppose I wasn’t quite right,” which could refer both to his father and his ideal of dignity. This would indicate that Stevens is finally realizing his mistakes and feeling sorrow over his inability of altering the past. Stevens can be understood by the reader.

Readers may also feel frustrated by a man who is so consumed with his job that he refuses to allow Miss Kenton the chance to make a happy life. Stevens still asks this question at the end. He knows that Stevens had the power to make his life better and could have taken control of it. He examines his situation, and decides to work at improving his “bantering” skills. This is despite the grief he feels about Miss Kenton. Stevens gives the reader a glimpse into his emotions, but then he decides to resolve that bantering, which Stevens considers a “key to human heat”, is not a professional task. Ironically, the novel’s final stage is comical because the reader just witnessed Stevens turn his back upon the “human warmth” that he is referring to. The novel’s ending is, from this perspective, neither heart-breaking nor profound. It’s just frustrating.

It is not difficult to answer the question “Class and Culture” are “profound, heart-rending”. Stevens lets Lord Darlington “colonize” him. On numerous occasions, Stevens puts the needs for the “colonizers” before his own. Stevens is open to Lord Darlington’s views and that of his gentleman visitors. Stevens believes he must play the butler role. This is a heart-breaking decision because it keeps him from having a relationship with Miss Kenton. It is heartbreaking to see his dedication to his job in a changing world. Stevens was one of the few men who held domestic service positions in England. Stevens is a graceful example of elegant decorum. He represents an older, more professional “gentleman BUTLER” who cannot live in the modern world of skilled handymen. Giffen and Co.’s closing is more than a sign that silver polishing is no longer a viable profession. This analysis reveals Stevens to be somewhat of apathetic character who takes pride at his “unrivalled” Silver, while in fact it’s his distorted notion of dignity that keeps him from the changing cultural climate.

M.Tamaya states, “as England struggles to cope with the rise of America, Stevens has to adapt to American masters”; this is true throughout. Stevens’ discussion regarding “bantering” shows his deep attachment to old-fashioned judgments and values. Stevens is afraid that Mr Farraday will offend him when he banters with him. This is because he thinks he’s inferior to Mr Farraday, who is a servant. Stevens is no longer able to joke with his employer in a friendly atmosphere. This allows him to study class and culture in a more democratic way.

Stevens has remained firmly attached to the ideals of his former profession. Stevens is incapable of adapting because he lives in isolation at Darlington Hall, where he knows nothing except his masters’ needs. He also struggles to maintain dignity. Stevens has tried to hide all personal feelings through his professional demeanour. Because Stevens doesn’t want to share the feelings Miss Kenton holds for him, but he instead hides his emotions in his work. But the reader is also presented with a deeply moving and heartbreaking study of personality and class, including Stevens’ assertion that his heart is breaking, and the sympathy that this induces. He also discusses his inability adapt to change after being colonized and how his butler efforts were wasted. This is the correct assessment of the novel.

isabelhart

Amy Fox is a 28 year old school blogger, who has been writing for over 10 years. She has been a student at the University of Utah for three years and is now a graduate student.