The Remains of the Day

I.

My very first impressions of Stevens were that of a polite, restrained, and highly matter-of-fact man. Ishiguro wastes no time in letting us know that his occupation as a butler, is more then just a job to him, it is in fact his life. He has lived so many years in the confines of the walls of Darlington Hall that when presented the opportunity by Mr. Farraday to “see around this beautiful country” (4), he responds by saying that “It has been my privilege to see the best of England over the years, sir, within these very walls” (4). The dedication to his job and his employer leaves him at a disadvantage of knowledge of the outside world. He only learns of the different landscapes and regions of Britain through Mrs. Symons’s, The Wonders of England. Also the trip he takes reminds me of the “quest” described by Foster in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Going by the guidelines of what is defined to be a quest, the quester is obviously Stevens, the place to go is to visit Miss Kenton, the reason to go is to try to seek her services due to the shortage of staff at Darlington Hall, and the challenges and real reason to go has yet to be revealed. As predictions, I believe that the trip he undertakes will lead him to discover truth about the Lord Darlington he so highly praises, to develop a relationship with Miss Kenton, and also to learn of life outside of that of a butler.

In my opinion, Stevens’s overly analytical personality with respect to his job is a bit pathetic. His life has been so consumed with creating “staff plans”, organizing events, and keeping flaws to the minimum that I question whether he has had time to develop a social life. I wonder if he has ever been in love, (Miss Kenton perhaps?). Though he is the narrator of the novel, he reveals little about his emotions, maintaining what he deems as “dignity”. I find that Stevens has yet to reveal his true self to us, under the self controlled exterior, there must be a man of emotions.

I agree with Kevin in saying that his sophistication in speech and manner surpasses that of his employer. Even though much time seems to have passed in his days as a butler, Stevens cannot adjust to the changes in relationship between employer and employee. I find it both funny and awkward that he tries to “smile appropriately” every time Mr. Farraday jokes with him.

One last thing, I was wonder how close to the facts are the history described by Stevens, or is everything made up? (i.e. Lord Darlington, the conference to discuss the Treaty of Versailles, ect)


III.

After getting through two thirds of the book, I'm continued to be impressed by Stevens' eloquence. However, Stevens continue to tell his story in a documentary-like style in which he conveys information of a more factual base rather then an emotional base. He continues to recollect his past memories at Darlington Hall under the employment of Lord Darlington. It seems to be a point being emphasized that as he recalls certain moments of his past, he reflects and discovers an aspect in which he had not recognized before. There seems to be moments in which he reconsiders past actions and goes through tiny revelations. “The nature of coming away on a trip such as this that one is prompted towards such surprising new perspectives on topics one imagined one had long ago thought through thoroughly.” (117)

Throughout his journey, though he says that he only has professional intentions in mind, it seems as though he is rather using it as an excuse to see Miss Kenton after the many years that has passed. His composure disallows him to even reveal his true emotions to readers. He has “spend some long minutes turning those passages over in [his mind]” (141), as he ponders the true meaning of Miss Kenton’s letter. I find that the reason for his self-control over expressing his emotions as a “normal” person would to be because it is connected to his definition of dignity and his view of what a “great butler” should be.

To respond to Kris10, I find that the village people help to bring new definitions to Stevens own debate on the word of dignity and what it embodies. They present a view from the “common people” and declare that “Dignity’s not just something for gentlemen”.

As I read, I continue to wonder about the title and its true significance. What do you guys think it means? Do we have enough information to know yet?

III.

So now for the ending…

Personally I found the ending to be somewhat disappointing because I had expected Miss Kenton and Stevens to return to Darlington Hall together. Throughout Stevens’s final reminiscences, he brings back more and more memories he has had with Miss Kenton. I found his recollection of the incident in which Miss Kenton announces her engagement to be the most revealing about his and her underlying emotions towards each other. Throughout their exchange, Miss Kenton seems to be searching for Stevens to find an excuse to hold her behind from leaving. It seems as though Miss Kenton wants Stevens to give her a reason to remain behind. However, his curt responses caused Miss Kenton to be in disbelief that “after the many years of service [she] has given in [that] house, [he has] no more words to greet the news of [her] possible departure…” (219). She even goes to state that Stevens had “been a very important figure for [her] and [her] acquaintance.” (219). As I read this scene, I wonder if in Stevens’ recollection he sees the obvious signs of Miss Kenton’s hints of her feelings towards him. I find that this incident is a great example of how restricted and how sacrificing his profession as a butler has lead him to be.

When Stevens finally sees Miss Kenton, I find it interesting that he addresses her as Mrs. Benn, when throughout the novel readers have grown to know her to be Miss Kenton. It is as though Miss Kenton has transformed into a new person with her new title. I found their reunion to be bitter-sweet. It is obvious that over the years, Miss Kenton has no doubt contemplated the possibilities of a different life if she had stayed with Stevens at Darlington Hall. She makes that point clear by recalling that at times “[she] gets to thinking about a different life, a better life [she] might have had. For instance, [she gets] to thinking about a life [she] may have had with [Stevens]” (239).

It seems as though this meeting with Miss Kenton has awaken Stevens in a sense from his stoic nature. Though he recognizes that “it is too late to turn back the clock” (239), he does see that he may have overlooked and missed out on opportunities in his life. However, as the title of the novel now seem to reveal, that at the end of it day, we are all left with what remains, that is the good and the bad, the joys and the hardships, and the success and the failures. What “remains of the day” cannot be changed, but it can be used to help one strive towards a better day, as Stevens in the end announced that it “perhaps is in deed time [he] began to look at [the] whole matter of bantering more enthusiastically”. As a man who seems so stuck in his days under Lord Darlington, his journey seems to have helped him progress into adjusting to the changing times.