The Remains of the Day
The novel compiles a perfect portrait of an English butler Steven(the protagonist), who himself is the narrator. In the novel, he recapitulates during a journey about the thirty five years of his service to the great gentleman of England, Lord Darlington in his magnificent and age-old hall. The novel begins with a prologue giving details about his present life in the same hall under a new American based employer, Mr Farraday. After the short introduction, Steven starts off for a journey in his country offered to him by his employer Mr Farraday. During this journey he flashes on his diligent past at Darlington hall.
In the book the journey is divided into six parts, in which he recalls and ponders about various aspects of his life. He thinks of the importance of dignity in one's life and the post war views of England politics. He presents elements of his past life in fragments as if he wants to analyze their impact on his present.
Through out Steven's life, the most important thing for him is shown to be dignity as an English butler. According to Steven everyone should analyze this thing in his profession and continuously try to attain it.
Another important aspect, about which he mentions in the prologue, is the art of bantering. Steven perceives himself to be not good at bantering. But its an important part of his duty to give a good response to his employer, so he practices bantering on the people around him to improve his skills at it.
Another important aspect he throws light on is the post war political scenario of England, it can be regarded as a backdrop of war and Fascism. Steven's employer at that time, Lord Darlington is involved in politics. Lord Darlington had contacts with both the German and the British diplomats. Ishiguro, through Steven's views about his employer tries to show the views of English people towards Germany in the war.
Besides all these things, there is yet another center of attraction in the novel about whom there is a lot of talk, that is Miss Kenton(she was the house keeper at Darlington hall with Steven during Lord Darlinton's time). Miss Kenton is the lady whom Steven is going to meet during this journey after a very long time. He thinks a lot about her during the trip. Although Steven had feelings for her, during service to Lord Darlington he had failed to express them because he didn't want to comprise with his professional dignity.
Finally at the end of the reckoning journey, Steven is depressed that after having passed his entire professional life he had not been able to achieve any of the goals he had set for himself. He had made all the possible sacrifices, how he had denied all attachments, and not even expressed his feelings to Miss Kenton, but in the end, his life turned out to be a waste. This part is psychologically very absorbing. Till the ending, Ishiguro keeps the reader attached to the book.
Prasanjeet singh.
2009ch70152
(Note - I couldn't use superscripts so any numbers in parentheses refer to links for further reading, which I have provided at the bottom)
ReplyDeleteNice review, although I believe you missed out on a couple of themes!
One of the most striking features of the novel is the narrative style. While Stevens narrates the story of his holiday in first person, he reflects on the years of service he gave Lord Darlington. As he travels through the beautiful English countryside, his mind often wanders ahead to his rendezvous with Miss Kenton, which then causes him to recall old memories and incidents. On the whole, the reader is kept thoroughly entertained because Ishiguro never stays too long in the present, past or the future. He keeps the narrative easy to read with plenty of interesting anecdotes, all of which contribute to a larger understanding of English society in general and Stevens' life in particular.
Most of Stevens' stories revolve around his firm belief in maintaining 'dignity' and his definition of a 'great butler'. Through his various interpretations of the two terms, the reader is given an insight into the workings of the fading English aristocracy after World War I. In The Remains of the Day, Ishiguro essentially questions the extent to which one should devote oneself to 'being professional'. Stevens' himself believed that loyalty and perfect service to one's master makes a 'great butler' and to achieve this goal, he sacrificed his personal life in entirety. Over the years, he distanced himself from most people and strived to maintain a strictly professional relationship with them. Stevens now has no warmth left in him anymore and he has lost his own voice of humanity in his devotion to being a 'great butler'. This attitude was responsible for his not exploring his relationship with Miss Kenton when they worked together and he regretfully looks back upon those days as a missed opportunity. In distancing himself from love and relationships, he built a wall around himself which made him miss the simple joys of life.
The title of the novel, The Remains of the Day, has multiple interpretations. In the context of his road trip, it represents the end of a day. In the context of Stevens' life, it represents the old age he is now facing. Having spent his entire life perfecting his skill as a butler, Stevens' now realises that there is a lot to life that he has missed. An important leitmotif in the novel is 'banter', which Stevens' eventually recognises as important for bringing people together. His attitude towards people and interactions - both professional and personal - changes over the course of his road trip and the title signifies a resolve to change his ways and 'salvage' the rest of his life.
The final interpretation of the title is of a political nature - while the story tells primarily of Stevens' experiences, it subtely tells of the state of both English aristocracy and Anglo-German politics during the years between the World Wars. The 1911 Parliament Act (1) greatly diminished the power of the aristocracy in England and Ishiguro tells of its fading years. Stevens' reveres Lord Darlington and believes he can do no wrong. However, Lord Darlington's political stand was controversial as he sympathized with the Germans after the Treaty of Versailles (2) was signed and believed that they were wronged. His interactions with 'pro-fascist' organizations like the Blackshirts (3) is representative of rare pro-German sentiments in England and through this story, Ishiguro tells us about this section of society and how it eventually failed in all its objectives. In this context, the title is representative of the fading English aristocracy and how the days of its dominance were coming to an end.
-NISHIT
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ReplyDeleteFurther information:
ReplyDelete1) 1911 Parliament Act - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_Act_1911
2) Treaty of Versailles - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Versailles
3) Blackshirts - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackshirts
I would like to briefly describe a few things in short that could’ve been added.
ReplyDeleteThroughout Steven’s life, the most important thing for him was dignity as an English butler. The significance of dignity in Steven’s life was such that it affected not only his professional life, but also his social life. Steven was so dedicated and particular about being good at being a butler, that even when his father died, he had no time to mourn properly.
Steven was so engrossed in being a good butler all the time; that neither did he have the time nor the will (as it would imperil his dignity) to express himself emotionally. Later during his journey, Steven considers it a very big achievement to have never expressed himself.
A very striking feature of the novel is the way in which Ishiguruo has presented the events of Steven’s past life as he writes a letter in the present. While recalling the events of his past Steven realises how his life could have been, had he been a little different.