Remains Of The Day Literary Devices

In this excerpt, taken from The Remains of the Day, a butler named Stevens has been assigned the demotion of his father from the underbutler position he holds, and give him a job with fewer responsibilities. As we read the excerpt we uncover the son’s anxious tone because of the intimidation he has of the father. However, we also see the father's indifferent tone, that conveys the strained relationship between the him and his son. While the son attempts to engage in a relaxed conversation, his father is emotionless to anything his son has to say. The author uses devices such as imagery, symbolism, metaphor, diction and point of view to convey the tense relationship between the father and son. Furthermore, we can see the difficulty of having …show more content…
Additionally, the use of this diction evokes a sense of strain and distance in the relationship between the father and son. Furthermore, Stevens says, “I had rarely to enter my father’s room prior to this occasion” to further emphasize the distance in the relationship. Stevens use of the metaphor “having stepped into a prison cell” to reveal that Stevens is quite nervous as he enters the room. Additionally, Stevens brings in the device of symbolism emphasizing the fear he has when he enters the father's room as he uses the oil lamp. The oil lamp symbolizes the son trying to “bring light” into the situation but the father disapproval of the son’s efforts. Stevens mentions that his father “sitting, shaved and full uniform.. watching the sky turn to dawn”, shows his father has admires his job, yet is ironically awaiting the day of his demotion. Even though Stevens has to fire his father from the underbutler position he notices his father's “still awesome features” which tells us how he admires his father despite their strained