1. Introduction
“The Remains of the Day” is a novel written by Kazuo Ishiguro. The novel was first published in Great Britain in the year 1989. The main character of the novel is an “aging butler” named Stevens, who is also the narrator of the novel. Johansson 2011, in his literary essay on Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, offers more details regarding the novel. According to Johansson, the novel is a representation of Stevens’ recollections from the days he spent working on Darlington Hall and his current thoughts and opinions. Johansson also mentions Miss Keaton and Lord Darlington as major characters of the novel.
In his depiction of Mr. Stevens, Johansson says that this character is best represented by two words: dignity and …show more content…
So needless to say, the main character not only does possess a great amount of loyalty but is also a worthy representor or example of dignity, which is closely linked to his profession as a butler. Yet, another peculiarity that is less evident with Mr. Stevens’ is the regret that accompanies him in his aging days. Regret is an emotion that accompanies not only the main character in the novel, but it accompanies all human beings, therefore also the readers. That is why this paper focuses on understanding the regret that accompanies Mr. …show more content…
This journey reveals to the reader the regret that Mr. Stevens presently feels. We can also see his hopes for a possible second chance at love with Miss Kenton. (Shaffer, 2005) Yet, his moments of sentimental vulnerability are, for the most part of the novel, hidden under a formal and distant language. But when Stevens finally asks Miss Kenton about her marriage, we can see how deeply hurt he is from what he finds out. In that moment, all his illusions are shattered.
When Stevens is told by Miss Kenton that she does love her current husband, only then do we get a full glimpse of his feelings: “…their implications were such as to provoke a certain degree of sorrow within me. Indeed - why should I not admit it? - at that moment, my heart was breaking.”- (Ishiguro, 1989) Page 173
When his final attempt at love is ruined, all that remains is to find solace in his work. Since his amorous endeavours are thus abruptly and finally dismantled, and all that is left for Stevens is to gather himself emotionally and live out the rest of his days under the employment of Mr Farraday at Darlington Hall. The novel ends with Stevens’
“The Remains of the Day” is a novel written by Kazuo Ishiguro. The novel was first published in Great Britain in the year 1989. The main character of the novel is an “aging butler” named Stevens, who is also the narrator of the novel. Johansson 2011, in his literary essay on Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, offers more details regarding the novel. According to Johansson, the novel is a representation of Stevens’ recollections from the days he spent working on Darlington Hall and his current thoughts and opinions. Johansson also mentions Miss Keaton and Lord Darlington as major characters of the novel.
In his depiction of Mr. Stevens, Johansson says that this character is best represented by two words: dignity and …show more content…
So needless to say, the main character not only does possess a great amount of loyalty but is also a worthy representor or example of dignity, which is closely linked to his profession as a butler. Yet, another peculiarity that is less evident with Mr. Stevens’ is the regret that accompanies him in his aging days. Regret is an emotion that accompanies not only the main character in the novel, but it accompanies all human beings, therefore also the readers. That is why this paper focuses on understanding the regret that accompanies Mr. …show more content…
This journey reveals to the reader the regret that Mr. Stevens presently feels. We can also see his hopes for a possible second chance at love with Miss Kenton. (Shaffer, 2005) Yet, his moments of sentimental vulnerability are, for the most part of the novel, hidden under a formal and distant language. But when Stevens finally asks Miss Kenton about her marriage, we can see how deeply hurt he is from what he finds out. In that moment, all his illusions are shattered.
When Stevens is told by Miss Kenton that she does love her current husband, only then do we get a full glimpse of his feelings: “…their implications were such as to provoke a certain degree of sorrow within me. Indeed - why should I not admit it? - at that moment, my heart was breaking.”- (Ishiguro, 1989) Page 173
When his final attempt at love is ruined, all that remains is to find solace in his work. Since his amorous endeavours are thus abruptly and finally dismantled, and all that is left for Stevens is to gather himself emotionally and live out the rest of his days under the employment of Mr Farraday at Darlington Hall. The novel ends with Stevens’