What changes occur in The Remains of the Day and how do the various characters deal with them?
What changes occur in The Remains of the Day and how do the various characters deal with them?
The Remains of the Day is a novel written by Kazuo Ishiguro in 1989 (movie adaptation in 1993), that tells the story of the people living in Darlington Hall. It is set in two different time periods, 1930’s and the 1950’s, therefore the influence of the first and second world wars are clearly visible. The theme of change is also strongly present throughout the novel. Whether it is social or personal change, the novel does not forget to discuss it.
Lord Darlington, the owner of the mansion in the 1930’s, is a greatly appreciated British gentleman, who prefers to avoid confrontation and is quite easily influenced. These characteristics will cause trouble for Lord Darlington later in the story. However, he is very kind to his employees, with only a few exceptions. In some ways he does accept change and in some ways he does not. When having a conference with German, French, British and American delegates to discuss the situation in Germany, …show more content…
This in turn leads, for example, to the discharge of two of Lord Darlington’s servants for the sole reason of them being Jewish. Miss Kenton, the housekeeper, is strongly against it, while Mr Stevens, the butler, feels like the help should not concern themselves with Lord Darlington’s decisions. Here you can see one of many differences between Miss Kenton and Mr Stevens. Miss Kenton is not afraid to think for herself, while Mr Stevens refrains from doing that, as he equates happiness to being a good servant to his
What changes occur in The Remains of the Day and how do the various characters deal with them?
The Remains of the Day is a novel written by Kazuo Ishiguro in 1989 (movie adaptation in 1993), that tells the story of the people living in Darlington Hall. It is set in two different time periods, 1930’s and the 1950’s, therefore the influence of the first and second world wars are clearly visible. The theme of change is also strongly present throughout the novel. Whether it is social or personal change, the novel does not forget to discuss it.
Lord Darlington, the owner of the mansion in the 1930’s, is a greatly appreciated British gentleman, who prefers to avoid confrontation and is quite easily influenced. These characteristics will cause trouble for Lord Darlington later in the story. However, he is very kind to his employees, with only a few exceptions. In some ways he does accept change and in some ways he does not. When having a conference with German, French, British and American delegates to discuss the situation in Germany, …show more content…
This in turn leads, for example, to the discharge of two of Lord Darlington’s servants for the sole reason of them being Jewish. Miss Kenton, the housekeeper, is strongly against it, while Mr Stevens, the butler, feels like the help should not concern themselves with Lord Darlington’s decisions. Here you can see one of many differences between Miss Kenton and Mr Stevens. Miss Kenton is not afraid to think for herself, while Mr Stevens refrains from doing that, as he equates happiness to being a good servant to his