Book Report
IEⅢcore Chizuru Hayasaka
1) MLA citation
Book title: The Remains of the Day
Author: Ishiguro Kazuo
Country: United Kingdom
Publisher: Fader and Faber
Publication date: May 1989
2) INTRODUCTION
The Remains of the Day is the third published novel by Japanese-British author Kazuo Ishiguro. This is a romance novel and also contains some elements of history. The story is constructed of the scene that the hero of this novel recollects his life from 1920s to 1930s. The setting of the novel is at Darlington Hall in England. In the paragraphs that follow, I will give a summary of the story, including plot, climax, and conflict. Then I will analyze the story more, talking about character details, point of view, theme, symbolism, and irony.
3) SUMMARY
In July 1956, at the present, several years has passed since the World War Ⅱ had finished. A butler named James Stevens, who serves at Darlington Hall. He dedicates his life to the loyal service of Lord Darlington. But Mr. Darlington dies and Mr. Stevens services for Mr. Farraday who are the new employer. Mr. Farraday advices him to get out of Darlington Hall for the purpose of taking a holiday. At then Mr. Stevens is troubled with a short of housekeeper. One day, he receives a letter from his ex-colleague called Miss Kenton, describing her married life, which he believes hints at her unhappy marriage. The receipt of the letter allows Steven the opportunity to revisit this one-cherished relationship, if only under the guise of possible re-employment. While he is going on a trip, he recalls his dear memory. Mr. Stevens works for only loyalty and he never expresses his own real feeling.
Working together during the years leading up to Second World War, Stevens and Miss Kenton fail to admit their true feelings. All of their recollected conversations show a professional friendship,which came close—but never dared—to cross the line into romance. Miss Kenton, now she has been married, is a perfect woman, she is intelligent and quick-witted very well, so she would be able to help Stevens. At the beginning, Stevens and Miss Kenton doesn’t have a good relationship. But an incident happens, it’s changed. After Miss Kenton’s coming, Stevens’ father calls on and asked him to give a job as a vice-butler. Mr. Stevens senior is employed and also begins to serve at dinner. But he makes little mistakes continually because of his ages. He is 72 year-old. He is very proud of his career as a butler, and hasn’t no doubt that he can work as well as he served in the past. Stevens thinks it is not important and tiny things such that his father puts a Chinese doll on wrong place, and forgets to put a mop away regularly. On the other hand, Miss Kenton warns Stevens to reduce Mr. Stevens’s senior's work, or he will make a big blunder. But Stevens turns a deaf ear to her advice.One day afternoon, he is warking toward the table where Mr. Darlington and his important friends are talking joyfully to bring a coffee or something. Just then he stumbles and falls down and can't get up by himself. This is the thing that Miss Kenton worried about. Since this accident, Stevens becomes admit her abilities and trys to take her opinion carefully.
Under the important conference which takes place in Darlington Hall, the housekeepers and the other workers send dizzy daily life, also Miss Kenton. But she takes a day off on Thursday and meet a man named Benn who is her associasion.She hides her real feelings for Stevens because their relationship and conversation are on only professional. She marries the man and resigns her job.
After twenty years, in 1956, Stevens and Miss Kenton meet at a restaurant and talk each of their recent life. Miss Kenton has already had her own family and her daughter is told to have a baby. Miss Kenton decided to work at the Darlington Hall again, but she heard this news and wants to stay with her family and her husband. She realizes that she loves her husband very deeply. On the other hand, Stevens returns to the Darlington Hall and decided to serve for his new employer. His face seems so happy.
4) ANALYSIS
There are four characters in the story, James Stevens, Miss Kenton, Lord Darlington, and Mr.Farraday. I will describe them in more details. First, the protagonist is James Stevens, who is an English butler serves at Darlington Hall. He is very Calm and proud of his work so he dedicates his life to serve for Load Darlington. Next character is Miss Kenton; she is a housekeeper at Darlington, afterwards married as Mrs. Benn. Miss Kenton is a sensible, emotional, and beautiful woman, who respects Mr. Stevens very much but they are in trouble because Mr. Stevens is too stubborn and won’t hear her advice. Next is Lord Darlington who is the old owner of Darlington Hall, and failed efforts toward talks between English and German diplomats caused his political and social decline. Mr.Farraday is the new American employer of Stevens, who retires from the political world.
The Remains of the Day is told from the first person of view with the narrator recalling his life. Events in the narrator’s contemporary life remind him of events from his past. It is effective way to understand Stevens’ personality but he hides his real feelings, for example his political concern, and especially feeling to Miss Kenton. This is love. Stevens actually respects her and falls in love without consciousness. Readers will understand such like that, but the author Kazuo Ishiguro doesn’t show clearly. That’ why readers have to imagine what Stevens think or feel by myself. His great dignity makes him difficult to express his motion to Miss Kenton, He would love her and don’t want her to marry Mr. Ben, and wish her to stay together. While he is very busy with his hard work at important conference, Miss Kenton meets Mr. Ben and has a dinner together, finally she is proposed by Mr. Ben, and of curse she is confused because she loves Stevens actually. She wants to make Stevens jealous of her so she meets Mr. Ben. Stevens can’t stop her marriage and tell his real feeling because of his dignity. It is an irony. They love each other although Miss Kenton married another man and she has to say goodbye to Stevens.
I have finished giving an overview of the characters and point of view, now I would like to talk about some themes and symbolism in The Remains of the Day. The theme of The Remains of the Day is dignity. The most important aspect of Stevens’ life is his dignity as an English butler. Stevens constantly maintains an inward and outward sense of dignity in order to preserve his own identity.
Darlington Hall symbolizes Stevens’ life as a sophisticated butler. While the hall is full of liveliness, Steven is satisfied with his states and the success of work. He experiences various incidents such as an international conference and feels something special to Miss Kenton. But the hall decline as time goes by, his surroundings changes and he misses his lost brilliant glory.
In my opinion, the story is difficult to catch that the author wants to say. I learned that recollecting our past is so important to face to the present. Stevens recall his past Stevens and Miss Kenton work together at Darlington Hall, and then he takes a short trip and meet Miss Kenton. Finally he determines to serve for his new employer.
5) CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this novel won the Booker Prize in 1989 for Best Fiction and rank in the Sunday Times list of 100 greatest novels. Stevens dedicates his life for serving at Darlington Hall and proud of it. About 30 years has passed, his glory days are lost and Miss Kenton once he loves has her own precious family. After he meets Miss Kenton, he determines to get along with Mr. Farraday for the future.
