The Remains of the Day
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| The Remains of the Day | |
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| Author | Kazuo Ishiguro |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Publication date | May 1989 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 245 pp (hardback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-571-15310-0 (hardback edition) |
The Remains of the Day (1989) is the third novel by Japanese-British author Kazuo Ishiguro. It won the Booker Prize in 1989.
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[edit] Plot introduction
Like Ishiguro's previous two novels, the story is told from the first person point of view with the narrator recalling his life through a diary while progressing through the present. Events in the narrator's contemporary life remind him of events from his past.
The novel was Ishiguro's first not based in Japan or told from the point of view of a Japanese person, although his first novel, A Pale View of Hills, was told from the point of view of an elderly Japanese woman living in Britain and recalling her past in Japan.
[edit] Explanation of the title
- "The Remains of the Day" refers to evening, when a person can reflect on a day's work. Evening is symbolic for older age, when one can look back and assess one's life work. But "remains" also suggests what is left after a wreck, and it may be suggesting that this life was wrecked.
- "The Remains of the Day" also refers to the last vestiges of Great Britain's grand houses.
- At the end of novel, Stevens reflects on the "remains of my day", referring to his future service with Mr. Farraday.
[edit] Plot summary
The novel The Remains of the Day tells the story of Stevens, an English butler who dedicates his life to the loyal service of Lord Darlington (mentioned in increasing detail in flashbacks). The novel begins with Stevens receiving a letter from an ex co-worker called Miss Kenton, describing her married life, which he believes hints at her unhappy marriage. The receipt of the letter allows Stevens the opportunity to revisit this once-cherished relationship, if only under the guise of possible re-employment. Stevens' new employer, a wealthy American, Mr. Farraday, encourages Stevens to borrow a car to take a well-earned break, a "motoring trip." As he sets out, Stevens has the opportunity to reflect on his unmoving loyalty to Lord Darlington, the meaning of the term "dignity", and even his relationship with his father. Ultimately Stevens is forced to ponder the true nature of his relationship with Miss Kenton. As the book progresses, increasing evidence of Miss Kenton's one-time love for Stevens, and his for her, is revealed.
Working together during the years leading up to WWII, 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 to romance.
Miss Kenton, it later emerges, has been married for over 20 years and therefore is no longer Miss Kenton, but Mrs. Benn although admits to occasionally wondering what her life with Stevens might have been like has come to love her husband, and is looking forward to the birth of their first grandchild. Stevens muses over lost opportunities, both with Miss Kenton and with his long-time employer, Lord Darlington. At the end of the novel, Stevens instead focuses on the "remains of [his] day", referring to his future service with Mr. Farraday.
[edit] Characters in "The Remains of the Day"
- Stevens – the narrator, an English butler who serves in Darlington Hall
- Miss Kenton – housekeeper, after her marriage Mrs. Benn
- Lord Darlington – the previous, and now deceased owner of Darlington Hall
- William Stevens (Mr. Stevens senior); the now deceased father of the narrator Stevens
- Mr Farraday – the new American employer of Stevens
- Young Mr Cardinal – a journalist and the son of one of Lord Darlington's closest friends
- Dupont – A French politician who attends Darlington's conference.
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[edit] Themes
[edit] Social constraints
The novel does not present the situation of Stevens as simply a personal one. It seems clear that Stevens' position as butler, as servant, has gradually made it impossible for him to live a fulfilling emotional life. His father dies, worrying about whether the butlering is being carried out correctly. Stevens too cannot bring himself to express feelings about personal matters.
The social rules at the time were certainly a major constraint. As we see in the book, servants who wish to get married and have children immediately find themselves without a job, since married life is seen as incompatible with total devotion to one's master.
[edit] Loyalty and politics
Stevens is shown as totally loyal to Lord Darlington, who, we slowly realize, is involved with friends of Hitler. Stevens is certainly quite incapable of believing his master to be wrong in this.
[edit] Love and relationships
Stevens is dimly aware of Miss Kenton's feelings, but fails to reciprocate. It is not only the constraints of his social situation, but also his own emotional maturity that holds him back.
Nonetheless, the lovers enjoy each other's company (the cup of cocoa every evening) and find drama, if not intimacy, in the little games they play.
[edit] Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science
The major theme of the decline of the British aristocracy can be linked to the 1911 Parliament Act, which reduced the powers of the House of Lords, and to the substantial inheritance tax increases imposed after WWII which forced the break-up of many estates that had been passed down for generations.
The pro-Hitler stance of Lord Darlington has parallels in the warm relations with Germany favoured by some British aristocrats in the early 1930s, such as Lord Londonderry.
[edit] Awards and nominations
In 1989 the novel won the Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the English speaking world.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
- The novel was adapted into a 1993 film by Merchant Ivory Productions starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson in the leads.
- A BBC Radio 4 adaptation in two hour-long episodes starring Ian McDiarmid was broadcast on August 8 and August 15, 2003.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Oscar and Lucinda |
Man Booker Prize recipient 1989 |
Succeeded by Possession: A Romance |
