The Remains of the Day

The Title:
Prologue, July 1956: Darlington Hall
Day One, Evening: Salisbury
Day Two, Morning: Salisbury
Day Two, Afternoon: Mortimer's Pond, Dorset
Day Three, Morning: Taunton, Somerset
Day Three, Evening: Moscombe, near Tavistock, Devon
Day Four, Afternoon: Little Compton, Cornwall
Day Six, Evening: Weymouth

RESOURCES
Works Consulted

The Remains of the Day

Kazuo Ishiguro (1954- )
New York: Vintage International, 1989

Author: Kazuo Ishiguro

It is impossible to ignore the novelty of a Japanese-born writer composing one of the most celebrated novels about English identity. Yet to
remain focused on that aspect of Kazuo Ishiguro's career - indeed, to identify and pin down Ishiguro on some national scale of Japanese
and/or English identity - is to fall prey to outmoded preconceptions about our global culture. Ishiguro has continually attempted to create
works that define him as neither English nor Japanese, but as a truly international writer.

Kazuo Ishiguro was born November 8, 1954, in Nagasaki, Japan. His father, an oceanographer, caught the British government's attention,
and in 1960 the Ishiguros moved to England. They intended to stay only a year, but ended up moving to England permanently. Ishiguro
had a typical English upbringing and schooling and in 1973 worked as a grouse beater for the Queen Mother at Balmoral Castle in
Aberdeen, Scotland. He studied English and philosophy at University of Kent and completed graduate studies in creative writing at the
University of East Anglia.

In 1981 Ishiguro's first short stories were published inIntroduction 7. That same year, Salman Rushdie won the prestigious Booker Prize
for Midnight's Children, marking a shift in the English literary scene that focused on the modern legacy of the British Empire and the
emerging multicultural mosaic represented by writers such as Rushdie, Timothy Mo, and V. S. Naipaul. The attention benefited Ishiguro
as well; in 1983, his first novel, A Pale View of Hills, won the Royal Society of Literature's Winifred Holtby Award, and in 1984 he
received a writer's bursary from the Arts Council of Great Britain. His script for A Profile of Arthur J. Mason was broadcast on television
also at this time, and screenwriting became his other major concern. The year 1986 heralded sophomore triumphs: An Artist of the
Floating World won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and made the shortlist for the Booker Prize, and The Gourmet was broadcast.
Within this year, he married Lorna Anne MacDougall; in 1992 their daughter Naomi was born.

Ishiguro's first two novels involved Japanese protagonists. A Pale View of Hills is about a Japanese woman who, in the shadow of
Nagasaki's bombing and a daughter's suicide, moves to the English countryside. An Artist of the Floating World tells the story of a
Japanese painter who is disgraced as a propagandist after World War II. Critics attribute a greater Japanese influence on Ishiguro than he
believes exists: "I am quite often amused when reviewers make a lot of my being Japanese and try to mention the two or three authors
they've vaguely heard of, comparing me to Mishima or something. It seems highly inappropriate. I've grown up reading Western fiction:
Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Charlotte Brontë, Dickens" (Mason 336).

Ishiguro set his sites on a distinctly non-Japanese novel, imagining the alienation of an English butler at the twilight of the British Empire.
Ishiguro said, "Sometimes it looks like or has the tone of a very English book, but actually I'm using that as a kind of shock tactic: this
relatively young person with a Japanese name and a Japanese face who produces this extra-English novel or, perhaps I should say, a
super-English novel. It's more English than English" (Vorda and Herzinger 8). The Remains of the Day was published in 1989 and won
the Booker Prize. A literary sensation, the book was adapted for a Merchant-Ivory film starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson,
which earned eight Academy Awards nominations.

1995's The Unconsoled, about an English pianist entangled in a central European city's intrigues, marked an unexpected stylistic turn
towards Kafka-esque surrealism. It won the Cheltenham Prize and confirmed Ishiguro's commitment to literary experimentation. His most
recent novel, When We Were Orphans, follows an English detective solving his parents' disappearance in Shanghai during his childhood.
Ishiguro marked his own return to estranged roots when he visited Japan in 1989. Among the awards he's received are honorary doctorates
from his alma maters, Italy's Premio Scanno for Literature, and the Order of the British Empire in 1995. He continues to live with his
family in London.
As Barry Lewis describes the author's situation, "Ishiguro's home is a halfway house, neither Japanese nor English, somewhere in-between
departure and arrival, nostalgia and anticipation. He is, in short, a displaced person, one of the many in the twentieth century of exile and
estrangement" (1). Given the ways he has taken advantage of his situation, displacement is only a starting point for Kazuo Ishiguro, the
entryway to a twenty-first century view of world literature.

Bibliography

Novels
A Pale View of Hills (1982)
An Artist of the Floating World (1986)
The Remains of the Day (1989)
The Unconsoled (1995)
When We Were Orphans (2000)
Screenplays
A Profile of Arthur J. Mason (1984)
The Gourmet (1986)
Short Stories
"A Strange and Sometimes Sadness" (1981)
"Getting Poisoned" (1981)
"Waiting for J" (1981)
"A Family Supper" (1983)
"The Summer After the War" (1983)

Characters

Darlington Hall, 1956

Stevens - narrator, head butler under both Lord Darlington and Mr. Farraday
Mr. Farraday - owner of Darlington Hall, an American Anglophile
Mrs. Clements, Rosemary, Agnes - the three other servants
Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield - guests of Mr. Farraday
Darlington Hall, 1920s - 1930s
Lord Darlington - owner of Darlington Hall
Miss Kenton / Mrs. Benn - head maid at Darlington
Mr. William Stevens or Mr. Stevens senior - Stevens's father
Dr. Meredith - doctor
Mrs. Mortimer - cook
Ruth and Sarah - two Jewish housemaids
Lisa - one of the housemaids who replace Ruth and Sarah
Alice White - an exasperating housemaid
Seamus, Martha, Dorothy - other servants
People Met On The 1956 Trip
Unnamed old man with white hair - suggests a scenic view to Stevens
Nellie - chicken owned by a young woman living near Salisbury
Unnamed young woman - Nellie's owner
Old Bob - landlord at the Coach and Horses near Taunton, Somerset
Mr. and Mrs. Taylor - residents of Moscombe who house Stevens during his trip
George Andrews, Trevor Morgan, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Smith, Dave Thornton, Mr. Lindsay, Dr. Richard Carlisle, Ted Hardacre - residents
of Moscombe
Unnamed man at Weymouth docks - former butler who speaks with Stevens
1923 Conference
Herr Karl-Heinz Bremann - German friend of Lord Darlington's, inspired the conference
Sir David Cardinal - closest ally of Lord Darlington
Reginald Cardinal - Sir David's son, Lord Darlington's godson
M. Dupont - French politician
German countess, Mrs. Eleanor Austin - the two female attendees
Mr. Lewis - American Senator from Pennsylvania
Lord Darlington's Circle
Sir Richard Fox - colleague of Lord Darlington from his Foreign Office days
Lady Astor - envious of the silver
Mr. George Bernard Shaw - admires the silver
Lord Halifax - soothed by the silver
Herr Ribbentrop - German Ambassador to Britain
Sir Oswald Mosley - led the British fascist "blackshirts"
Mrs. Carolyn Barnet - anti-Semite who briefly influences Lord Darlington
Mr. Spencer - asks Stevens questions on politics
Sir Leonard - argues with Mr. Spencer in favor of mass interaction
Mr. Whittaker - visits Germany with Lord Darlington
Minor Characters / References
Catherine - Mrs. Benn's daughter
Mrs. Johnson - a companion of Miss Kenton's aunt
Mr. John Silvers - of Loughborough House, Mr. William Stevens's previous employer
Leonard Stevens - Stevens's only brother, died in the Boer War under "the General"
The General - visitor at Loughborough, killed Leonard Stevens
Mr. Simpson - landlord of the Ploughman's Arms
Frau Bremann - Herr Bremann's missing wife
Mr. and Mrs. Muggeridge - Stevens' first employer as butler
Mr. David Charles - one-time visitor to Loughborough House
Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones - two rude visitors to Loughborough House
Lord Wakeling - gentleman of moral stature
John Humphreys - takes in travelers at the Crossed Keys
Lord Daniels, Professor Maynard Keyes, H. G. Wells - visitors at Darlington Hall
Baron Overath - German friend of Lord Darlington's father
Other Butlers
Mr. Rayne - valet of Sir Reginald Mauvis
Mr. Harry Graham - valet-butler to Sir James Chambers
Mr. John Donalds - valet to Mr. Sydney Dickenson
Mr. Wilkinson - valet-butler to Mr. John Campbell
Mr. Davidson - from Easterly House
Mr. Herman - valet to Mr. John Henry Peters
Mr. Marshall - from Charleville House, considered a great butler, served Lord Camberley
Mr. Lane - of Bridewood, considered a great butler, served Sir Leonard Gray
Mr. Jack Neighbours - briefly legendary butler, but not at all great
Mr. Henderson - of Branbury Castle

Plot

During a July 1956 trip to Cornwall Stevens, head butler at Darlington Hall, keeps a journal that not only describes his progress but also
includes extensive ruminations on the qualities that make a great butler and how these qualities are reflected in his tenure under Lord
Darlington. The Remains of the Day is the journal itself. The plot is described here in a linear fashion, as Stevens goes through too many
memories to recount events in the same manner we read them. The Highlighter section, however, follows the narrative sequencing
encountered in the novel.

In the 1920s Stevens was head butler of Darlington Hall when he made two hires at about the same time: Miss Kenton as head maid and
his father, Mr. William Stevens, as under-butler. In 1923, Mr. Stevens senior's increasing age marred his performance as an under-butler,
a fact that Miss Kenton repeatedly pointed out to Stevens. A bad fall taken by Mr. Stevens senior in front of Lord Darlington led to his
effective removal as under-butler of Darlington Hall. This was done to ensure the smoothness of the March conference Lord Darlington
was hosting, which sought to amend penalties imposed on Germany after World War I. Lord Darlington and Sir David Cardinal placed
great importance on winning the support of the sole French attendee to the conference, M. Dupont. As Stevens prepared his staff for the
conference, he faced three problems: increasing tensions with Miss Kenton, a request from Lord Darlington to inform his godson Reginald
Cardinal on the "facts of life," and - as the conference began - a stroke his father suffered. At the conference, American Senator Lewis
became a problem, speaking privately with M. Dupont, who in turn suffered from sores on his feet and repeatedly beseeched Stevens for
assistance.

On the final evening of the conference, Dupont sided with Lord Darlington and repudiated Senator Lewis, who in turn declared the
amateurism of the conference as politically dangerous. Lord Darlington responded, claiming amateurism is a more honorable approach
than so-called professionalism. That same evening, Stevens's father died; however, Stevens continued to serve the conference attendees,
even diverting Dr. Meredith away from his dead father in order to care for M. Dupont's sores. Thus, in the face of such difficulty, Stevens
believes that evening was one of professional triumph and dignity.

In 1932, Lord Darlington, under the influence of anti-Semites, instructed Stevens to release the two Jewish servants working in Darlington
Hall at the time. Miss Kenton protested, threatening to quit. A year later, when Lord Darlington expressed regret for the firings and
wished to make restitution, Stevens expressed his own distaste for the firings to Miss Kenton, who became upset at the silence he had kept
up to that time.

In the mid-1930s, the relationship between Miss Kenton and Stevens shifted, culminating in Miss Kenton informing Stevens that Mr.
Benn had asked to marry her. That same evening Lord Darlington was hosting a meeting: Herr Ribbentrop, Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain, and Foreign Secretary Lord Eden would discuss visits to Germany that would validate the Nazi regime. Reginald Cardinal
dropped by, but was barred from the meeting. Returning from her night out, Miss Kenton informed Stevens that she had accepted the
engagement and was leaving Darlington Hall.

Reginald Cardinal died in World War II. Lord Darlington was accused of being a Nazi collaborator, and after the war sued a newspaper
for libel- only to lose the suit and die in disgrace. Darlington Hall was placed for sale and bought by Mr. Farraday, an American with
Anglophile leanings.

At the novel's present, Mr. Farraday is preparing a trip to America and encourages Stevens to take a vacation, even offering the use of a
car. At first Stevens resists the idea, but he receives a letter from Miss Kenton - now Mrs. Benn - expressing nostalgia for her time at
Darlington Hall and informing him that she has left her husband. Stevens considers this an implicit plea by Miss Kenton to return to work
at Darlington Hall, which would improve his staff plan and prevent mistakes he has been committing. Mr. Farraday teases Stevens about a
romantic liaison; this troubles Stevens, as he believes he must now acquire the skill of "bantering."

On Day One of the trip, Stevens leaves Darlington Hall unoccupied and drives to Salisbury. On Day Two, the car's engine requires water,
which Stevens receives from the chauffeur at a nearby house. Upon learning where he's from, the chauffeur asks if Stevens works for Lord
Darlington, which Stevens denies. He reflects that this is the second such denial of Lord Darlington in recent memory, but dismisses the
idea that his musings might suggest a guilty conscience. That evening, Stevens lodges at the Coach and Horses inn outside of Taunton and
tries to chitchat with the locals but with poor results.

On Day Three, Stevens's car runs out of gas near Devon. While searching for help, he runs into Mr. Taylor, who offers him a place to stay.
Stevens does not anticipate the arrival after dinner of friends of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, who mistake him for a gentleman. Stevens plays to
these false expectations; only Dr. Carlisle, one of the guests, senses something is amiss.

On Day Four, Stevens is given a ride back to his car by Dr. Carlisle, whose suspicions are confirmed about Stevens's true status. Stevens
arrives in Little Compton, Cornwall, later that morning and meets Mrs. Benn earlier than arranged. The two reminisce over old times, and
Mrs. Benn reveals that she has reconciled with her husband and that her daughter Catherine is pregnant. When Stevens accompanies her to
her bus stop, he asks if she is happy. She expresses worries about dwelling too much on the past, confessing to Stevens that she imagined
a life with him. The two assure one another that it is best to be happy with how things are and not to wish for how things could have been.

Stevens drives back to Darlington Hall and stops on the evening of Day Six at the pier in Weymouth. He strikes up a conversation with a
man who was once a butler too: Stevens confesses that he gave his all to Lord Darlington, and the man advises him to enjoy what remains
of the day. Observing the conviviality of other people at the pier as the lights are turned on, Stevens resolves to improve his bantering
skills, for Mr. Farraday's sake.

Style

Ishiguro has been praised repeatedly for being able to capture perfectly the voice of an English butler, which may be summed up in two
characteristics: precision and restraint. David Lodge writes: "Stevens speaks, or writes, in a fussily precise, stiffly formal style -
butlerspeak, in a word" (155). Like John Dowell in Ford Madox Ford's The Good Soldier, Stevens is an unreliable narrator whose passive
life is indicative of civilization's decline. Indeed, The Remains of the Day is held as one of the best contemporary examples of the
technique Ford perfected. "His narrative is a kind of confession, but it is riddled with devious self-justification and special pleading, and
only at the very end does he arrive at an understanding of himself - too late to profit by it" (Lodge 155).

The plot ostensibly follows Stevens's road trip in July 1956, but also traces his memories as head butler in Darlington Hall in the interwar
period. Thus, as Shaffer observes, "the butler's physical departure from Darlington Hall is also figured as a psychological one" (83).
Ultimately, "Stevens's car voyage forms a giant circle across South and West England, suggesting in geographical terms that he is merely
going around in circles or 'spinning his wheels' in personal or psychological terms" (Shaffer 86-87).

The Remains of the Day may be considered a historical novel because of its setting and use of political events, but Ishiguro claims this is
incidental: "The kind of England that I create in The Remains of the Day is not an England that I believe ever existed. I've not attempted
to reproduce, in a historically accurate way, some past period" (Vorda and Herzinger 8). It is perhaps best to read the novel as a statement
on a myth of England and its influence on the main character, with the history as a means to further the plot in a more thematically
resonant manner. That explains one of the omissions critics have brought up about the work: 1956 is the same year British troops left the
Suez Canal, marking the decline of the British Empire; it is an event never mentioned in the novel. The absence in itself is significant in
the same way the absence of any mention of Nagasaki's bombing looms in A Pale View of Hills - a historical hole in each narrative's
center that mirrors the psychological hole in the protagonist's life (Lewis 99-100).

The novel may also be considered a butler narrative, the best-known antecedents of which include J. M. Barrie's The Admirable Crichton
and P. G. Wodehouse's series of stories about Jeeves. Ishiguro had worked in this genre previously with A Profile of Arthur J. Mason, a
story about a butler who becomes a celebrated writer, albeit too late in life to make a difference. As Ihab Hassan notes, "There is a
tradition of English butlers [ . . . ] that has entertained countless readers with deft irony or farce. In The Remains of the Day, Kazuo
Ishiguro surpasses that tradition; more precisely, he perfects and subverts it at the same time" (374). Such perfection / subversion comes
from the psychological and historical consequences that Ishiguro links to Stevens's precision and restraint.

Themes and Motifs

Displacement: As with all of Ishiguro's novels, displaced identity - identifying with a set of historical/ethical circumstances, only to have
those circumstances taken away - defines The Remains of the Day (Lewis 15-16). The road trip externalizes the sense of exile Stevens
feels, and the themes spring from Stevens's displacement due to Darlington Hall's decline: they represent what was lost by Stevens or the
means by which he tries to hold on to what he has left. Further, the psychological term "displacement" refers to taking one's beliefs and
asserting that they are the beliefs of someone else, one of several techniques Stevens uses as an unreliable narrator.
National Identity: Ishiguro claims, "What I'm trying to do [ . . . ] is to actually rework a particular myth about a certain kind of England"
(Vorda and Herzinger 8). Stevens speaks on behalf of an "English" way of life that, through Lord Darlington, he served and thrived under.
Thus, "Stevens clearly equates a decline in the status of Darlington Hall with the postwar Americanization of England" (Shaffer 88).
However, we cannot limit this theme to an assessment of England's national identity: several critics observe strong parallels to postwar
Japanese culture, as well.
Professional Dignity: Stevens valorizes the role of butlers, especially those serving great men of action. His attention to being a great
butler cloaks the personal concerns that he is unable to confront directly. David Gurewich argues Stevens "is grappling with ways to
justify his life, for once you take his professionalism, his dignity, out of the picture, not much is left" (78). Lewis points out that this is
only one side of the argument, as "the butler is persuasive and presents a plausible set of ethical motivations for his actions (plausible, that
is, within his own admittedly limited moral horizons)" (92). The primary motif for professionalism and dignity is clothing, as "the butler is
involved in a struggle between the side of him that wishes to cast off his clothing and the side that wishes to keep it securely wrapped
about him" (Shaffer 84).
Memory and Denial: In this unreliable narrative, memory and denial are linked in a complex weave of revelation and obfuscation: we
learn as much from what Stevens doesn't say as from what he does. Given his profession, denial should also be considered in the
professional sense of self-restraint - thus, his virtue as a servant is his weakness as a human. In looking back on his life, Stevens "tries to
displace [ . . . ] private obligations elsewhere and treat them as interruptions to his public duty" (Lewis 84) in much the same way that he
"uses language and memory itself to clothe a painful reality - and wasted life - from scrutiny" (Shaffer 80). Memory and denial are not
always tied together in the story; however, they are inextricable in many of the crucial revelations of Darlington Hall's past.

Take Home Point: draws attention to key images, word choices, and events in the text

Exploration Point: has the potential for an essay or paper, or for further research

Theme Alert: provides insight on the theme's emergence at a particular point in the narrative

Quotable: identifies passages that merit close stylistic or narrative analysis

The Title:

The Remains of the Day refers to a phrase used at the end of the novel, that Stevens must enjoy the rest of the evening - and symbolically,
what remains of his life. The title also refers to the notion of a professional butler as one who cleans up after his master, whether it is food
from a meal or a legacy of shame. Pico Iyer also observes that "The Remains of the Day is, as its title suggests, written in that favorite
Japanese form, the elegy for vanished rites" (586).

Prologue, July 1956: Darlington Hall

Stevens ponders the increasing likelihood of a road expedition while his current employer, Mr. Farraday, returns to the United States.
Farraday offers this vacation when he laments that servants such as Stevens rarely get to see the country. Stevens initially resists the idea
of such a trip, but relents upon receiving a letter from Miss Kenton, believing she wants to return to Darlington. Such help would be
useful, as Stevens has made errors in his work that result from overextending his own duties when composing the staff plan for the four
servants currently employed. Given a professional reason to embark on a trip - to meet Miss Kenton and speak with her about a job -
Stevens decides to go.
The opening line is an excellent example of Stevens's stiff "butlerspeak": "It seems increasingly likely that I really will undertake the
expedition that has been preoccupying my imagination now for some days" (3). Stevens must qualify his statement, emphasizing
likelihood but not certainty, stressing that he has pondered this choice for a sufficient amount of time. The statement is the essence of
restraint and, after a fashion, precision. By the end of the prologue, Stevens de facto determines that he will indeed take this trip; however,
he still remains uncommitted: "But all in all, I can see no genuine reason why I should not undertake this trip" (20).

Stevens does not have a first name in the story. "[T]hat would be improper, and at odds with the tradition" (Gurewich 77). In this way, his
individual identity is further obscured.

National Identity; Professional Dignity: Farraday's encouragement of Stevens to see the English countryside provokes the response, "It has
been my privilege to see the best of England over the years, sir, within these very walls" (4). Stevens's position was one of privilege,
exchanging actual English landscape for his own minor participation in England's history.

Displacement; Professional Dignity; Memory and Denial: Stevens's desire for Miss Kenton's return to Darlington Hall serves several
purposes. First, it justifies his road trip as being more than a vacation. Second, it masks the romantic intentions Stevens has towards Miss
Kenton. Third, the hiring of a fifth servant provides Stevens an excuse for his own decline in ability; ironically, this parallels his previous
difficulty in accepting his father's own decline as a butler.

In deciding the feasibility of this trip, Stevens ponders the state of his wardrobe; he also examines the road atlas and Mrs. Jane Symon's
The Wonder of England to understand the West Country, where Miss Kenton resides. When Stevens tries to inform Farraday about his
reasons for the trip, his employer teases him about a romantic tryst. Stevens is troubled by the American bantering that Farraday enjoys,
though in keeping with his duties he has made his own feeble attempts at it. The decline of fellow professionals with whom to discuss
such matters has made it even more difficult for Stevens to know what to do.

Professional Dignity; Memory and Denial: Stevens worries about the suitability of his wardrobe: "[I]t is just that one never knows when
one might be obliged to give out that one is from Darlington Hall, and it is important that one be attired at such times in a manner worthy
of one's position" (11). This notion of representing Darlington Hall is ironic, as it also entails association with Lord Darlington's Nazi
sympathies: as we see throughout the novel, for many people the very name "Darlington" immediately brings to mind this particular
aspect, especially since Lord Darlington's actions became a public scandal several years before the novel began. Stevens will deny Lord
Darlington three times, and the Biblical implication is foreshadowed in Farraday's quip, "I suppose it wasn't you making that crowing
noise this morning, Stevens?" (16). (In the Bible, Jesus warned Peter that he would deny knowing Jesus three times before the cock
crowed; Peter professed staunch loyalty to his master, but the prophecy came true.)

National Identity; Memory and Denial: Studying The Wonder of England, Stevens tells us, "I studied all over again those marvelous
descriptions and illustrations, and you can perhaps understand my growing excitement at the notion that I might now actually undertake a
motoring trip myself around that same part of the country" (12). His pride over the national landscape is another means by which he
displaces his desire - that is, "growing excitement" - for Miss Kenton.

Displacement; National Identity; Professional Dignity: Defending Farraday's teasing, Stevens tells us Mr. Farraday "was, I am sure,
merely enjoying the sort of bantering which in the United States, no doubt, is a sign of a good, friendly understanding between employer
and employee, indulged in as a kind of affectionate sport" (14). Stevens is professionally displaced by shifting from serving the very
English Lord Darlington to the very American Farraday: bantering is an American trait and one that lacks the dignity of English butler.

Day One, Evening: Salisbury

Stevens writes from his room in a guest house. Though leaving Darlington Hall empty, he is thrilled about setting off to unexplored
terrain. Along the way he stops to stretch his legs and is encouraged by a local man that "you won't get a better view anywhere in the
whole of England" than at the top of a hill (25). Arriving at Salisbury, Stevens settles into his room, then walks around the city: his
appreciation of its grandeur makes him ponder what constitutes greatness - for a view, for England, and for a butler.

National Identity; Displacement: The symbolism of Darlington Hall for the British Empire is made evident in Stevens's statement: "I
supposed I was very conscious of the fact that once I departed, Darlington Hall would stand empty for probably the first time this century
- perhaps for the first time since the day it was built" (23). A further historical parallel can be drawn to the British evacuation of the Suez
Canal that summer. The old man's encouragement about the view holds a similar warning of decline: "I'm telling you sir, you'll be sorry if
you don't take a walk up there. And you never know. A couple more years and it might be too late" (25).

The Suez Crisis was an important historical moment in the summer 1956, yet it goes without mention in the novel. How would this book
read differently - in tone and theme, for instance - if the Suez Crisis was included in a substantial manner? How could this be used in
relation to the "mythical England" Ishiguro claims to depict?

Stevens draws explicit parallels among the greatness of English landscape, England as a nation - emphasizing the properness of the term
"Great Britain" (28) - and the quality that defines great butlers: "I would say that it is the very lack of obvious drama or spectacle that sets
the beauty of our land apart. What is pertinent is the calmness of that beauty, its sense of restraint. It is as though the land knows of its
own beauty, of its own greatness, and feels no need to shout it" (29). This streak of national pride takes another form when Stevens
approvingly observes, "It is sometimes said that butlers only truly exist in England" (43), meaning that only the English have the dignity
to earn that term. Ishiguro explains that Stevens "thinks beauty and greatness lie in being able to be this kind of cold, frozen butler who
isn't demonstrative and who hides emotions in much the way he's saying that the British landscape does with its surface calm: the ability
to actually keep down turmoil and emotion" (Vorda and Herzinger 10).

In assessing what makes butlers great, Stevens focuses on the Hayes Society (a butlers' club) and its members' main criterion of dignity.
He invokes his father, William Stevens, illustrating his greatness through three stories: an anecdote Stevens senior told, involving an
unnamed butler who discretely disposed of a tiger in India; an incident where Stevens senior's dignity forced an apology out of two men
who insulted his employer, Mr. John Silvers; and a time when Stevens senior served as valet for the general who was responsible for the
death of his other son in the Boer War. Stevens remembers arguments he had with Mr. Graham about the quality of greatness in butlers,
disagreeing with Mr. Graham's notion that it is either there or it is not, as Stevens believes that it is a "professional responsibility" to strive
for that level of dignity (44).

Professional Dignity: Stevens gives readers a peek at a hidden culture of servant life that has its own star system. Jack Neighbours causes
a stir but fades "after a few short years in the limelight" (30). The Hayes Society is an exclusive club of butlers in the same way the
English aristocracy had its own clubs to reinforce their status. Stevens elaborates on their notion of dignity when he likens professionalism
to a suit; great butlers, he says, "wear their professionalism as a decent gentlemen will wear his suit: he will not let ruffians or
circumstances tear it off him in the public gaze; he will discard it when, and only when, he wills to do so, and this will invariably be when
he is entirely alone" (43).

The tiger anecdote's ending is repeated whenever Stevens's father tells it, delighted at the dignity it epitomizes: "Dinner will be served at
the usual time and I am pleased to say there will be no discernible traces left of the recent occurrence by that time" (36).

Gabriele Annan writes, "A Japanese soul (or at any rate Ishiguro's critical version of the Japanese soul) could not have chosen a better
body to transmigrate into than Stevens's: the butler runs on loyalty, devotion, propriety, and pride in his profession, and after much
rumination he decides that the most important quality for a great butler - which his father was and he aspires to be - is dignity" (4). How
do other definitions of dignity impose themselves on Stevens throughout the novel, and how does he react to them? How much validity is
there in his own understanding of the concept?

Day Two, Morning: Salisbury

Stevens awakens at dawn and goes over the letter Miss Kenton has recently sent him. A passage in the letter about his father reminds him
of when both Miss Kenton and Stevens's father started working at Darlington Hall. At the time, several incidents caused friction between
Miss Kenton and Stevens: first, about whether Miss Kenton should call Stevens's father by his Christian name; later, incidents where Miss
Kenton pointed out grievous errors in Stevens senior's work, and how encroaching infirmity made him unable to perform his duties.

Displacement; Memory and Denial: Stevens admits that Miss Kenton has actually been "Mrs. Benn" for twenty years, but prefers to call
her by the name by which he knew her at Darlington Hall. In describing Miss Kenton's letter, he unwittingly exposes his own frame of
mind: "At this very moment, no doubt, she is pondering with regret decisions made in the far-off past that have now left her, deep in
middle age, so alone and desolate" (48). He later deplores servants who become romantically involved as "a serious threat to the order in a
house" (51), implicitly affirming that he has never done such a thing - and so, denies again his amorous feelings for Miss Kenton

National Identity: The dispute over "the Chinaman" and where he belongs is an oblique reference to Ishiguro's own situation as a person
of Asian descent writing a novel such as this. Symbolically, it asks of the place that Asians have in postcolonial England.

Stevens recalls particularly severe words of reproach that came, not from Miss Kenton, but Lord Darlington. The incident occurred two
weeks before the March 1923 conference on international politics in Darlington Hall and a week after Stevens's father fell in the garden
while serving Lord Darlington and some guests. Lord Darlington did not want anything to jeopardize the upcoming conference, and so
Stevens limited the duties of his father considerably. His father insisted that the fall was due to crooked steps, which leads back to a
passage in Miss Kenton's letter that described the old man's subsequent search for that crooked area.

Memory and Denial: In 1923 Stevens denies his father's infirmity by criticizing Miss Kenton, just as Miss Kenton's apparent
dissatisfaction with her current life justifies Stevens's denial of his own growing infirmity. This parallel is reinforced by the image of
Stevens awake at dawn (47), the same time of day that Stevens senior had been informed of his diminished duties (64). Miss Kenton's line
that Stevens senior looked for a crooked stair "as though he hoped to find some precious jewel he had dropped there" not only symbolizes
the loss of his value as a professional servant, but Stevens's diminishment in the present day (67). On a related note, Stevens defends Lord
Darlington to the reader with great vigor, using his Lordship's reticence to directly approach embarrassing matters as proof "to underline
Lord Darlington's essentially shy and modest nature" (61).

Stevens briefly returns to the present day and his drive into Salisbury. Along the way he almost runs over a chicken and is thanked by the
owner of that chicken for not doing so. Stevens then resumes discussing great butlers and how he had proven himself during the March
1923 conference. This meeting had come about because of Lord Darlington's friendship with Herr Karl-Heinz Bremann after the end of
the Great War. He considers how this friendship - and Bremann's suicide several years earlier - brought home the unfairness of the Allies'
treatment of their enemies after the war. Lord Darlington and Sir David Cardinal set out to establish an alliance of international figures to
amend those penalties. The intransigence of the French position made it crucial for at least one influential Frenchman to attend the
conference, making the presence of M. Dupont especially significant.

Though not referred to directly, the Treaty of Versailles was the armistice signed after World War I (known as the Great War) in June
1919; it demanded outrageously high war reparations from Germany.

National Identity: Lord Darlington explains Herr Bremann's influence: "He was my enemy [ . . . ] but he always behaved like a gentleman.
[ . . . ] I told him we wouldn't be enemies once it was all over. But how can I look him in the face and tell him that's turned out to be true?"
(73). With this concern over honor rather than post-war realpolitik, he sets down the path that will brand him a Nazi sympathizer.

As Stevens prepared the complex logistics of the conference - some attendees appearing several days before the conference started - two
more difficulties were imposed. First, Miss Kenton, tired of Stevens's criticisms of her ability, insisted they communicate only by written
messages; second, Lord Darlington asked Stevens to inform Reginald Cardinal, Sir David's twenty-three-year-old engaged son, about the
"facts of life" (81). Stevens set about this second duty immediately but was interrupted by the unanticipated early arrival of Senator Lewis.
The second time Stevens tried to speak of the matter to Reginald he was again interrupted, this time by the arrival of M. Dupont, who was
in a bad temper because of sores on his feet.

National Identity; Professional Dignity: Stevens approaches the challenges of the conference and the potential complexities "as, I imagine,
a general might prepare for battle" (77), even informing his staff: "History could well be made under this roof" (77). In this way, Stevens
and his professional dignity have a stake in the world's future - a notion reinforced in the attention paid to M. Dupont's foot sores. Indeed,
there is a heightening of tension among the conferences attendees as there are among those attendees' servants: "The guests were never
less than courteous to one another, but for all that, a rather tense atmosphere, characterized largely by distrust, seemed to prevail at this
stage. And reflecting this unease, the visiting valets and footmen appeared to regard one another with marked coldness and my own staff
were rather glad to be too busy to spend much time with them" (88).

The first day of the conference, Stevens attended to M. Dupont's demand for a change of bandages for his feet, as well as a sudden illness
that left Stevens senior incapacitated. Dr. Meredith was called to check on Stevens senior. That same evening, Stevens overheard a private
conversation between Senator Lewis and M. Dupont.

Professional Dignity: Stevens defends eavesdropping: "You may not yourself be in the habit of taking this small precaution to avoid
knocking at some highly inappropriate moment, but I always have been and can vouch that it is common practice among many
professionals" (94). This does not explain reporting what he overheard between Lewis and Dupont to Lord Darlington - an invasion of
privacy but one in keeping with Stevens's loyalty to his master.

The following day, the mood of the conference members worsened, as did Stevens senior's condition. At the closing dinner, M. Dupont
toasted Lord Darlington, expressed his commitment to influence French policy in favor of this conference's findings, and exposed Mr.
Lewis's treachery. Mr. Lewis berated the other conference attendees for their amateur handling of world politics at a dangerous juncture in
history and called for a toast to professionalism. He was corrected by Lord Darlington, who believed what Lewis called "amateurism"
might more accurately be termed "honor" (103). During these proceedings, Stevens's father grew worse, suffering a stroke; Stevens
checked on his father briefly, but duty demanded he return to the conference. M. Dupont asked for Stevens's assistance regarding his feet;
at that time, Miss Kenton informed Stevens that his father had died. Stevens assured M. Dupont that a doctor would see to his needs;
Reginald Cardinal thanked Stevens for reminding him about the glory of nature. When Dr. Meredith arrived, Stevens directed him to M.
Dupont. Thus, Stevens concludes in the present day, he performed with great dignity on that day long ago.

Professional Dignity: The link between professionalism and dignity do not apply to the aristocracy, and on the first day of the conference
Stevens reports: "[T]he appearance of informality had been taken to a faintly ludicrous degree" (92). Lord Darlington's rebuke of Lewis's
toast to professionalism is instructive: "What you describe as 'amateurism', sir, is what I think most of us here still prefer to call 'honour'.
[ . . . ] I believe I have a good idea of what you mean by 'professionalism.' It appears to mean getting one's way by cheating and
manipulating. It appears to mean serving the dictates of greed and advantage rather than those of goodness and the desire to see justice
prevail in the world" (103). If that is the case, then what can be said of Stevens's own professionalism, given the way he treats
eavesdropping and his father's death? Stevens is caught crying by Lord Darlington and denies its reason (105), explains to Miss Kenton
why he cannot see his father's body (106) and even directs his father's doctor to care for M. Dupont's feet (109). For these reasons, he
claims, "For all its sad associations, whenever I recall that evening today, I find I do so with a large sense of triumph" (110). In the same
manner that Darlington's values are guided by a wrongheaded belief in personal honor, Stevens's values are guided by a wrongheaded
belief in professional dignity.

Gordon Graham writes of this scene, "What emerges is both a strong sense of absurdity arising from Stevens's belief that the trivial
requirements of social grandees generate duties strong enough to call him away from a deathbed of a parent, and at the same time we get a
sense of the perspective from which his doing so has a certain moral substance to it" (123). Describe how both absurdity and moral
substance intertwine in this section and later scenes where professionalism and humanity seem to conflict. Is it possible to defend
Stevens's case wholeheartedly? Does the book permit us to do so?

Day Two, Afternoon: Mortimer's Pond, Dorset

Stevens considers a new dimension to the question, "[W]hat is a 'great' butler?" (113), taking issue with the Hayes Society's definition of a
"distinguished household" (113). Stevens asserts that for the Hayes Society and his father's generation of butlers, a distinguished
household only encompassed titled, established families; for his own generation of butlers, "professional prestige lay most significantly in
the moral worth of one's employer" (114).

National Identity; Professional Dignity: Stevens asserts that "Butlers of my father's generation, I would say, tended to see the world in
terms of a ladder," while his own generation believed "the world was a wheel, revolving with these great houses at the hub, their mighty
decisions emanating out to all else, rich and poor, who revolved around them" (115). He further adds: "Each of us harboured the desire to
make our own small contribution to the creation of a better world, and saw that, as professionals, the surest means of doing so would be to
serve the great gentlemen of our times in whose hands civilization had been entrusted" (116). Thus he attempts to explain his importance
as a servant, as well as excuse Lord Darlington's decisions.

On this day's travel, Stevens encounters a heated smell while driving. At a house that he deems suitable, Stevens is greeted by the
chauffeur of the house's owner, the Colonel; when the chauffeur discovers Stevens works at Darlington Hall, Stevens denies knowing
Lord Darlington. The chauffeur suggests that Stevens visit a local pond, where the Colonel is fishing at the moment.

Stevens is pleased by the view at the pond, even as he ponders a previous denial of Lord Darlington. The Wakefields, American friends of
Mr. Farraday, had been admiring Darlington Hall when Mrs. Wakefield took Stevens aside to ask him what Lord Darlington was like.
Stevens had denied working for Lord Darlington. Stevens had later been questioned by Mr. Farraday after Mrs. Wakefield had cast
suspicion on the pedigree of both house and butler. Stevens had explained his denial as an act of discretion, though Mr. Farraday remained
dissatisfied. Stevens now sees his denials as a noble attempt to avoid any further sullying of Lord Darlington's reputation.

Memory and Denial: Both Salman Rushdie and Barry Lewis point out a Biblical resonance to Stevens's denials, likening them to Peter's
three denials of Jesus. Here we encounter the first two instances, with the chauffeur and Mrs. Wakefield. Lewis further picks out mentions
of the cock crow in conversations Lewis has with Mr. Farraday (16) and the patrons of the Coach and Horses (130).

National Identity; Displacement: The incursion of American Anglophiles seeking "authentic" English experiences is best summed up by
Farraday: "I mean to say, Stevens, this is a genuine grand old English house, isn't it? That's what I paid for. And you're a genuine old-
fashioned English butler, not just some waiter pretending to be one. You're the real thing, aren't you? That's what I wanted, isn't that what
I have?" (124). A reverse-colonized nouveau riche, these American Anglophiles indicate how power has shifted globally from England to
the United States - and ideologically, from gentleman's honor to a more commercial set of values.

Professional Dignity; Displacement: In explaining his denial of Lord Darlington, Stevens makes a rather odd analogy to Mr. Farraday: "If
I may put it this way, sir, it is a little akin to the custom as regards marriages. If a divorced lady were present in the company of her
second husband, it is often thought desirable not to allude to the original marriage at all" (125). In an attempt to explain his discretion,
Stevens also reveals a highly emotional sense of attachment and loss.

Day Three, Morning: Taunton, Somerset

Stevens lodges the previous evening at the Coach and Horses inn outside the town of Taunton. After dinner, he goes to the bar for a drink
and is greeted by the locals. When the locals joke about how Stevens would not get a good night's sleep at the inn because of the noisiness
of its proprietors, Stevens makes a poor attempt at bantering. Writing this current entry at an establishment in Taunton, Stevens ponders
whether he should have stayed overnight at this place instead.

Professional Dignity; Displacement: Stevens practices bantering so that he may live up to Mr. Farraday's expectations (at least, what he
believes them to be), and yet his failure with the Coach and Horses crowd only reinforces the innate caution which precludes bantering.
"By the very nature of a witticism, one is given very little time to assess its various possible repercussions before one is called to give
voice to it, and one gravely risks uttering all manner of unsuitable things if one has not first acquired the necessary skill and experience"
(131). The larger issue is human connection: the willingness to show warmth and vulnerability. Bantering is a light example of this - and
as his interaction proves, Stevens still lacks the fundamental qualities of even that level of bonding.

Stevens is tempted to visit the nearby town of Mursden, home of the silver polish that his generation of butlers relied upon. He points out
that Mr. Marshall was the butler who made the quality of polished silver "a public index of a house's standards" (134). Stevens recounts
how the silver at Darlington Hall was widely praised and even shaped world politics: once, at Lord Darlington's behest, Lord Halifax was
to meet Herr Ribbentrop at the estate, and his frazzled nerves were soothed when he was impressed by the silver. As for Herr Ribbentrop
himself, Stevens asserts that the German ambassador was a very popular guest in English social circles and that painting Lord Darlington
as the sole dupe of the Nazis has been an unfair generalization. Stevens then returns to the importance of polished silver, recounting a
shameful recent incident with Mr. Farraday where he almost ate with a wax-smudged fork.
The line, "Perhaps 'Mursden' will ring a bell for you, as it did for me upon my first spotting it on the road atlas yesterday" (133), is one of
the key points where the reader becomes aware of a specific person being addressed by Stevens. From this, we assume that this person is
also a professional servant and from the same generation as Stevens. Considering how private an individual Stevens is, it may be possible
that he is writing this journal to himself.

Professional Dignity; National Identity: The importance of silver - and thus of putting on as polished a surface appearance as possible - is
analogous to the meetings between Lord Halifax and Herr Ribbentrop, albeit in Ribbentrop's case that surface hid deceitful intentions. As
Stevens points out, "The truth is that Herr Ribbentrop was, throughout the thirties, a well-regarded figure, even a glamorous one, in the
very best houses" (136), concluding, "Anyone who implies that Lord Darlington was liaising covertly with a known enemy is just
conveniently forgetting the true climate of those times" (137). The shame of Lord Darlington is actually the nation's shame as a whole; the
obsession with silver is akin to being dazzled by a cunning diplomat. The accusation is again obscured by the pride Stevens places in
having silver that placed Halifax at ease before his meeting with Ribbentrop. Even if it was "a small factor in the change in [Halifax's]
mood that evening" (138), was this a desirable change?

Memory and Denial; Displacement: Stevens's decline is emphasized in the polish incident with Mr. Farraday, as it was the same mistake
his father committed (56). Stevens fails to make this connection, though he does make slight progress regarding the truth of his trip's
intentions. He concedes, "one has to accept the distinct possibility that one may have previously - perhaps through wishful thinking of a
professional kind - exaggerated what evidence there was regarding such a desire on her part" to return to work at Darlington Hall (140).
He still believes his intentions are professional but understands that Miss Kenton's desire to return may be illusory.

Day Three, Evening: Moscombe, near Tavistock, Devon

Stevens denies past accusations of Lord Darlington's anti-Semitism, attributing any such evidence to the brief influence of Mrs. Carolyn
Barnet and Sir Oswald Mosley in 1932. Lord Darlington told Stevens to dismiss the two Jewish servants in the household, both
housemaids, "in the interests of the guests we have staying here" (146). Stevens informed Miss Kenton of this decision and defended Lord
Darlington when she expressed outrage. Miss Kenton threatened to quit, but didn't. Afterwards Stevens repeatedly teased her about this
threat, to her embarrassment.

Over a year after the incident, with Mrs. Barnet's influence now diminished, Lord Darlington expressed to Stevens an interest in
recompensing the two maids if they could be contacted. Stevens asked Miss Kenton about the matter, again bringing up her threat to quit.
When Miss Kenton said it was only her cowardice that made her stay, Stevens expressed his own distress at the dismissal of the women.
Miss Kenton was shocked, asking why he never told her about his distress, as it would have provided some comfort.

Memory and Denial; National Identity: The anti-Semitism that Lord Darlington briefly succumbs to is part of a wave of national feeling
that allowed Nazi appeasement between the wars; however, the regret and desire to make amends a year later show the feebleness of Lord
Darlington's sense of honor. In carrying out Lord Darlington's orders, Stevens argues with Miss Kenton that it isn't his place to decide:
"There are many things you and I are simply not in a position to understand concerning, say, the nature of Jewry. Whereas his lordship, I
might venture, is somewhat better placed to judge what is for the best" (149).

Displacement; Professional Dignity: Not only are the two housemaids removed, but Miss Kenton is alienated from Darlington Hall and
from Stevens. Her reason for staying is her fear of what physical displacement could mean for her: "Whenever I thought of leaving, I just
saw myself going out there and finding nobody who knew or cared about me. There, that's all my high principles amount to" (153). She is
further alienated from Stevens when he tells her that he disagreed with the dismissal from the start; it only reinforces for her how distant
he has always been as a human being.

"Why, Mr. Stevens, why, why, why do you always have to pretend?" (154). Miss Kenton plainly states her frustrations over Stevens's lack
of empathy and constant denial.

Gordon Graham writes, "The story is told in the first person from the butler's point of view, and to a degree Stevens reminisces in order to
construct an apologia, a self-justification of his past actions and attitudes. Nevertheless, in the telling the reader is led to see the butler's
life from several different points of view" (123). How do we gain other perspectives in scenes such as this one or the night Miss Kenton
became engaged? What kinds of perspectives are made available; how do they illuminate our understanding of Stevens?

This incident reminds Stevens of Lisa, who was hired after the Jewish housemaids' dismissal. Stevens did not think she was suitable for
the household, but Miss Kenton demanded that the girl be placed under her wing. After eight or nine months, Lisa ran off with the second
footman; this upset Miss Kenton, as Lisa made a choice that would only disappoint.

Professional Dignity: Miss Kenton's lament, "So many young women like her throw away their chances, and all for what?" (158), seems
to indicate a belief that marriage is a loss of opportunity and dignity, something attainable as a professional servant. Stevens remembers
this particular event because it reinforces the faultiness of Miss Kenton's own marriage and lends him an almost heroic quality for staying
true to his calling.
Stevens writes this entry from an attic in the cottage of a Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. During his drive to find lodging, he runs out of petrol and
walks towards the nearest town. Along the way he encounters Mr. Taylor, who offers him a place to stay. Stevens does not anticipate the
stress this would cause him and how it is a relief to be in his room, recollecting memories of Darlington Hall. He focuses on turning points
in his professional relationship with Miss Kenton, around 1935 or 1936. The first such incident may have been when Miss Kenton arrived,
uninvited, at the butler's pantry while Stevens was reading a book. Miss Kenton wanted to know what he was reading, suspecting it was a
racy book, and pries the volume from his hand - only to discover it was a sentimental romance. Stevens explains in his journal that reading
such works hones his command of English and that he gains some enjoyment in the plots.

Professional Dignity: There is a striking contrast of perspectives in describing the butler's pantry. Stevens sees it as "a crucial office, the
heart of the house's operations, not unlike a general's headquarters during a battle" (165) - a center of strength, the hub in the wheel of
influence that is Darlington Hall. Miss Kenton claims, "This room resembles a prison cell. All one needs is a small bed in the corner and
one could well imagine condemned men spending their last hours here" (165). Such a fate does indeed seem to be the case for Stevens in
the present day.

Of Miss Kenton's advance upon Stevens: "Then she was standing before me, and suddenly the atmosphere underwent a peculiar change -
almost as though the two of us had been suddenly thrust on to some other plane of being altogether. I am afraid it is not easy to describe
clearly what I mean here. All I can say is that everything around us suddenly became very still; it was my impression that Miss Kenton's
manner also underwent a sudden change; there was a strange seriousness in her expression, and it struck me she seemed almost
frightened" (167). Stevens's inability to describe the situation is doubly ironic: first, because it is the kind one encounters in the
sentimental romance he tries to hide from Miss Kenton; second, because it shows how emotionally alienated he is that he does not have a
vocabulary for such occurrences. One may also infer that his attribution of fright to Miss Kenton is a reflection of his own emotional state,
which he cannot admit.

Memory and Denial; Professional Dignity: The anticlimactic revelation that Miss Kenton makes about Stevens's book is a reflection of the
disappointment she encountered in trying to find passion within Stevens himself. Stevens's claim that he reads sentimental romances as
"an extremely efficient way to maintain and develop one's command of the English language" is highly suspect (167), as it "does not allay
but rather heightens the reader's suspicion of his sexual dissociation" (Shaffer 72). Further, "It is as if he needs to convince himself that he
has no emotional life, and that any leisure time that comes his way will be devoted to improving his professional capacities" (Lewis 86).
Only after such professional considerations does he admit, with too much self-consciousness, "Having said that, however, I do not mind
confessing today - and I see nothing to be ashamed of in this - that I did at times gain a sort of incidental enjoyment from these stories. I
did not perhaps acknowledge this to myself at the time, but as I say, what shame is there in it?" (168). His own attempts at admitting to a
less-than-professional motive is accompanied by a discomfort symptomatic of Stevens's fear of exposure.

A month or two before that particular incident, Miss Kenton's pattern for taking days off changed, and she began spending more time
away from Darlington Hall. Mr. Graham warned Stevens that Miss Kenton was looking to start a family, which Stevens did not believe at
first, but later deemed correct. Miss Kenton at last informed Stevens of this romantic interest, a former butler. Soon after, Stevens grew
angry at a tired Miss Kenton during their nightly cocoa meetings; to Miss Kenton's dismay, he unilaterally ended these meetings.

This pondering of turning points leads Stevens to dwell on another incident, when Miss Kenton received a letter informing her of her
aunt's death. When Stevens realized he had not expressed his condolences, he went to do so but stopped at the door, under the impression
she was crying. Later, Stevens criticized Miss Kenton about her lax handling of new recruits, which only served to confuse her. In the
present, Stevens considers that he will see Miss Kenton the next day in Little Compton, assured that the meeting will be cordial and
professional in nature.

Professional Dignity; Displacement: The two turning points Stevens describes are both moments when his professionalism obscures the
romantic potential between himself and Miss Kenton. In a fit of muted anger, Stevens cuts off the one routine that allows him to grow
emotionally closer to Miss Kenton, effectively throwing her into the arms of her future husband. In the second incident, Stevens's desire to
express sympathy comes out as misplaced criticism of Miss Kenton's work. Stevens partially excuses himself by observing, "it was as
though one had available a never-ending number of days, months, years in which to sort out the vagaries of one's relationship with Miss
Kenton" (179). In short, he took Miss Kenton for granted - a common enough mistake, but one exacerbated by a refusal to even admit to
feelings for her.

David Lodge notes, "Ishiguro's novel [ . . . ] accepts the limitations of a narrator quite without eloquence. If he had been reliable, the effect
would, of course, have been incredibly boring" (157). Describe the way Stevens's narrative voice are both an extension of his unreliability
and an oblique commentary on that unreliability. That is, how does Stevens's style of writing raise suspicions as well as inadvertently
answer those suspicions? What techniques does Stevens employ as a narrator; what techniques does Ishiguro employ as author?

As for this evening, Stevens is surprised by houseguests visiting after dinner - friends of the Taylors who heard about their visitor and his
car trouble. Believing Stevens to be a gentleman, they discuss the ineffable quality that marks him as such, which Stevens informs them is
dignity. At this, Harry Smith interjects that all men have dignity in a democracy, and the defense of this notion is why England fought
Hitler. Stevens keeps his disagreements to himself and makes vague claims of being involved with international affairs. Dr. Carlisle
finally arrives and is mildly surprised upon hearing the claims Stevens makes, then offers to give him a ride the next morning.
National Identity; Professional Dignity: Rushdie writes, "The Remains of the Day is in fact a brilliant subversion of the fictional modes
from which it at first seems to descend [ . . . ] even the gallery of happy yokels turns out to stand for the post-war values of democracy and
individual and collective rights which have turned Stevens and his kind into tragic-comic anachronisms" (53). Harry Smith makes claims
that provide a different perspective on the issues that concern Stevens. Smith claims, "Dignity's something every man and woman in this
country can strive for and get" (186), while Stevens asserts that it is precisely what sets gentlemen apart from other people. Much more
problematic is Smith's statement that "If Hitler had things his way, we'd just be slaves now. The whole world would be a few masters and
millions upon millions of slaves. And I don't need to remind anyone here, there's no dignity to be had in being a slave" (186). In his
extreme word choices, Smith inadvertently damns Stevens's professional choice and Lord Darlington's ideological beliefs.

Memory and Denial: The third denial of Lord Darlington occurs in Stevens's misleading claims about being involved with international
affairs, and admiration from the Taylors' friends is achieved at Lord Darlington's expense. Lewis argues, "These allusions to the Gospels
substantiate that much of The Remains of the Day is about denial and its corrosive consequences [ . . . ]. Stevens wishes to deny his past.
Yet he cannot accept that his time at Darlington Hall was wasted, or that Lord Darlington was anything other than a benign, misguided
employer worthy of his service" (88).

In his room, Stevens ponders Harry Smith's assertions, and his disagreement brings to mind an incident where he was called by Lord
Darlington to answer questions on world politics from Mr. Spencer. Stevens intuited that the point of Spencer's questions was to prove
that the common people should play no role in government. Lord Darlington was embarrassed for Stevens and apologized to him the next
day; Stevens assured him this was not necessary. He agreed with Lord Darlington's belief that Spencer was right about his points, and that
governments such as Germany and Italy benefited from its strong, unencumbered leadership. Stevens allows that Lord Darlington's views
would be considered strange today, but asserts that his job did not allow any questioning of his master's beliefs.

Professional Dignity; Memory and Denial: Later, in his journal, Stevens disagrees with Smith, asking, "life being what it is, how can
ordinary people truly be expected to have 'strong opinions' on all manner of things - as Mr. Harry Smith rather fancifully claims the
villagers here do? And not only are these expectations unrealistic, I rather doubt if they are even desirable" (194). He further argues on a
professional level, "It is not simply that one is unlikely to be able to meet the many demands of service at the higher levels while one's
attentions are being diverted by such matters; more fundamentally, a butler who is forever attempting to formulate his own 'strong
opinions' on his employer's affairs is bound to lack one quality essential in all good professionals: namely, loyalty" (200). Thus loyalty
comes up as Stevens's highest criteria for butlers - and its conflict with dignity subtly manifests itself, given the results of Lord
Darlington's political dalliances. As a result, Harry Smith's assertion that dignity is not available to slaves is proven right by Stevens's
refusal to disagree with his own master.

Day Four, Afternoon: Little Compton, Cornwall

Stevens writes from the Rose Garden Hotel at Little Compton as he awaits his meeting with Miss Kenton. A sudden downpour breaks up
the sunny days he has experienced since the start of his trip, though it had still been sunny that morning when Doctor Carlisle arrived at
the Taylors to drive Stevens back to the car. During the ride, Carlisle asks Stevens if he is a manservant and understands how the
misunderstanding with the other locals occurred. They discuss Harry Smith's ideas and a definition of dignity. Here at Little Compton,
Stevens realizes his memory of Miss Kenton crying behind a door was not due to her aunt's death but had occurred a few months earlier
on the same evening Reginald Cardinal arrived unexpectedly at Darlington Hall.

Discussing dignity with Dr. Carlisle, Stevens says, "It's rather a hard thing to explain in a few words, sir [ . . . ]. But I suspect it comes
down to not removing one's clothing in public" (210). Beyond the metaphoric quality of this definition, its simplicity also speaks to a
growing disillusionment in Stevens about his own role as a servant.

Memory and Denial; Professional Dignity: Stevens claims, "having thought further, I believe I may have been a little confused about this
matter; that in fact this fragment of memory derives from events that took place on an evening at least a few months after the death of
Miss Kenton's aunt - the evening, in fact, when the young Mr. Cardinal turned up at Darlington Hall rather unexpectedly" (212). David
Lodge observes, "It was an evening, in fact, when he humiliated her by coldly rejecting her timid but unambiguous offer of love - that was
why she was crying behind the closed door. But Stevens characteristically associates the occasion not with this private, intimate episode,
but with one of Lord Darlington's most momentous conferences. The themes of political bad faith and emotional sterility are subtly
interwoven in the sad story of Stevens's wasted life" (156-157). This is the second incident of misremembering, the first being the warning
about Stevens senior that Stevens initially ascribed to Miss Kenton, not Lord Darlington.

By the night of Reginald Cardinal's visit, Sir David Cardinal was dead, and Reginald was earning a reputation as a columnist on
international affairs. Lord Darlington did not agree with Reginald's ideas and was annoyed on hearing of his godson's arrival. When
Stevens informed Miss Kenton of Mr. Cardinal's arrival, she reminded Stevens that he agreed she could take off this evening. She then
told Stevens that Mr. Benn had asked her to marry him. Soon after, Miss Kenton confronted Stevens, asking if he wanted her to not take
the night off, as he was causing a racket outside her room; he informed her the noise was due to adjustments necessitated by the
unexpected arrival of Mr. Cardinal.

Over dinner, Lord Darlington warned Reginald that a confidential meeting was taking place that evening and that Reginald should stay
away. Soon after, "two very distinguished gentlemen" arrived (217), followed by Herr Ribbentrop. Miss Kenton returned from her
evening out, informing Stevens that she accepted the engagement and will leave for the West Country in two weeks. She then told Stevens
that she and Mr. Benn ridicule him during their discussions. Later, Reginald asks Stevens if he realizes what is going on, then expresses it
explicitly: England's Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary are talking with Ribbentrop about visits to Germany. Further, Reginald asserts,
Ribbentrop and Hitler are manipulating Lord Darlington, exploiting his gentleman's honor in order to further Nazi interests in England.
Stevens expressed his trust in Lord Darlington. Later, Miss Kenton apologized to Stevens while he was fetching a bottle of port for the
guests. Stevens explained that apologies were not necessary and that he must attend to matters of great significance. Stevens states that
this was another night of personal triumph.

Professional Dignity; Memory and Denial: Again using professionalism as a shield, Stevens protects himself from the consequences of
emotional disconnection. Informed by Miss Kenton of her engagement, he responds, "Miss Kenton, you have my warmest
congratulations. But I repeat, there are matters of global significance taking place upstairs and I must return to my post" (219). When
Reginald Cardinal demands to know if Stevens is curious about the events going on, Stevens answers, "I would not say I am not curious,
sir. However, it is not my position to display curiosity about such matters" (222). In other words, he's simply following orders.

National Identity; Professional Dignity: Reginald explains the tragedy behind Lord Darlington's political choices. "He's a gentleman, and
he fought a war with the Germans, and it's his instinct to offer generosity and friendship to a defeated foe. [ . . . ]. How could you not have
seen it? The way they've used it, manipulated it, turned something fine and noble into something else - something they can use for their
own foul ends? You must have seen it, Stevens" (223). A mythic England, one based on the chivalric code and a heightened sense of
honor, is torn apart by the realities of a deceitful world.

Explaining his sense of triumph over this evening, Stevens writes, "Who would doubt at that moment that I had indeed come as close to
the great hub of things as any butler could wish?" (227). Of course, the price he paid - in political complicity and emotional loss - is not
considered.

Day Six, Evening: Weymouth

Stevens writes from a seaside town's pier, two days after Miss Kenton surprised him by arriving after lunch at the Rose Garden Hotel
instead of waiting to meet him at three o'clock as appointed in her letter. She waited for him at the tea lounge, and their talk focused on
recollections of their time working together at Darlington Hall. Mrs. Benn reconciled with her husband and moved back; further, her
daughter Catherine is pregnant. Lord Darlington is mentioned only after Stevens brought up Reginald Cardinal's death in World War II.
During the war, Lord Darlington resisted suing the newspaper that accused him of being a Nazi sympathizer, but after the war he took
action. When he lost the suit and his good name was destroyed, his Lordship's health quickly deteriorated.

Lord Darlington dies under the shadow of scandal, having lost his honor in his libel trial against the media. What exactly do we know
about Lord Darlington as a character in his own right? How much of Stevens's narrative about Lord Darlington rings true to us as readers,
and what parts of it are less believable? What are we to make of his relationship with others, such as Herr Bremann and Reginald
Cardinal?

After two hours, Miss Kenton had to go home, and Stevens waited with her at the bus stop. Stevens asked if he could broach a personal
question; given permission, he asked Miss Kenton if she was happy, as she had left her husband on three separate occasions. Miss Kenton
replied that the true question was whether she loved her husband and affirmed that she had grown to do so over the years. She mentioned
that she pondered other outcomes, including what kind of life she may have had with Stevens, but one should be grateful for what one has.
Stevens agreed and bid Miss Kenton farewell.

Throughout this section, Stevens continues to call Miss Kenton "Miss Kenton" in his narration, though to her face he addresses her
properly as "Mrs. Benn."

Professional Dignity; Memory and Denial: Asked about his future, Stevens assures Mrs. Benn, "Well, whatever awaits me, Mrs. Benn, I
know I'm not awaited by emptiness. If only I were. But oh no, there's work, work and more work" (237). In its repetition of the word
"work," this seems to be a response to the repeated "whys" that Miss Kenton asked of Stevens in 1932. In short: why do you pretend?
Answer: because I am defined by my work and its limitations.

Displacement; Memory and Denial: When Mrs. Benn informs Stevens, "You get to thinking about a different life, a better life you might
have had. For instance, I got to thinking about a life I may have had with you, Mr. Stevens" (239), concluding, "One should realize one
has as good as most, perhaps better, and be grateful" (239). Stevens confesses to the reader, "Indeed - why should I not admit it? - at that
moment, my heart was breaking" (239), before telling Mrs. Benn, "You're very correct, Mrs. Benn. As you say, it is too late to turn back
the clock. [ . . . ] You really mustn't let any more foolish ideas come between yourself and the happiness you deserve" (240). This is the
only time Stevens successfully comforts Mrs. Benn; it is an act of self-denial that is noble and yet still consistent with past behavior. It
shows that there is still hope for Stevens to achieve some measure of human warmth.

Stevens witnesses the switching on of the pier lights, which is greeted with cheers by the crowd. An older man, who turns out to have also
been a butler, strikes up a conversation with him. Stevens describes running Darlington Hall in its prime and then confesses that he had
given his all to Lord Darlington and trusted his wisdom. When Stevens asks the old man what dignity there was in that, he is assured that
it's best to relax and enjoy the evening, which is "the best part of the day" (244). Stevens considers the advice and observes how easily
strangers bond with one another at the pier. He then determines to sharpen his bantering skills in the hopes of surprising Mr. Farraday
when he returns.

"Perhaps, then, there is something to his advice that I should cease looking back so much, that I should adopt a more positive outlook and
try to make the best of what remains of my day" (244). Soon after, he adds, "The hard reality is, surely, that for the likes of you and I,
there is little choice other than to leave our fate, ultimately, in the hands of those great gentlemen at the hub of this world who employ our
services" (244). Stevens seems resigned to his fate, seeing it less as a triumph than as an unfortunate happenstance.

Professional Dignity; Memory and Denial: Stevens observes strangers bonding with one another at the pier, "It is possible these particular
persons are simply united by the anticipation of the evening ahead. But, then, I rather fancy it has more to do with this skill of bantering.
Listening to them now, I can hear them exchanging one bantering remark after another" (245). True to form, Stevens focuses less on the
emotion - the ability to bond through sheer human warmth and vulnerability - and more on technique - that bantering is a skill that allows
such connections to occur. Stevens's closing resolution to master the art of bantering is a step forward - but perhaps not a large one. As
Shaffer observes, "while Stevens is not being ironic here, Ishiguro undoubtedly is. [ . . . ] Bantering actually precludes rather than enables
the 'human warmth' that Stevens now hints would be desirable" (87).

Annan notes, "compared to his astounding narrative sophistication, Ishiguro's message seems quite banal: Be less Japanese, less bent on
dignity, less false to yourself and others, less restrained and controlled. The irony is that it is precisely Ishiguro's beautiful restraint and
control that one admires" (4). Is this a fair assessment of the lessons one takes from the novel? What other lessons could be taken from the
work, given its narrative sophistication?

Pico Iyer writes, "The Remains of the Day is a perfectly English novel that could have been written only by a Japanese" (589). Anthony
Thwaite writes that, "in a sense, Stevens becomes an English version of that classic Japanese figure, the ronin, the masterless retainer who
is still tied by firm bonds to the master" (17). Apply a reading of the book in terms of Japanese culture and Japanese figures, as Iyer and
Thwaite would. Does this create a satisfactory reading of the novel in its own right? Why or why not?

Works Consulted

Annan, Gabriele. "On the High Wire." The New York Review of Books 7 Dec. 1989: 3-4.

Graham, Gordon. Philosophy of the Arts: An Introduction to Aesthetics. London: Routledge, 1998.

Gurewich, David. "Upstairs, Downstairs." The New Criterion Dec. 1989: 77-80.

Hassan, Ihab. "An Extravagant Reticence." The World and I Feb. 1990: 369-374.

Iyer, Pico. "Waiting Upon History." The Partisan Review 58 (1991): 585-589.

Lewis, Barry. Kazuo Ishiguro. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2000.

Lodge, David. The Art of Fiction. New York: Penguin, 1992.

Mason, Gregory. "An Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro." Contemporary Literature 30 (1989): 335-47.

Petry, Mike. Narratives of Memory and Identity: The Novels of Kazuo Ishiguro. Frankfurt, Germany: Peter Lang, 1999.

Remains of the Day, The. Dir. James Ivory. Perf. Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson. Merchant-Ivory, 1993.

Rushdie, Salman. "What the Butler Didn't See." The Observer 21 May 1989: 53.