The Remains of the Day (1989) is the third published novel by Japanese-British author Kazuo Ishiguro. The Remains of The Day is one of the most highly-regarded post-war British novels. It won the Booker Prize in 1989 for Best Fiction, and was later adapted into an Academy-Award nominated film, starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. The novel ranks in the Sunday Times list of 100 greatest novels.
Contents [hide]
1 Plot introduction
1.1 Explanation of the title
2 Plot summary
3 Characters in The Remains of the Day
4 Themes
4.1 Dignity
4.2 Social constraints
4.3 Loyalty and politics
4.4 Love and relationships
5 Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science
6 Awards and nominations
7 Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
8 External links
[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 letter to an unknown person, perhaps another butler or even another version of himself (as indicated by the character's use of phrases like 'you and I' or 'our station' throughout the text) 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. Stevens is part of these "remains," paralleling the other trace remains of Britain's overseas empire. The action takes place during July 1956 which coincides with the Suez Canal Crisis, a notable marker of the decline of overseas British influence.
At the end of the novel, Stevens reflects on the "remains of my day", referring to his future service with Mr. Farraday.
"The remains of the day" is also a part of one sentence of this story, written under "day one - evening", as a summary of the first day of his journey. 'And yet tonight, in the quiet of this room, I find that what really remains with me from this first day's travel is not Salisbury Cathedral, nor any of the other charming sights of this city, but rather that marvellous view encountered this morning of the rolling English countryside.'
[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 colleague 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.
