Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day is a profound examination of regret, duty, and the quiet tragedy of a life unlived. It is a story told through the diary entries of Stevens, an English butler who has dedicated his entire existence to the service of Lord Darlington.
Through a road trip taken in the twilight of his career, Stevens is forced to confront the uncomfortable truths about his former employer’s political missteps and his own failure to pursue romantic happiness with the former housekeeper, Miss Kenton.
Part I: The Context and The Journey Begins
The novel opens in July 1956. The grandeur of the English aristocracy has faded. Darlington Hall, once a hub of international diplomacy, has been sold to Mr. Farraday, a wealthy, pragmatic American gentleman.
Stevens, the aging butler, remains at the hall, but the staff has been drastically reduced. He struggles to maintain the same standards of perfection he achieved in the 1930s, leading to minor errors that plague his conscience. Mr. Farraday, noting Stevens’s fatigue, suggests he take a motoring trip to the West Country while Farraday returns to the United States for a visit.
Stevens accepts the offer, but not ostensibly for leisure. He frames the trip as a "professional expedition." He has received a letter from Miss Kenton (now Mrs. Benn), the former housekeeper who left Darlington Hall twenty years prior. Reading between the lines of her nostalgic letter, Stevens convinces himself that her marriage is failing and that she wishes to return to service. He rationalizes that retrieving her would solve Mr. Farraday’s "staffing problem."
This sets the stage for the novel’s dual structure:
The Present (1956): A travelogue of Stevens driving through the English countryside.
The Past (1920s-1930s): Memories triggered by the journey, revealing the history of Darlington Hall.
Part II: The Definition of "Dignity"
As Stevens drives toward Cornwall, he occupies his mind with essays on the nature of his profession. He is obsessed with the concept of "dignity."
To Stevens, dignity is the ability of a butler to maintain his professional persona at all times, regardless of external chaos. He argues that a "great" butler is one who is never shaken by emotion or fatigue. He wears his professionalism like a suit of armor that can never be removed in the presence of others.
The Tragedy of Stevens’s Father
To illustrate this, Stevens recounts the story of his own father, a once-legendary butler who eventually suffers a stroke and declines into frailty while working at Darlington Hall.
In a pivotal sequence taking place in the 1920s, an international conference is held at the Hall. While Stevens is managing the high-stakes needs of diplomats, his father lies dying in a small upstairs room. Stevens chooses to prioritize his duty to Lord Darlington over sitting at his father’s deathbed. He continues to serve drinks and manage the staff while his father passes away. Stevens views this not as a tragedy, but as his greatest professional triumph—the ultimate display of "dignity."
Part III: The Political Shadow (Lord Darlington)
One of the central tensions of the novel is the disparity between Stevens’s reverence for Lord Darlington and the reader's growing realization of Darlington’s foolishness.
Stevens describes Darlington as a moral, kind man who wished to prevent another war. However, through the flashbacks, we see Darlington manipulated by German propaganda. Motivated by guilt over the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles, Darlington attempts to broker "appeasement" between Britain and Nazi Germany.
Key political plot points include:
- The 1923 Conference: Darlington hosts unauthorized talks to soften terms for Germany.
- The Ribbentrop Influence: The German Ambassador (and future Nazi foreign minister) becomes a frequent guest, using Darlington’s naivety to keep Britain out of European affairs.
- The Dismissal of the Jewish Maids: In the mid-30s, influenced by anti-Semitic guests, Darlington orders Stevens to fire two Jewish housemaids. Stevens carries out this order without protest, despite Miss Kenton’s threat to resign over the injustice. (Stevens later reveals he was privately disturbed by it, but his "dignity" prevented him from questioning his employer).
By 1956, Darlington has died a broken man, disgraced by the press as a Nazi sympathizer. Stevens, however, fiercely defends his late master’s memory to strangers he meets on his road trip, though he occasionally denies having worked for him when he fears judgment—a contradiction that highlights his internal shame.
Part IV: The Relationship with Miss Kenton
The emotional core of the novel is the relationship between Stevens and Miss Kenton. In the flashbacks, their relationship is defined by professional friction that masks a deep, unspoken affection.
They spend evenings drinking cocoa in Stevens's pantry, ostensibly to discuss household affairs, but these meetings become the highlight of their lives. However, Stevens is so committed to his "dignity" that he refuses to acknowledge his feelings. He represses his humanity to function as a perfect machine.
The "Book" Scene: In one of the most charged scenes, Miss Kenton finds Stevens reading in his pantry. She teases him, moving closer to see the book, practically invading his personal space. It is a moment of high romantic tension. Stevens, terrified of being vulnerable, freezes and asks her to leave. It is later revealed he was reading a sentimental romance novel, simply to improve his command of the English language (or so he claims).
The Engagement: Eventually, Miss Kenton begins dating an acquaintance, purely to provoke a reaction from Stevens. When she announces her engagement and impending departure, Stevens offers only professional congratulations. Even when she cries behind a closed door, he refuses to comfort her, instead focusing on a polished silver spot on the wall. She leaves Darlington Hall to marry a man she does not love, sealing their separation.
Part V: The Climax (Little Compton)
In the present timeline (1956), Stevens finally arrives in Little Compton, Cornwall, to meet Miss Kenton (Mrs. Benn). They meet for tea in a hotel.
The reunion is polite but melancholic. They reminisce about the "old days." Mrs. Benn reveals that although she eventually grew to love her husband, there were many years of unhappiness. Then, she delivers the line that shatters Stevens’s composure:
"I get to thinking that I made a mistake. I get to thinking that with you I might have had a better life."
This confirmation—that she loved him and that he wasted his chance—breaks Stevens's heart. However, true to his character, he does not weep or confess his love. He tells her that it is better she remain with her husband and wishes her happiness. He retreats behind his mask of professionalism one last time.
Part VI: The Remains of the Day
The novel ends with Stevens sitting on a pier in Weymouth, waiting for the lights to come on. He sits next to a stranger, a retired butler, and they share a moment of conversation.
Stevens weeps, finally admitting to himself (and the reader) the totality of his loss. He confesses that Lord Darlington was not a great man, but a man who made terrible mistakes. Stevens realizes that he trusted Darlington to be the moral compass of his life, and in doing so, Stevens never made his own choices.
"I can't even say I made my own mistakes. Really - one has to ask oneself - what dignity is there in that?"
However, the novel ends on a note of tragic stoicism. Stevens stops crying and resolves to return to Darlington Hall. He decides to practice "bantering"—the casual joking Mr. Farraday enjoys. He realizes that the "evening" of his life is all he has left, and he must make the best of it to please his new employer. He turns his back on the past and focuses, once again, on how to be a better butler.
Themes and Analysis
1. The Unreliable Narrator
Stevens is one of literature's most famous unreliable narrators. He does not lie maliciously; he lies to protect himself from the pain of reality.
- He insists he is checking on Miss Kenton for "staffing reasons," masking his romantic hope.
- He downplays Lord Darlington’s anti-Semitism.
- He uses complex, formal language to distance himself from his emotions.
2. Dignity vs. Humanity
The novel posits that Stevens's definition of dignity—total emotional suppression—is actually a form of cowardice. By becoming a perfect servant, he failed to become a human being. The tragedy is that he equates "having feelings" with "taking off one's uniform," viewing intimacy as a professional failure.
3. The Decline of the Empire
The house, Darlington Hall, serves as a metaphor for Britain.
- 1920s/30s: It is a place of quiet influence, tradition, and "gentlemanly" politics (which ultimately fail against the ruthlessness of Nazism).
- 1956: It is owned by an American. The old rules no longer apply. The rooms are empty, the staff is gone, and the "greatness" is revealed to be an illusion.
4. The Metaphor of "The Evening"
The title refers to the end of the day. Stevens realizes he has spent the morning and afternoon of his life serving a false god (Darlington) and denying his own heart. Now, in the "remains of the day" (his old age), he must decide how to use the time left. His decision to learn "bantering" is both pathetic and admirable—he is trying to adapt, but he is still defined entirely by his service to others.
The Remains of the Day is a masterclass in subtext. It is a romance where the word "love" is never spoken between the leads. It is a political novel where the protagonist understands nothing about politics. It captures the uniquely British tragedy of the "stiff upper lip"—the idea that suppressing one's pain is noble, even when it costs you your life.
0 Comments