Kazuo Ishiguro was born in 1954 in Nagasaki, Japan, and moved to Great Britain in 1960 where he grew up. The Remains of the Day is his third novel after A Pale View of Hills (1982) and An Artist of the Floating World (1986), for which he won the Booker Prize in 1989. The film with Anthony Hopkins also won an award. The Remains of the Day describes the journey of an old-fashioned British butler named Stevens, who undertakes a motoring trip through Britain in 1956 intending to visit Miss Kenton. He received a letter from her and because of staffing problems at Darlington Hall, where he is still employed, he hopes to gain her back as the housekeeper. During his trip, Stevens not only remembers the time he and Miss Kenton worked together, but also the historical events that took place in Darlington Hall between the wars, when Lord Darlington, its former owner, organized several meetings of intellectuals from different nations to discuss the political situation in Europe.
While Stevens tells his memories, it becomes clear that he completely gave himself up for his intention to be a great butler and to serve the right man, Lord Darlington. But he presents Lord Darlington as an honourable man that he has not always been, and at last Stevens leads an unhappy and unfulfilled life and does not know what to make out of it because he never allowed himself to live his own life. Stevens is one of Ishiguro′s characters that tragically shows how people who have tried to do something good and useful in their lives can suddenly find that they have misplaced their efforts. Not only have they perhaps wasted their talent and their energy, but also they may have contributed, unknowingly, to something that was evil, all the time thinking they were doing something good. (Bigsby 1990: 26)
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Ishiguro's presentation of international conflicts
2.1. The British-American conflict
2.2. The image of the Germans
3. The influence of national on personal history
4. The protagonist's dealing with personal history
4.1. The narrating voice and its function
4.2. The presentation of the past and its function
4.3. Stevens' interpretation of "dignity"
5. Conclusion
References
Objectives and Core Themes
This academic paper analyzes the intersection of national historical events and individual biographical narratives in Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Remains of the Day. It specifically examines how the protagonist’s commitment to an idealized professional identity leads to a life of personal unfulfillment and how his subjective narration affects the reader's perception of historical truth.
- The influence of socio-political developments on individual life paths
- The role of "dignity" and professional identity in the protagonist's self-deception
- The reliability of the first-person narrator and the subjective nature of memory
- A comparative perspective on memory and history in relation to Penelope Lively’s Moon Tiger
Excerpt from the Book
4.1. The narrating voice and its function
The Remains of the Day uses an overt homodiegetic first-person narrator. Stevens works as narrating I as well as experiencing I and a focalizer, what stresses the subjectivity of his story and increases “die Spannung zwischen erlebendem Ich und erzählendem Ich” (Nünning 1995 (a): 260). Repeatedly, Stevens shows his uncertainty about the correctness of his memories, as Nünning argues:
Sein wiederholtes Eingeständnis, daß er seine damaligen Beweggründe nicht mehr genau rekonstruieren (66) und sich an bestimmte Details nicht mehr erinnern könne (91) und daß er sich seiner Erinnerungen nicht ganz sicher sei (56, 78, 95), verstärken den Zweifel an der Verbindlichkeit seiner Darstellung der Vergangenheit. (Nünning 1995 (a): 261)
Narrating Stevens leaves the level of action to make his confessions on the level of fictional mediation and discourse. He tries to make his way of behaviour clear to the addressee: "Durch die wiederholte Verwendung von Formulierungen wie “you can perhaps understand” (12), „you will perhaps understand“ (13) oder „you will perhaps excuse“ (48) wird deutlich, daß Stevens’ Bemühen vor allem darauf gerichtet ist, Kontakt zum Adressaten herzustellen und sich das Verständnis seines imaginären Gegenübers zu sichern." (Nünning 1995 (a): 261-262). Because of his unsureness he needs the addressee’s confirmation.
Chapter Summary
1. Introduction: This chapter provides biographical background on Kazuo Ishiguro and introduces the thematic focus on Stevens' journey and the tragic sacrifice of his personal life for his duties.
2. Ishiguro's presentation of international conflicts: This section analyzes how the novel portrays British and American cultural differences and examines the depiction of German figures during the interwar period.
3. The influence of national on personal history: This chapter discusses how historical events and Lord Darlington's political engagements directly interfere with Stevens’ private life, including his relationship with his father and Miss Kenton.
4. The protagonist's dealing with personal history: This analysis explores the narrative techniques, the fallibility of memory, and Stevens' rigid, self-imposed definition of professional "dignity."
5. Conclusion: This final chapter synthesizes the psychological and political findings, emphasizing the novel’s message regarding the dangers of living a life based on misplaced loyalty.
Keywords
Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day, Stevens, personal history, national history, narrating voice, dignity, memory, subjectivity, homodiegetic narrator, British-American relations, Lord Darlington, interwar period, unfulfilled life, narrative reliability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the interaction between personal identity and historical context in Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, specifically focusing on how the protagonist's service to his employer shapes his life choices.
Which central themes are examined?
Central themes include the reliability of subjective memory, the impact of professional identity on private relationships, and the moral consequences of serving a flawed authority.
What is the research goal?
The aim is to investigate how national historical events influence the personal history of the protagonist and to analyze the literary techniques used to depict this process.
Which methodology is applied?
The work employs a literary analysis approach, utilizing concepts of narratology and meta-fiction to examine the novel's structure and characterization.
What does the main body cover?
It covers the presentation of international conflicts, the influence of historical events on the protagonist, and a detailed look at his narrative perspective and interpretation of "dignity".
Which keywords characterize this paper?
The study is characterized by terms such as subjectivity, memory, dignity, narration, and historical influence.
How does the author interpret Stevens' concept of "dignity"?
The author views Stevens' "dignity" as a defensive mechanism to suppress emotions and maintain a professional facade, which ultimately leads to his personal alienation and unfulfilled life.
How is Penelope Lively’s "Moon Tiger" used in the comparison?
It is used to contrast different narrative perspectives and to show how the subjectivity of history and memory is handled in another contemporary novel featuring a self-confident protagonist.
- Quote paper
- Marion Schenkelberg (Author), 2002, National and personal history in Kazuo Ishiguro´s "The Remains of the Day", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/16507
