Remains of the Day I

ashley8 said...
While reading The Remains of the Day the character Stevens, appears to be a very interesting character because although he is very kind and respectful, at times, he seems to be very reserved and distant. Lilleenewen mentioned how Stevens speaks in a more sophisticated tone than other characters and I too noticed his tendencies. Before Kazuo revealed to the readers that Stevens was a butler, I expected him to be someone who held a higher position at Darlington Hall due to his proper tone. However, I think his use of language and his actions are denoted by his cultural surroundings and could be more understood by British people. For instance, Stevens comments on how confused he becomes when his employer, Mr. Farraday, makes jokes and how he usually does not know what is “required of [him] on those occasions” (15) and in instances such as those, ones cultural background really helps a person understand how to react in those situations. Seeing as how Mr. Farraday is an American and Stevens is British, in American culture it is more acceptable to have a light hearted relationship ones boss, where as in the British culture, an employer tends to have more of a disciplined relationship with his employer. At the same time, the awkwardness and confusion that comes with Stevens and Mr. Farrday’s interactions adds a sense of humor to the book, especially after Mr. Farraday makes a number of jokes and Stevens said he did not know if he “was expected to laugh heartily; or indeed, reciprocated with some remark of [his] own.” (15)

Kazuo also makes it very clear how important Stevens views his job and the large amount of pride he takes in making sure everything is going smoothly. The amount of effort and time Stevens invests into his job causes me to think that he is trying to hide from other things and/or cover up his true emotions. As Babaloo commented, Stevens allows his job to consume his entire life, restricting him from enjoying the present beauty of his country rather than just the historical artifacts he sees every day from working at Darlington Hall. Even though he has embarked on this trip and he now has the opportunity to experience many different things, he constantly thinks about his job. He even delayed his departure by one hour because he felt that “with Mrs. Clements and the girls also gone for the week,” he supposed he was “very conscious of the fact that once [he] parted, Darlington Hall would stand empty for probably the first time this century.” (23) In addition, as he laid awake on the second morning of his trip, he contemplated the ideas Miss Kenton brought up in her message and all of the ways in which he could improve the staff plan.

Although I feel that Stevens’s ways of centering his life on his job is a little eccentric, his desire to constantly work builds upon his dedication and pride he has in serving the higher officials of his country. His desire to work nonstop can be driven by his aspiration to become a “great butler” (42) and to have dignity in his job. Stevens defines dignity as “a butler’s ability not to abandon their professional being he inhabits” (42) and he defines a great butler as his “ability to inhabit their professional role and inhabit it to the utmost; they will not be shaken out by external events, however surprising, alarming or vexing.” (42-43). In all, Stevens appears to be overly consumed with his work, but he may or may not be reaching for goals that are highly respected in his country such as dignity and greatness. However, just as the character Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart by Achebe strived to achieve the highest titles in his clan, his desires eventually destroyed him. Having goals are crucial in literature because it gives characters something to work for and to have pride in, but if a character works too much, he will miss out on many amazing opportunities. Hopefully through Stevens’s trip he will be able to realize that there is more to life than serving others and it is essential for him to focus more on his own life and to allow himself to seize every chance he has to enjoy it.

July 19, 2008 3:15 PM