The Remains of the Day: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Remains of the Day" is a novel that delves into the lives of key characters who navigate themes of duty, regret, and personal connection in post-World War II England. The story is centered around Stevens, an English butler who dedicates his life to service at Darlington Hall, reflecting on his past and professional choices during a road trip to visit Miss Kenton, a former housekeeper. Stevens embodies a resolute commitment to dignity and professionalism, but his journey reveals profound regrets, particularly regarding missed opportunities for personal happiness and connection.
Lord Darlington, Stevens' long-time employer, is portrayed as an earnest but misguided aristocrat whose attempts at peacemaking before World War II lead to his downfall, as he unwittingly supports the Nazi regime. In contrast, Mr. Farraday, the American owner of Darlington Hall, represents a more naive approach to British customs and social nuances, providing a juxtaposition to Stevens' rigid adherence to tradition.
Miss Kenton, characterized by her emotional depth, serves as a foil to Stevens, highlighting the tensions between duty and personal desire. Their complex relationship is marked by unfulfilled romantic potential and contrasting life choices, ultimately culminating in a bittersweet reunion. As the narrative unfolds, Stevens’ reflections prompt an exploration of the value of human connection against the backdrop of social obligation and historical consequence.
The Remains of the Day: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
First published: 1989
Genre: Novel
Locale: England
Plot: Historical fiction; fiction of manners; tragedy
Time: 1956
Stevens, sometimes referred to as Mr. Stevens, an English butler at Darlington Hall in Oxfordshire in 1956. He began his career nearly fifty years prior, spending thirty of those years at Darlington Hall in the service of Lord Darlington. Stevens remains at Darlington Hall after Darlington's death and becomes the butler of the hall's new owner, an American named Mr. Farraday. Mr. Farraday offers Stevens the use of his Ford to take a week's vacation exploring the English countryside. Stevens decides he will also use the trip as an excuse to visit Miss Kenton, a former housekeeper at Darlington Hall, and persuade her to return. On his trip, Stevens reminisces about his years at Darlington Hall. The son of a butler, he takes pride in his profession and in his professional reserve. He believes that the most important trait a butler can possess is dignity. Stevens readily talks about the merits of “famous” butlers of the age and the honor of serving great men. But within his anecdotes are regrets for moments of his own life, which he sacrificed under the auspices of professional duty. One of his primary regrets is missing the opportunity to have a romantic relationship with Miss Kenton. Stevens also reckons with his relationship to Lord Darlington, the man to whom he gave the best years of his life. Darlington, it seems, was not such a great man; in fact, he spent the last twenty years of his life making a fool of himself as an unwitting pawn of the Nazi regime. Stevens realizes that he is clinging to a bygone era of allegiance to great men. Stevens meets Miss Kenton on the fourth day of his journey. They discuss the past over tea. She tells him that she is going back to her husband and that her daughter is about to have a baby. Later, she admits that she was unhappy for many years, thinking of the life she and Stevens could have had together. Heartbroken, Stevens finds himself sitting on a bench on a pier on the last day of his vacation. A man, who turns out to be a former butler, comforts him and tells him that the best part of the day is the evening. Stevens, now in the proverbial evening of his life, resolves to make the best of his remaining years.
Lord Darlington, an English gentleman active in English politics between World War I and World War II. He owns a great house called Darlington Hall and employs Stevens as his butler for more than thirty years. Darlington is earnest and well meaning but also shortsighted. In 1923, Darlington holds an international conference at Darlington Hall in an effort to convince a French dignitary that Allied sanctions against Germany are too harsh. The conference is a success, but an American participant notes the futility of Darlington's efforts in peacemaking. Darlington is an aristocrat, not a politician. In the years preceding World War II, Darlington makes several alliances with men and women supportive of the Nazis. He befriends Joachim von Ribbentrop, the (real) German ambassador to Britain, who convinces him to lobby British officials to allow a meeting between Adolf Hitler and the king of England. Darlington's work on behalf of the Nazi regime destroys his reputation. He attempts to sue a newspaper for libel to clear his name, but the suit only reinforces his poor public standing, and he dies in disgrace three years later.
Mr. Farraday, the new American owner of Darlington Hall. He is friendly, yet blithely unaware of British social customs (though he desperately wants his new home to appear authentically British). He offers Stevens the use of his car to take a week's holiday.
Miss Kenton, the head housekeeper at Darlington Hall in the 1920s and 1930s. She is professional yet also teems with the emotional vitality that Stevens suppresses. When she first meets Stevens, she brings him flowers because his r oom is dark, and when his father, who also works for a time at Darlington Hall, shows signs of illness, she doggedly tries to make him come to terms with it. Her desperate attempts to pull Stevens out of character never succeed. Miss Kenton leaves Darlington Hall in the 1930s. She marries another butler and becomes Mrs. Benn. She has a daughter named Catherine but leaves her husband numerous times. For years she is profoundly unhappy, but in 1956, as she tells Stevens, she now loves her husband and has resolved to make the best of the rest of her life.