The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro is about a butler named Mr. Stevens who is taking a holiday from his place of residence/work known as Darlington Hall. During his journey, he has the intention of meeting up with a former housekeeper named Miss Kenton who left in 1936 though they still kept in contact through letters. With his knowledge of an atlas and books he read about the British Isles written by an author named Mrs. Symons, he sets off in his employer’s Ford across the English countryside. During his journey, he reflects back on the time he served Lord Darlington, his former employer who had died three years before the story takes place.
Throughout the book, Mr. Stevens portrays himself as a rather emotionless character in his memories. He sees himself as a butler that is tasked with performing the duties of a butler such as serving refreshments and organizing the other household staff. His work is professional and his emotions should stay out of his work. However, this does not come without conflict. For example, when Mr. Stevens says that he is glad she had a pleasant evening meeting up with an acquaintance, she responds with, “Are you not in the least interested in what took place between my acquaintance and I, Mr. Stevens (Ishiguro 218)?”He brushes it off telling her that he is quite busy at the moment serving guests that Lord Darlington has invited over and that it would be rude for him to inquire about what Miss Kenton and her acquaintance had talked about. He congratulates her when she states that she accepted the acquaintance’s proposal for marriage before leaving for his post.
However, we learn that he is a man of many emotions, even during his time of employment under Lord Darlington. At the beginning and the end of the book, he mentions these trivial “errors” that have been happening ever since Lord Darlington died and came under the employment of Mr. Farraday. As he is sitting at a pier at the end of the book, he begins to talk to an older gentleman sitting on the bench with him. The two of them exchange what their lives were like as we come to find out the other gentleman was a footman once. Mr. Stevens tells him that he is worried over these small errors that he has been making over the last few years. To which, the older gentleman says, “Don’t keep looking back all the time, you’re bound to get depressed. And all right, you can’t do your job as well as you used to. But it’s the same for all of us, see (Ishiguro 243)?” He then also mentions that the evening is the best time of the day because it is the time you can relax knowing you did your job and to enjoy yourself. Mr. Stevens thinks back on the words of the older gentleman, even after he had left, and comes to the realization that he has to keep moving forward, to live out the remains of the day.
I agree with that he feels weighted down by all these errors he had been making and his lack of perfection that seems to have plagued him, but it is almost as if he has forgotten that he is human. The gentleman was right regarding Stevens who should take a breath and look forward rather than backwards so that he may relax and not live in the past. I feel like a few people–myself–could take this advice which makes the book resonate with people.