Personal Honesty Amidst Delusions

Title: The Remains of the Day
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Published: 1989
Pages: 245

Reading Time: January 17-January 20, 2009.

Plot Teaser:
It is the summer of 1956. Stevens, an ageing butler, has embarked on a rare holiday - a six-day motoring trip through the West Country. But his travels are disturbed by the memories of a lifetime in service to the late Lord Darlington. The Remains of the Day is a nostalgic story of lost causes and a lost love.

How I Got It:
I do not exactly recall where I got this book, but I think it was from a Value Village while on a used book shopping trip with a friend. I am pretty sure that I got it in 2008, though. It was recommended by my friend, and seeing the Winner of the 1989 Man Booker Prize text on the front also helped.

The Review:
"A butler of any quality must be seen to inhabit his role, utterly and fully; he cannot be seen casting it aside one moment simply to don it again the next as though it were nothing more than a pantomime costume. There is one situation and one situation only in which a butler who cares about his dignity may feel free to unburden himself of his role; that is to say, when he is entirely alone."

Such is the worldview of Stevens, an early twentieth century butler who has worked at Darlington Hall for over four decades. By maintaining this strong sense of personal dignity, Stevens believes he may be called a great butler. Consequently, it is his steadfast dedication to his duties and profession that create repercussions in other segments of his personal life. Namely, his relationship with a potential love interest, as well as stifling any sense of self-direction in his rigid life.

Kazuo Ishiguro uses an incredibly fragile and clear style, which match the overall tone of the story - at least at first. As the story begins, Stevens is about to embark on a six day car trip across the country as a reward for working so hard, and to track down an old co-worker, the intriguing Miss Kenton, who is now married. As Stevens travels across Great Britain, he reminisces about his days serving the late Lord Darlington, comparing him to the new house master, an American man named Farraday. Stevens' recollections are often told with such mastery of language, that it would be enough to admire the book for this quality alone. However, as the story progresses we begin to see that Stevens' memory is not as pristine as we are initially led to believe. In thinking back on his service to Lord Darlington, Stevens slowly starts to make realizations about his own life and the people who surrounded him, as well as the state of his deteriorating memory.

The first person narrative style aids feelings of sympathy for Stevens, as well as outright disgust and anger at some of his past decisions and perceptions of situations. While I felt admiration for his high level of professionalism and personal standards of dignity, his complete lack of self awareness and his emotional distancing from events made him quite easy to pity and loathe at the same time. The story is a remarkable example of a narrator showing as much of himself by what he says and does, as well as by what he does not say and do. The style forces the reader to think outside of the situation and not be willingly sucked into Stevens' decorous worldview.

As the story reaches its emotional climax, which is still painted with glorious-yet-saddening restraint, I could not help but feel regret with a very dim glow of hope for Stevens and his life. It is one of the most memorable meetings that I have come across so far in literature, and one of the most perfect endings too. Yes, this is a case of despair and tragedy without genuine purgation, but the end result is all the more powerful because of it.

The Verdict:
Simply put, this is one of the most well-rounded, compelling, and emotionally striking novels I have ever read. Stevens' life story gives us pause and serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of choosing decorum and an over-developed sense of dignity over humanity and honest interactions. I love this book, and I will doubtless be returning to it a couple of more times in the future.

4.5/5

Up Next:
Radical Gratitude by Mary Jo Leddy.