“A profound and heartbreaking study of personality, class and culture” To what extent do you agree with this assessment of the novel? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In "The Remains of the Day", Mr. Stevens, the protagonist, not only explores the world outside his beloved Darlington Hall, but also takes a journey into his past, which allows the reader to examine the his personality along with explanations of class and culture. The complexity of Stevens' mind is gradually exposed to the reader, who is open to interpreting his personality as deeply depressed or endlessly frustrated. The complexity and unclear nature of his feelings are typical of the postmodernist style, leaving the reader free to decide whether the novel is truly a “harrowing study of personality, class, and culture.” This evaluation offers the reader a partial vision of the characteristics of the novel; arguably, however, there are many aspects of the text that are not profound or heartbreaking. The relationship between Mr. Stevens and the reader is of primary importance in the study of Stevens' personality. The amount of information he freely remembers as opposed to what simply remains “fragmented” allows the reader to observe the repression intrinsic to his personality. Stevens' narration is often unreliable due to the restraint he shows in recalling certain memories, "often disguising more than he shows." In postmodernist literature, unreliable narration is used as a tool to pressure the reader to decide their own version of what is true, often reflecting the confusing complexity of modern life. Since Stevens is an intradiegetic narrator, his narrative voice could be considered unreliable as he tells the story as he sees it, while existing within it. While illustrating both his knowledge and his blindness, this method of storytelling raises the question of whether the reader is ever shown his true personality. An example of the unreliability of Stevens' narration due to emotional repression is the occasion when Miss Kenton heard about her. the death of his aunt. The lexical choice of words like “confused” and “fragment” in this passage might lead the reader to believe that Stevens has indeed forgotten the episode. However, he also comments that the incident remains “vivid over the years.” These conflicting views connect with Newton's observation that Stevens "slips through his memories, alternately looking and looking away." By hiding his memories he also hides his personality from the reader or perhaps shows that he is overwhelmed by some emotional experiences. Stevens represses this particular memory, perhaps in reaction to his unprofessional conduct in not offering his condolences, or perhaps because of the remorse he feels for not comforting Miss Kenton at the time. The conflicting references to this memory illustrate the process of concealment and revelation of knowledge that makes the narrative so complex. He comments on the "strange feeling" that overwhelms him, leading the reader to believe that he might feel a suffocating emotion or remorse. This occasion, like others in the novel, can be interpreted as heartbreaking, as the reader feels sympathy for an elderly butler who lacks the ability to express himself outside of his professional boundaries. Stevens also represses his feelings of grief when his father dies, choosing to treat the reader as if he were an employer or guest and not bother him with his personal grief. The suffocation ofsome memories and emotions coincide with what Adam Parkes describes as Stevens' "fear of losing control". One such example is Stevens' repressed sexual love: “Could it be that our Mr. Stevens fears distractions? Could it be that our Mr. Stevens is, after all, flesh and blood and cannot fully trust himself? It is clear this suggestion, coming especially from Miss Kenton, has an effect on Stevens as he refers to her comment as "chatter". This use of metalanguage conveys to the reader that Stevens is uncomfortable with such unprofessional speech, as he fears it will detract from his work. He also apologizes, commenting that their cocoa evenings maintain a “professional character,” meaning that he fears the reader will consider him unprofessional in much the same way he wants to maintain an appearance in the eyes of his employer. However, this leads the reader to further believe that he cannot actually “fully trust himself,” because by apologizing to the reader and hiding his emotions, he is further deceiving himself in an attempt to uphold the “dignity” he strives for. constantly. in the direction. Another episode similar to this one is where Stevens defends his "accidental enjoyment" of romance novels, offering rhetorical questions to the reader such as "what shame is there in that?" By defending himself in this way the reader experiences a profound study of Stevens' personality, as his humanity is exposed beneath his professional facade. To hide his fear Stevens uses a unique, precise and formal narrative style, masking any feelings hidden beneath his appearance. words to maintain his professional facade. This “butler language,” argues David Lodge, “has no literary merit. " However, the style offers a refined and elevated vocabulary that highlights primarily the measured nature of Stevens' personality and, in parallel, conveys to the reader that Stevens is a complex character whose narrative needs to be examined to determine its true meaning, a typical motif of postmodernism. Furthermore, each forced sentence evokes Stevens' strangled personality as it reveals very little of himself. observation on how throughout the novel the reader is excluded from Stevens' background, as his mother, his childhood or his friends are not mentioned, nor does he appear to have a given name. Stevens' work has formed his identity; everything else as a distraction and has let his personality form through his occupation. Obedience is intrinsic to his character, as subtly illustrated through his obedience to a travel volume at the beginning of his journey: "I don't. I failed to visit the beautiful cathedral, much praised by Mrs. Symons in her volume." He cannot make choices on his own because he is used to following orders; he visits Salisbury Cathedral only because it is suggested in his book. Ishiguro describes himself as “stuck on the sidelines” as he is neither Japanese nor English. This is similar to Stevens, as although he is dedicated to his work, he does not belong to the aristocratic society of Darlington Hall nor the outside society he visits on his journey. Without his work, Stevens would be nothing. This personality trait is further comparable to Christopher Banks in When We Were Orphans, who doesn't fit in at school and talks at length about gaining acceptance in social clubs by becoming "well connected" to the "various higher walks of life". Banks' personality is similar to Stevens' in other respects: it is mostly directed toward an illusory, non-illusory goalserve as Mr. Stevens but "solve" his unresolved past. Duty and love are also conflicting issues for Banks in parallel to Stevens; however, unlike Stevens, he reaches a belated epiphany of unconditional love that does not have to be earned through “duty” or “dignity.” Even if the realization comes too late to free him from a persistent “emptiness,” the reader can at least feel sympathy for him in the end, as Stevens frustrates the reader with his blind loyalty to professionalism. Ishiguro himself refers to the narrative of “The Remains of the Day” as “not random” but “controlled by things…that [Stevens] doesn't say”; it is this restraint that acts to turn many readings against the profound and heartbreaking ideal that emerges primarily at the end of the novel. It can be argued that for the reader to feel emotionally compelled they must feel that Stevens actually feels remorse, and sometimes this means reading deeper into the character's personality than he tells them. For example, readers know that Stevens feels crushed when Miss Kenton states that she will not return to Darlington Hall; he referenced his hopes for his return throughout the novel. Of course he never told Miss Kenton about his feelings and therefore does not convey his true sense of loss. Only to himself does Stevens reveal that his “heart was breaking,” which is a surprisingly powerful revelation from a character who has shown little to no emotion throughout the entire novel. While he manages to hide his “degree of pain,” Stevens realizes how much better his life could have been with Miss Kenton. This is a deeply painful and heartbreaking climax to their relationship. Adding to this effect is further complexity in the narrative, as Stevens fails to talk about what would constitute the “fifth day.” The reader can imagine Stevens walking around completely alone, without any possibility of intimacy. It is not clear, in the end, to what extent Stevens realizes that he has been deceived. This ambiguous conclusion is a key motif in postmodernist literature. Stevens appears to show regret with statements such as "I suppose I was something of a disappointment", which could refer to several things: his father's expectations of professionalism, his ideal of dignity, or his involvement with Lord Darlington and his effect on event history. This would suggest that Stevens finally realizes his error in judgment and feels sadness at his inability to change the past, and so the reader can finally feel sympathy for Stevens. Alternatively, readers may feel frustrated with a man who has been consumed by his occupation and occupation. who blindly denied the opportunity to live a happy life with Miss Kenton. Even at the end of the novel Stevens asks, "What can we gain by looking back forever and blaming ourselves if our lives didn't turn out quite as we might have wished?" The question is especially infuriating because the reader knows that Stevens could have taken control of his life and gotten what he wanted but chose not to. He reflects on his situation and decides that he must strive to improve his "joking skills", ignoring the pain he feels after losing Miss Kenton. The reader is given insight into the emotions Stevens may feel, but is then perplexed when Stevens decides that joking, which he considers a professional task, is the "key to human warmth." The irony is almost comical at this stage of the novel, as the reader has just seen Stevens turn away from the very "human warmth" he is now talking about. From this point of view, it is not the end of the novel.