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A review by renny_reads
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
4.0
I enjoyed this book. The plot went in a different direction than I had anticipated (I thought there was a romance between Stevens and
Miss Kenton), but I really loved the path it took.
I didn't find that I disliked Stevens; but I definitely felt sorry for
him. Like me, Miss Kenton seemed to also anticipate a romance between
Stevens and herself. It is a pity that he was never able to separate
himself from his dignified duty and allow himself that one meaningful
human connection. I found myself sadly chuckling at Stevens as I read
the last line of the book. As he sat at the end, watching the crowds
of people, and the sunset, and the lights coming on, I felt certain he
was on the brink of "getting it". He seemed so close to breaking out
of that restraint and identifying himself as an individual for the
very first time. Just as I thought he was about to take that hesitant
first step, he resumes his self-coaching on how to "banter". And
again, falling victim to that need to satisfy his employer...if only
he can learn to "banter", he'll find safety and connection with
Faraday.
On a related note, I thought it brilliant that Ishiguro used
"bantering" as the symbol of Stevens' struggle to connect to other
people as people. Bantering, one of the simplest things we learn to
do, at least as Americans!
One aspect of the book that I truly enjoyed (if that's the correct
word) was Lord Darlington's path toward Fascism. In college, I took a
course on the history of the Holocaust. While it was a very difficult
course to sit through oftentimes, it provided a tremendous amount of
insight regarding how the Nazi party was able to come into power in
the first place. The course examined very thoroughly the economic
implications of the Treaty of Versailles, and how the German
people suffered and were so paralyzed by the war reparations
they were dying under. I found the parts about Darlington and his
German friend (the one who was homeless and died, I'm sorry, I'm at
work right now and don't have my book in front of me. Shhh, don't
tell!) to ring of truth and show how mostly decent people were
captivated by the allure of the Nazi party. I don't think the
Darlingtons of the world EVER expected it to go where it went...and in
many cases by the time they found out, they had already given Hitler
too much power.
Just as a little side note, Ishiguro's portrayal of a "proper" British butler was interesting as contrasted with what I am more familiar: the servants who play roles in the Agatha Christie/Dorothy L. Sayers' books. Often, they are portrayed in those books as lower class, dismissive, comedic, or gossips. Or, of course, murderers! Ha! Though Stevens was in a position of service, his "dignity" cast him as a refined character, as if he absorbed the aristocracy by immersing himself in it.
Miss Kenton), but I really loved the path it took.
I didn't find that I disliked Stevens; but I definitely felt sorry for
him. Like me, Miss Kenton seemed to also anticipate a romance between
Stevens and herself. It is a pity that he was never able to separate
himself from his dignified duty and allow himself that one meaningful
human connection. I found myself sadly chuckling at Stevens as I read
the last line of the book. As he sat at the end, watching the crowds
of people, and the sunset, and the lights coming on, I felt certain he
was on the brink of "getting it". He seemed so close to breaking out
of that restraint and identifying himself as an individual for the
very first time. Just as I thought he was about to take that hesitant
first step, he resumes his self-coaching on how to "banter". And
again, falling victim to that need to satisfy his employer...if only
he can learn to "banter", he'll find safety and connection with
Faraday.
On a related note, I thought it brilliant that Ishiguro used
"bantering" as the symbol of Stevens' struggle to connect to other
people as people. Bantering, one of the simplest things we learn to
do, at least as Americans!
One aspect of the book that I truly enjoyed (if that's the correct
word) was Lord Darlington's path toward Fascism. In college, I took a
course on the history of the Holocaust. While it was a very difficult
course to sit through oftentimes, it provided a tremendous amount of
insight regarding how the Nazi party was able to come into power in
the first place. The course examined very thoroughly the economic
implications of the Treaty of Versailles, and how the German
people suffered and were so paralyzed by the war reparations
they were dying under. I found the parts about Darlington and his
German friend (the one who was homeless and died, I'm sorry, I'm at
work right now and don't have my book in front of me. Shhh, don't
tell!) to ring of truth and show how mostly decent people were
captivated by the allure of the Nazi party. I don't think the
Darlingtons of the world EVER expected it to go where it went...and in
many cases by the time they found out, they had already given Hitler
too much power.
Just as a little side note, Ishiguro's portrayal of a "proper" British butler was interesting as contrasted with what I am more familiar: the servants who play roles in the Agatha Christie/Dorothy L. Sayers' books. Often, they are portrayed in those books as lower class, dismissive, comedic, or gossips. Or, of course, murderers! Ha! Though Stevens was in a position of service, his "dignity" cast him as a refined character, as if he absorbed the aristocracy by immersing himself in it.