The characters of Mr.

Stevens and Miss Kenton and their relationship in

The Remains of the Day

Kazuo Ishiguros 1989 Booker Prize winning novel The Remains of the Day
represents a mixture of genres, some more prominent than others, but all intricately
interwoven into a whole, providing multiple interpretations and offering to the reader
more submerged narratives all equally important once recovered from the depths of
Ishiguros narration. On the other hand, the 1993 Academy Award nominated film of
the same name prevalently focuses on the most evident aspect of the novel and also the
most exploitable one in that medium and that is the untold love story between two
main characters.
This love story is in no way ordinarily portrayed, if in fact it is even portrayed
in the conventional sense of the word. In the case of the male protagonist, Mr. Stevens,
not a hint of such emotions is clearly visible until the very end of the novel. Yet his
self-admitted unreliability and the evident tendency to hide all emotions at any cost
make us realize the true nature of his feelings long before he does. It is an entirely
different matter of his inability to express those emotions that leads to an inevitable
tragic resolution of his relationship with Miss Kenton. The element of tragedy is
highly stressed in the film, taking from it other possible interpretations that can be
inferred from the book. Stevens is either way a failure, in more ways than one, and is
not solely defined by his unfulfilled romance, or better yet, a possibility of a romance.
He is primarily a failure as a person, never having a mind of his own, never making his
own mistakes, but operating under the orders of someone else, under the pretext of
professionalism. That sense of professionalism, duty and above all dignity, the chief
characteristic of a great butler, probably instilled by his father who is also a butler,
banished from his life any other aspect of existence.
His female counterpart, Miss Kenton, starts out as in many ways more complete
person than Stevens. Apart from being professional, she is also an emotional person
and expresses her feelings as much as it is humanly possible to a man as emotionally
handicapped as Stevens. Through time she becomes discouraged and frustrated, which
leads her to make a mistake of marrying the man she does not love, thus becoming a
character in a way even more tragic than Stevens himself.

Stevens is undoubtedly the main character in both novel and the film, he is the
narrator, but it is equally as obvious that Miss Kenton would be more reliable and
versed as a protagonist taking in consideration that she is, to put it as plain as possible,
her own person. He not only never expresses his view of the events he is narrating, but

also never shows emotions in any situation, regardless whether it is related to Miss
Kenton, his employers views and actions or his fathers death. He merely gives a
computer-like account of the past, which ultimately reveals more about him as a
person.
This character represents a unique caricature that could only be provided by a
writer of Ishiguros background. Only a foreigner could give such an exaggerated
description of qualities uniquely British rolled up in the character of a butler, a
traditional representation of British culture of the bygone era (When you think of a
great butler, he is bound, almost by definition, to be an Englishman, p.43) and that is
only a writer acquainted well enough with the culture he is mocking. One should be
able to ridicule anything without repercussions, as long as it serves a point, nothing
should be above that, and that is something that Stevens along with the entire British
nation of the time needed to come to terms with. He in a way accepts it when he
decides to master the bantering of his new American employer, but never quite
understands it, which is made obvious by his use of this antiquated term.
Another instance of his exaggerated Britishness is, of course, the
aforementioned lack of emotions, or better yet, the heavy constraints put on those
emotions by social norms of the time, stifling them and disabling from manifesting
themselves properly if ever released. He has always strived to ensure total absence of
distractions because he knew in the back of his mind they would bring on disorder that
will not be in his power to control. He was even reluctant whether to accept the
flowers from Miss Kenton that would brighten the room as dull as his life. He must
have felt that the flowers carry a deeper meaning; otherwise he wouldnt be as
defensive as he was.
Miss Kenton was perfectly aware of the kind of person that he was, from their
first meeting when he made a remark about how unprofessional it was to leave your
post to go off and get married. She knew then and there that he is a man who
completely subdued his personal life to his professional occupation, or in his case,
better referred to as a life calling, because, at the end of the day, that is what his life
was constituted of. She may have perfectly complemented him, provided what he
lacked, had she only been able to penetrate his thick shell.

One of the novels numerous genres is a travelogue, since on the surface it is

merely Stevenss road trip through the English countryside with the intention of
meeting with Miss Kenton. For the first time in his life he has an aim not entirely
related to his profession, although he refuses to admit that even to himself. From her
letter he has inferred that she might be interested in her old post as a housekeeper of
the manor, a pretext for the journey that fails to convince his new American employer,

being as transparent as it is. Equally obvious are, to anyone but Stevens, Miss
Kentons true intentions and the true meaning of her letter. She voices her regret and
admits the mistakes she has made, and has had to live with throughout the years, while
Stevens has been blissfully unaware of anything going on in her heart, or his own for
that matter.
Still, Stevens cannot be blamed for his emotional disability. There are hints that
he tried to understand that strange feeling referred to by others as love, like when he
read a sentimental love story he was so determined to hide from Miss Kenton. Had he
done it for the sole purpose to master his command of the English language, there
would be no reason to be ashamed of it. That moment is portrayed in the film as one of
the crucial ones, their literal proximity at the highest level while wrestling over the
book, Stevenss fear mixed with feelings he does not understand and Miss Kentons
resolution not so much to get the book as to get as close to him as possible. But yet
another one of their little games ends the same way, no apparent breakthrough
whatsoever.
Finally, at the very end of the book, a breakthrough is achieved. Like
everything else of value in Stevenss life, it comes too late. Similar to his fathers
confession concerning love that did not happen until he was on his deathbed, Stevens
feels the full impact of his love mere moments before its death, if the love in question
has ever been alive at all. Miss Kenton has resigned to her unhappy life and hopes that
by seeing him once more she would be able to put the reason of her unhappiness to
rest. Adopting his constrained manner after she has exhausted every other option, she
never intends to reveal that reason is him, but ultimately does, responding to his nave
inquiries as to the motives behind her every now and then leaving her husband. The
impact her response has on him leaves us wondering whether he ever before received
even the slightest hint of her more than apparent emotions. His heart is breaking, and,
even more shockingly, he admits it, which multiplies the credibility of his claim.
This one aspect of the novel The Remains of the day referred to loosely as a
love story serves a purpose greater than an ordinary fictional love story would. It bears
testimony of misguided destinies, failed human beings, the detrimental impact of
society on personal lives, the competitive business world that is mutually exclusive
with the dream of raising a family. Stevens is merely a highly exaggerated example of
what people of the time had to go through in order to maintain their employment and
ultimately survive. All the while the emotional life was to them a reasonable sacrifice.

Literature:
1. Christine Berberich: The Image of the English Gentleman in TwentiethCentury Literature: Englishness and Nostalgia, 2007, Ashgate Publishing
Ltd (chapter 7 - A Pillar Upholding Nothing: Nostalgia, Englishness and the
Gentleman in Kazuo Ishiguros The Remains of the Day)
2. Kazuo Ishiguro, Brian W. Shaffer, Cyntia F. Wong, Conversations with
Kazuo Ishiguro, 2008, University Press of Mississippi (Introduction; Like
Idealism is to the Intellect: An Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro)
3. Guth, D: Submerged Narratives in Kazuo Ishiguros The Remains of the
Day, Oxford Journals