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 Twentieth-Century 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