Stevens' journey so far wasn't what i would call, "a walk in the park." Nothing seems to be going his way. I truely believe his nerves are getting the best of him. He may play it off as if he is calm and collected, yet everything he interacts with relates back to Miss Kenton and Darlington Hall in some shape or form.
Stevens continues to talk about his "turning points" with Miss Kenton. The interesting part is, out of all the ones he explained, they all seemed to be his fault. He overreacted about Miss Kenton trying to brighten up his room, and he definately overreacted about her wanting to know what book he was reading. He seems to want things his way only when he is around her. In my opinion, he was being so dramatic when Miss Kenton was tired. He canceled all the meetings over Cocoa, just because she had a long week and was tired one of the nights. I mean come on, he does seem to talk alot. I would loose my attention towards him too.
I just finished reading the "Day three evening" section of the book and i found the people in the village to be kind of odd. Who is this Mr. Lindsay character they keep talking about. They say he proved he wasn't a gentlemen, but how? Also, they are treating Stevens as if he was a hero of some sort. I wasn't really sure why. I feel the whole village is a bit sketchy.
I am really interested to see how the rest of the book turns out. Does anyone have any feelings towards the people in the village? i would really like to know.
After getting through two thirds of the book, I'm continued to be impressed by Stevens' eloquence. However, Stevens continue to tell his story in a documentary-like style in which he conveys information of a more factual base rather then an emotional base. He continues to recollect his past memories at Darlington Hall under the employment of Lord Darlington. It seems to be a point being emphasized that as he recalls certain moments of his past, he reflects and discovers an aspect in which he had not recognized before. There seems to be moments in which he reconsiders past actions and goes through tiny revelations. “The nature of coming away on a trip such as this that one is prompted towards such surprising new perspectives on topics one imagined one had long ago thought through thoroughly.” (117)
Throughout his journey, though he says that he only has professional intentions in mind, it seems as though he is rather using it as an excuse to see Miss Kenton after the many years that has passed. His composure disallows him to even reveal his true emotions to readers. He has “spend some long minutes turning those passages over in [his mind]” (141), as he ponders the true meaning of Miss Kenton’s letter. I find that the reason for his self-control over expressing his emotions as a “normal” person would to be because it is connected to his definition of dignity and his view of what a “great butler” should be.
To respond to Kris10, I find that the village people help to bring new definitions to Stevens own debate on the word of dignity and what it embodies. They present a view from the “common people” and declare that “Dignity’s not just something for gentlemen”.
As I read, I continue to wonder about the title and its true significance. What do you guys think it means? Do we have enough information to know yet?
Later in the novel, the whole ambiance of the mirrors a political metaphor throughout the novel in which the protagonist is swept in the whole plot and also mixes Stevens in them as well. One instance,in the lines on pg.86, when one United States Senator,one Mr.Lewis came into the conference, the author would describe his presence with an exasperated tone when the text would note him as a man with a "genial smile on his face"(85) and how the text would go on to speak of his presence: "His early arrival was clearly something of an inconvenience to his lordship and his colleagues"(85) soon the author would use subtle diction to describe Mr.Lewis's presence in the hall slightly unwelcoming and Ishigaro uses this to supplement his take on the allegory of How the United States around the 1920's were insistent on being involved with European affairs and how their unexpected appearances would likely end up to have most European officials susceptible of the U.S. and their objectives.
Ishigaro then broadens the use of political allegory to explain the rest of the book's plot. Another would then fall on all those who were in Darlington Hall.The story artfully plays out a subtle animosity among the various maids ,butlers and footmen from different countries to give the reader a hint at the author's intention of the context.the maids and butlers are representing the common citizens of their country of the "working men and women" of their countries and how the follow their employees who represent world leaders. The author Ishigaro uses this style of allegory to how the Darlington Hall can can have a verisimilitude to Europe in the 1920's when nation were still trying repair the losses of World War One.
As I was finishing "Day Three, Morning", I found myself sitting with a slightly cynical smile on my face. This was specifically after reading about his worried thoughts about the witticisms and the silver. What does this guy do for fun? His social skills are atrocious. ;]
After reading that part I remember earlier in the story he recalled Miss Kenton trying to cheer his room up a bit with flowers, and rejecting her very harshly. His whole world is very dreary and lonely. The way he is lost in his thoughts throughout this trip makes me feel as if though he just doesn't know what to do with himself. Like a domesticated animal that doesn't want to be set free anymore. Also, I've found that whenever he speaks of Miss Kenton, it's nostalgically. Well, this whole story has been nostalgic so far. But specifically when he mentions that he rereads her letter and the passages of it run through his mind. It reminds me of the Odyssey and Odysseus's journey to his wife. Perhaps Stevens will have to fight off some men?
Stevens also reveals that he was part of a historic event, one of great political importance that contributed to the World War that was taking place then. Even though Stevens perpetually eulogizes Lord Darlington, it is made known that Lord Darlington was a highly controversial celebrity of the time. He recalls moments when people ask him what his master was "really like" and defends him on every aspect against those who supposedly slander his name. But after I read the back cover of the book, I'm beginning to doubt his master's "greatness" as well. Maybe Lord Darlington really was a traitor to England and the Allies?
On the same note as jlam09, when Stevens said that "it is perhaps in that nature of coming away on a trip such as this that one is prompted towards such surprising new perspectives on topics one imagined one had long ago thought through thorougly," it definitely confirmed my opinion that the trip to West Country is actually a "quest," on which Stevens discovers more about himself and the events that occurred in the past. Miss Kenton appears to be the "princess."
I also, definitely, agree with jlam09 that it appears as though Stevens wishes to see Miss Kenton for personal reasons rather than professional reasons. For example, he continously reminds the audience that the more he reads Miss Kenton's letter, the less it seems to actually signify any desire to return to Darlington's Place. Yet, he continues his trip anyways, insisting it was for the purpose of asking Miss Kenton to come back.
This also prompts the idea that Stevens' errors are not really due to employee shortages. He arrives at this conclusion after having received Miss Kenton's letter. He insists that his mistakes are due to a lack of employees, a reason why he is pursuing Miss Kenton. However, Miss Kenton does not express any desire to return to the place. This could be Stevens' lack of denial of the possibility of getting older, just as Stevens Sr. had.
Also, Stevens seems to always to be going down long roads, and winding ones as well. These roads always lead him to places where the people advise that he visit a place of beauty, before it gets too late and he'll regret not seeing them. These occurrences definitely symbolize something. It could be self-realization (analyzing his past again). What do you guys think?
One more thing! In the blog of Section One of this book, Kevin Vasquez asked about Stevens' politeness and attitude. In this section, we find out that Stevens speaks politely and with superiority because he is considered "a top-notch butler... from one of them top posh houses" (119).
Stevens' actions have become increasingly vexing. In his private musings, he ardently defends Lord Darlington yet publicly, denies any association with him. I.e. responding "I didn't madame, no," to the statement, "presumeably you must have worked for him," (123). As gypsyloo too noted, why did Stevens only privately revere Darlington? If he truly believed that the man was a respectable one, there should have been nothing to conceal. Further, I speculate that Darlington was a Nazi sympathizer based on his anti-semetic actions towards the Jewish housemaids, his desire to lessen German reparations, and his involvement in fascist groups.
The idea of regret was also explored in great depth. As Stevens sr. laid dying, Miss Kenton implored Stevens to visit him, noting, "But you must come now, Mr. Stevens, or else you may deeply regret it later" (104). Her statement seemed to warn generally of missed opportunities and such warnings seem to pervade the course of the book. As jlam09observed too, Stevens underwent an epiphany- that, had he acted in a different manner, especially with Miss Kenton, their relationship would not have deteriorated quite so much. This epiphany and the nostalgic way he discusses such "turning points" suggest that he does feel a level of remorse with the manner in which their communication ended.
Stevens' frequent dissections of "dignity" and what a great butler entails leads me to ponder- do you believe Stevens possesses dignity according to his own definition? And if so.. is it truly worth it?
To repond to thalp's question of Stevens' dignity: I found it ironic that, as thalp said, Stevens denied working for Lord Darlington. If anything, the more dignified thing would have been to defend his employer's honor, if he felt that Lord Darlington was worthy of it. It reminded me of how, earlier in the novel, Stevens Sr. "defended" his employer to the drunk men; becuase Stevens Sr. was new to the household and assumably knew little to nothing about his new employer, he really had no reason to consider his employer worthy of defending. I wonder if Stevens really finds Lord Darlington dignified or he feels it is his duty as a butler to at least pretend to find him so. So far, it seems as though we've seen few qualities in Lord Darlington that make him appear honorable.
I agree completely with jlam09 that Stevens is clearly using professional reasons as an excuse to see Miss Kenton; it seems convenient that the professional reasons to see her emerge just after her marriage has fallen apart. I don't know if Stevens will ever get past his inability to form relationships, even after being reunited with Miss Kenton.
Also, as thalp pointed out, Stevens does appear to have some feelings of regret. This seems to be one of the only clear emotions we have seen out of him thusfar.
I'd just like to say that having read all of your comments, I found myself looking through the chapter and rereading it again (that's the power of Literature, people!).
With that having been said, I want to respond to thalp's discussion of the "Mr. Stevens Sr." incident during the conference. This is where the author first yelled into my ear that something was wrong with the kind of isolating life that Mr. Stevens chose for himself. Despite all of Mr. Stevens's statements to the contrary, I do detect a note of nostalgia and remorse as Mr. Stevens recalls his relationship with Miss Kenton.
To Mr. Stevens, perhaps, attending dinner guests was far more important in establishing his "dignity" that comforting his dad as he died. Whenever anyone asked him whether he wanted to go upstairs to see his father, he invariably had the same answer:"I'm very busy..." (106) or "I'd best be getting back" (97), even when he recieved news that his father had just passed away. Now, in the modern reader's eyes, no matter how he justifies his actions by saying that his 'father would have wanted him to stay,' his decision still seems to lack an appropriate emotional response. Indeed, Stevens recalls that conference day ever after not as a sad, melancholy day, but as a triumphant occasion in which he proved his "dignity" despite the "pressures" of that day. Since when does a person regard a parent dying as only a "pressure"? Perhaps I'm wrong, but I saw a demonstration of Stevens' lack of emotional well being when he recalled his "triumph" in proving his "dignity" I love thalp's ending question: Is this "dignity" worth it? Is attaining "dignity" worth sacrificing his humanity?
Many people have pointed out Lord Darlington's questionable associations, with gypsyloo questioning his possible patriotism and Darlington's motives. The conference to which I refer to above is one where he urges the WWI Allies to ease the harshness of the Versailles treaty. Maybe he was in "cahoots" with Hitler's government. The book isn't entirely clear. What is clear is that he dismisses two Jewish maids on, basically, anti-Semetic grounds. Granted, Darlington did show remorse later. It does, however, raise the question of whether he was being manipulated by Mrs. Carolyn Barnet and the "blackshirts."
Darlington's dismissal of the Jewish workers also highlights Stevens' lack of a "proper" response. Miss Kenton responds with suitable outrage. Mr. Stevens, however, adopts the I-think-it's-wrong-but-the-employer's-always-right routine. Stevens also makes many excuses for Lord Darlington, and when discussing the dismissal a year after the fact, he calls Lord Darlington's anti-semetism a "terrible misunderstanding" (153) (surely a euphemism employed to take the bite out of the words "stupid mistake") As Miss Kenton responds (passionately) asking him why he kept his stiff upper lip attitude at that time, his responses on page 154 were almost too painful to read. Maybe Miss Kenton has feelings for him...
Mr. Stevens' lonely existence and service as butler is highlighted in, as gypsyloo mentioned, the description of the drabness and "dungeonlike" qualities of Mr. Stevens'rooms. There's even little light and condensation on the walls to complete the picture! I can't help feeling that, despite Stevens' claims of having a full and rewarding life, his life seems to be empty (in my viewpoint, of course!). I may be wrong...
I laughed a little and said: 'I'm so glad you're feeling better now.'
'I'm so proud of you. A good son. I hope I've been a good father to you. I suppose I haven't.'
'I'm afraid we're extremely busy now, but we can talk again in the morning.'
My father was still looking at his hands as though he were faintly irritated by them.
'I'm so glad you're feeling better now,' i said again and took my leave.
Stevens is so indulged in this "professionalism" and "dignity" that he fails to show his emotions. I'm half and half that he does it intentionally to hide his emotions and the point that he may do such things inadvertently because he's involved in what he does. His father on the other hand, although he was cold to his son and they grew distant overtime, he makes an exert at the end of his life to reach his son. And this journey that Stevens is going on, is to make that realization early. To shed the "professional" or what i think of as emotional barrier and embrace life. And i assume that the event took place 20 or so years earlier and that may have been a message for Stevens.
The word "professionalism" is thrown around a lot. Stevens says,
'I consider the pressures contingent on me that night....For all its sad associations, whenever I recall that evening today, I find i do so with large sense of triumph.'
p. 110
As i read this passage, i spoke out loud the phrase, "professionalism through and through". Even though he had such pressures on him that night, i.e his father's last words on his death bed, he still kept to his job, even though it's stated that he did IN FACT cry.
And this professional aspect of Stevens stays. It just doesn't go away when he's given the "go" on certain situations. Like with Miss Kenton. Casting her off as a distraction. Even though he's very much interested in having a relationship but he keeps that feeling within and reads romance novels to fulfill that crave.
- - - - - - - - -
I myself indulge in such things. There was a connection there.
It seems to me that Mr. Stevens is all over the place now while on his trip. He begins to reminisce about his past experiences and most of them during the time he served Mr. Darlington.
I was actually a little appalled by his manner the day his father passed away. Miss Kenton informs Stevens of his father's case, but he seems very "formal" about it...I expected more out of him, being his father and all. But then, he clears my doubts about him when on page 106, he stops Miss Kenton midway up the stairs, "Miss Kenton, please don't think me unduly improper in not ascending to see my father in his deceased condition just at this moment. You see, I know my father would have wished me to carry on just now." The more I thought about, the more I saw where he was coming from. It's just, his reactions weren't all that convincing that he cared. But I do believe his father would indeed have wanted him to continue working while the guests were still present in the hall.
I also realized that when his car is experiencing some problems, he drives to a garage and meets a stranger. Just as the first stranger Stevens meets telling him to hike up the mountain, this stranger tells him to go visit the local pond. Both conclude that if he doesn't travel to these places, he'll regret it. I think that these are two instances that are not brought up for casual purposes, but as a foreshadowing to future events. Now, imagine if Stevens didn't take Mr. Farraday's advice and getting out for a bit...he would've missed out on all of these experiences...but perhaps it means more?
I also agree with jlam09 and emily that Mr. Stevens is using professional reasons as an excuse to go see Miss Kenton. It is true that he decides to go see her after her recent divorce, as emily says, but what could it all mean? When the two were working together during Mr. Darlington's day, they had all the time in the world to start something, if that is the case. But why now?
Last, it seems that the only two subjects he can really partake in are when it concerns some type of "professionalism" and "dignity". These two traits are quite essential to become a "great butler". Both words are used many times in the novel. One conversation he has is during the dinner Mr. and Mrs. Taylor host for him, as they secretly invited other guests to come. One of the men brings up a subject and Stevens seems pretty confident as he answers with "dignity". Noticing that these are again two importain qualities in a butler, he carries them with him at all times, and it shows in his personality (the way he speaks, his gestures, ect.).
As I keep reading, I've noticed that Stevens speaks frequently on traits of butlers, for example, what makes a great butler, what is greatness, and dignity. This proves that his life really does revolve around this work. When his father passed away, he felt that he had to be professional first than be emotional. This is understandable, but there were other butlers around. However, he didn't focus on his father finished his job first. How can he possibly have his own life?
To bring some history into the book, Lord Darlington, and Stevens were present at a historical event in the story, when representatives met to discuss making Germany's punishment for WWI to be less severe. Lord Darlington had spoken to Mr Lewis about the French in a negative way, thinking back, why would Lord Darlington say something at all during a meeting like this AND to get the French in his favor? I find it quite dumb, since it had resulted in Lord Darlington being called an amatuer.
Stevens says that he is not ashamed of serving Lord Darlington, yet he had, multiple times, denied serving him. His feelings contrast each other just to avoid unpleasantness. Stevens seems to care about people say, being all precise and neat in everything he does and also when Miss Kenton asks "Why, Mr. Stevens, why, why, why do you always have to pretend?" (154) to him when he admits too late his feelings of Lord Darlington dismissing Jewish maids solely on their religion.
I also wonder about the significant of the title. I think it relates to his trip, of what he expects and what he eventually discovers.
One thing that I think many of you have hit on here is whether we can really trust Stevens as a narrator. The idea of a "great" butler is mentioned a lot and what seems to be Stevens' idea of this great butler is one with absolute loyalty...again I will mention his father and the tiger story. So I guess the question is, if Stevens claims to be so great of a butler, and this greatness is defined by loyalty and dignity, than is he really a character trustworth of giving us the truth on his former master?
So in this case, if Lord Darlington was, as Thalp says, an anti-semetist, then I don't think Stevens would actually want us to know this information, and therefore may leave it out. Perhaps he describes Darlington with such high regards to the reader so as to provide an example of what this "greatness" (loyalty) really is, but if this is true then why would he deny knowing Darlington to the mechanic? Perhaps he is stretching the truth a bit. Afterall, Stevens does say "oh no, I am employed by Mr. John Farraday", which technically wouldn't be lying because at the time, he was employed by Farraday. I also seemed to notice inconsistency in his story when he mentioned a little while back Miss Kenton saying "these errors may be trivial in themselves, but you must yourself realize their larger significance." (60) He then added that it was actually Mr. Darlington who had said these words. In my opinion, perhaps Stevens changes this wording because it makes Miss Kenton appear very harsh. He does not want her to appear this way as he says, "I am not sure Miss Kenton spoke quite so boldly that day." (60). What i think...and again this may be pushing it, is that if Stevens really is in love with Kenton, he wouldn't want the audience to view her as a jerk, so he rearranged the wording of who said what, to make it appear less harsh. (He tells the story with Lord Darlington saying it in much less critical a manor than he does with Kenton).
If this is true, Stevens could easily be seen as untrustworthy, because he is changing his story. This seems to be the only logical reason I could see for him "messing up the story" this way. Either that...or it could just be a play on his old age? -maybe he forgot what was going on? I dunno. Well, we'll find out!
As Steven's trip progresses, he talks a lot about Miss Kenton. However, instead of exclaiming about her greatness, because he wants only the best to work at Darlington Hall, he points out many of her defaults. Why is it that Steven's wants Miss Kenton to work there if he does not fully trust her judgment. He depicts Miss Kenton as someone obsessive on being correct all the time and someone very pushy to say the least. An example would be when she freaks out over a placement of these china boxes, she cannot stop on the topic of the china boxes until she is redeemed correct about their placement. I don't understand why Steven's wants to hire Miss Kenton if he believes her to be this crazed almost having OCD about things, to come work with him. Her qualities do show some definiteness, however I do believe she might cause trouble. I'll just have to wait and read more...:-)
Alright, so after going back and looking through beginning part of the book,and reviewing Stevens' story, I think I was way off with the idea that Stevens might not be a trustworthy butler. Now that I think about it, it seems as though much time is put into making sure the reader does in fact, trust Stevens. Because he often plans out all of his actions before he does them and then analyzes/justifies his decisions with the audience, I think Stevens is supposed to be portrayed as a trustworthy man. So, to put this back into context of what we were talking about, perhaps Darlington was really an "anti-semetist" or something, I believe Stevens would lie about knowing him because he wouldn't want to stir up trouble and harsh critizism about his employeer, for that would be unprofessional. The reason I tihnk he would then work so hard to defend Darlington would then be to convince himself that he had been working for an honest man, because I don't think Stevens would want to accept the fact that he had worked for anything less. So perhaps Darlington wasn't a nice guy, but I think Stevens is, in fact honest, but just trying to convince himself that his work was for "the good of humanity", or however he phrased it.
Also to babaloo, I think maybe he still wants Kenton to come back and work at the mansion, because she probably symbolizes the old days to him, the days with the many workers and such at the house. Perhaps him journeying to find her, is Stevens' attempt to return to the past, and get things to be somewhat like they were before.
Again...just speculating. If someone has an argument against this, please enlighten my confused mind.
Well, I have to admit that I am enjoying the book so far which amazes me because Stevens is becoming increasingly irritating to me. Most recently Stevens' thoughts on Harry Smith's "pronouncements on the nature of 'dignity" have left me fuming. When Stevens says that, "up to a point, no doubt, there is some truth in what he says: in a country such as ours, people may indeed have a certain duty to think about great affairs and form their opinions. But life being what it is, how can ordinary people truly be expected to have 'strong opinions' on all manner of things..."(194). That is just ridiculous, anyone can have an opinion on something as long as they have an understanding of what is being conversed about. And if what Stevens says is true, then he shouldn't even be discussing the matters of dignity for he himself is simply a butler and as he himself said,"a butler's duty is to provide good service"(199).
Recently, I went to Harvard to have some R.E.S.T. (restricted environment stimulation therapy), where I was away from my cell phone, my laptop, television, and friends. The experience allowed me to reflect upon myself and life. I think Stevens is on his journey to get some R.E.S.T. (not just because Mr. Farraday insisted him to go), not really like the How to Read Literature like a Professor�s take on journey. He is on a journey away from Darlington Hall, and from his duties as a butler. Throughout his journey he reflects about himself and events that occurred in Darlington Hall. Two events that stuck out in my mind are when Stevens refused to say he previously worked for Lord Darlington when Mrs. Wakefield asked him; also when he fired two Jewish housemaids under the request of Lord Darlington when he was under the influence of Mrs. Barnet. Both of these incidents seemed to be a struggle of moral duty versus being professional. When Stevens refused to say he was a former employee of Lord Darlington, it was out of English custom for an employee to speak of his past employers. Stevens�s true feelings about Lord Darlington have been obviously that he believes Lord Darlington is a man of high esteem and that it is an honor working for him. On page 126, he says, ��and I am today nothing but proud and grateful to have been given such a privilege (of working for Lord Darlington)�. Rather than glorifying his former employer, like the great man he believes he is, Stevens gives the misconception that he is ashamed to have been associated with Lord Darlington, all because he wanted to be �professional�.
In the next instance, after he fired the housemaids, he discussed the issue with Miss Kenton. He says, ���The whole matter caused me great concern, great concern indeed. It is hardly the sort of thing I like to see happen in this house.�� (153). Stevens admits that he knew that firing the Jewish housemaids was morally wrong, but followed Lord Darlington�s order in firing them.
There were two quotes that stuck out to me in this section. One was right after he admitted that he knew firing the housemaids was unjust, which is when Miss Kenton says, ���Why, Mr Stevens, why, why, why do you always have to pretend?�� (154). When Miss Kenton accuses Stevens of pretending, I think this just exemplifies his struggle between his morals and being a great butler. Rather than being professional, Stevens just tries to cover up his true emotions. Another quote that sticks out in my mind is on page 139, where Stevens says, �But perhaps one should not be looking back to the past so much. After all, I still have before me many more years of service I am required to give.� Another part of my R.E.S.T., was to look back at my history, my ups and downs, to allow me to figure out how I can improve myself and what to do and not to do in the future. I think Stevens constantly look back into his past to understand the steps he will have to take to become a �great� butler.
As the book progresses, Stevens continues to allow his thoughts about Darlington Hall consume every aspect of his trip, which leads me to still believe that he is trying hard to hide very deep emotions. I am also beginning to wonder if he has embarked on this trip in order to discover something or to receive closure on certain situations. I agree with jlam09 with the idea that Stevens is using work as an excuse to visit Miss Kenton. Stevens finally admits that “one has to remember there is nothing stated specifically in Miss Kenton’s letter … to indicate unambiguously her desire to return to her former position” (140) and I speculate that this was the first time Stevens admitted this to himself, because as the day comes to an end, he really begins to put some deep thought into the details of Miss Kenton’s letter. Coincidently, this revelation comes about before he is to meet her within forty-eight hours, so he will probably use timing as another excuse as for why he did not call off the trip and go back to Darlington Hall.
Stevens seemed to have a closer relationship with Miss Kenton than he had with any other employee at Darlington Hall, but at the same time, they argue and seem to get under each others skin the longer the work together. For instance, Stevens was relaxing in his pantry, reading a romance novel when Miss Kenton unexpectedly entered the room. She was curious as to what Stevens was reading so she tried to grab the book from Stevens and suddenly, “the atmosphere underwent a peculiar change – almost as though the two of us had been suddenly thrust on to some other plane of being altogether.” (167). Their interaction and others such as those throughout the book thus far cause me to wonder, such as babaloo has, as to why Stevens wants Miss Kenton to return to work at Darlington Hall. It is clear that Stevens is the type of person who likes things to be very private and Miss Kenton does not seem to respect those boundaries. At the same time, when Miss Kenton advanced towards Stevens they made an unusual connection, and although Stevens says he is unable to understand what that interaction meant, I believe that Stevens may have feelings that go beyond a professional level for Miss Kenton but he is just too afraid to succumb to those feelings. If Stevens is searching for something more in their relationship, hopefully Miss Kenton feels the same way about him and he is not over analyzing the contact he recalls they made throughout the years they worked together, just as he may have done while reading her letter.
In earlier sections of the book, Stevens stated that Miss Kenton had gotten a divorce after a couple of years of marriage and I found that really ironic because as Stevens reminisced about Darlington Hall, he remembered the time when Lord Darlington asked Stevens to fire two Jewish maids simply because they were Jewish. After doing so, Miss Kenton and Stevens searched for a replacement and they found Lisa. Although she was not very qualified, they hired her anyway and Miss Kenton invested a tremendous amount of energy into making her an amazing housekeeper. Suddenly, Lisa ran off with the second footman because she proclaimed to be in love. Miss Kenton was extremely upset and she said that Lisa was “foolish” (159) and that “she’s bound to be let down” (159). Although Lisa and the second footman did not know each other for a very long time before they ran away together, I feel that Miss Kenton and Stevens are so consumed with their jobs that they cannot truly sympathize with Lisa’s feelings. Over the years, they have allowed themselves to become too afraid to take any risks and to experience life for what it’s worth - like falling in love and exploring things that go beyond Darlington Hall. Even though Miss Kenton finally took a chance and got married she soon divorced, but I wonder if the man she has been waiting for all along is in fact Stevens. I wonder what is too come in later parts of the book of their relationship; I anticipate the idea of Stevens finally letting his guard down and allowing Miss Kenton to become closer to him on a level that goes beyond being professional.
I’d like to start off by addressing one of the most interesting points made: the question by Danny as to whether or not Stevens is a reliable narrator. (Great question!)
Certainly, one can argue that Stevens, on the surface, might not resemble a trustworthy narrator. He often squelches his own beliefs and feelings to portray himself in a “dignified” manor (ie. his father’s death, his intensions with Miss Kenton, his attitude toward Lord Darlington’s decision to fire the Jewish maids, etc.) Stevens’s priority after all is his “professional duty” and “not [his] own foibles and sentiments.” (149)
However, Ishiguro shows us Stevens true intensions and feelings on a subject even through Stevens’s telling us otherwise. Stevens tells us on 147 that he had cocoa meetings with Miss Kenton, but then, as soon as he discloses this information, goes into an explanation about them, claiming they were “overwhelmingly professional in tone.” Every time Stevens comes close to discussing his true feelings or intensions, he always goes into lengthy explanations to defend his motives for such actions. This is Ishiguro’s way of letting us infer the truth even through Stevens’s shielding lies. Basically, because Stevens puts so much effort into defending his reasons for doing something (ie. having cocoa with Miss Kenton nightly) in a pathetic way, one can see that that is in actuality not his true intention. His lack of openness is due to his fear of intimacy and inadequacy with his job. Stevens believes he must portray himself as a dignified and professional butler. This of course does not leave any room for indulging in emotions, and when caught with the romantic novel, Stevens puts on a façade. He explains to the audience that his only reason for reading such a book instead of a scholarly article was simply to better his English so he may better his butlering. This, I believe, makes Stevens a credible and trustworthy narrator, for even though his words may tell otherwise, the reader can infer, through pattern and a bit of common sense, Stevens’s real feelings on a matter.
I agree with Thalp that Lord Darlington had very streamline Nazi beliefs on Judaism. On the pages around 146, Stevens keeps trying to convince himself that Lord Darlington wasn’t Anti-Semitic and that he had the best of intensions in doing everything he did. Stevens comments on Lord Darlington’s “…remarking: ‘Oh, you mean that Jewish propaganda sheet.’ And then… instructing me to cease giving donations to a particular local charity which regularly came to the door on the grounds that the management committee was ‘more or less homogeneously Jewish.’” (146) Stevens refers to these occasions as “extremely minor.” (146) However, it becomes increasingly obvious that Stevens knows that these incidents are anything but minor as he spends pages upon pages recollecting about Lord Darlington’s Anti-Semitism in firing the two Jewish maids. Stevens even makes it apparent that he was taken by surprise by his employer’s wishes; responding “I beg your pardon” when told he would have to “let them go.” (147) So, even though through his words he defends his employer’s decisions and morals, one can see that, through Ishiguro’s tone and diction, Stevens in fact questions these qualities.
To respond to Kris10’s and jlam09’s posts, on the reoccurring note of dignity, Stevens’s beliefs are questioned when he meets Harry Smith at the village. Harry Smith believes that “dignity” is attainable by all and that it is about speaking up, having a voice and an opinion on important matters. This is contradictory to Stevens’s general outlook on life… Stevens claims that “There is, after all, a real limit to how much ordinary people can learn and know,” and that it is expected of all those who are not gentlemen to obey mindlessly. (194)
On another note, Stevens’s intentions with his relationship with Miss Kenton and his feelings towards her become ever more apparent in this section. Stevens flirts with Miss Kenton and has cocoa meetings with her. To emphasize that Miss Kenton and Steven’s relationship is a unique one for Stevens, it should be mentioned that Stevens seems to only be able to “banter” with Miss Kenton. Stevens often taunts- in a bantering way, of course –Miss Kenton for her threat to leave Darlington Hall. He comments on 150 as to saying “’Miss Kenton, I’d rather expected you to have handed in your notice by now,’ accompanying this with a light laugh. I did, I suppose, hope that she might finally relent a little and make some conciliatory response or other, allowing us once and for all to put the whole episode behind us.” From that passage, it is clear that Stevens wants to flirt with Miss Kenton (and wants her to flirt back) and wants to patch up the holes in their relationship. Also, Stevens is meticulous with his words when he discusses one of his “errors” and always makes himself appear not at fault. However, when discussing Lisa’s midnight-eloping with the footman. Stevens says, “You did wonders with that girl. What you managed with her proved many times over that it was in fact I who was in error.” (158) Shocker yes, Stevens admits he is not perfect and this time does not blame an error on a “staff shortage.” However, due to his extreme fear of intimacy, Stevens detaches himself from Miss Kenton and calls off the cocoa meetings. Also, when Miss Kenton catches Stevens with a romance novel, Stevens resolves “to set about reestablishing our professional relationship on a more proper basis.” Miss Kenton had gotten too close and Stevens felt the need to push her far enough away. However, he later regrets this decision and later “speculates” on page 177 as to what would have been if he had acted differently in the “turning points” of his life.
All of these aspects- Stevens’s inability to be honest with himself in his journal (which seems to me what “The Remains of the Day” resembles in form); his inability to show weakness; and his fear of intimacy- make Stevens a rather pathetic character… On page 173, Miss Kenton comments to Stevens, “It occurs to me you must be a well-contented man, Mr. Stevens… I really cannot imagine what more you might wish for in life.” So basically, because Stevens is an accomplished butler, he has nothing more to look forward to in life. His only goal and aspiration- in his one-and-only entire life mind you –was to see that his employer was well looked after. Nearing the end of “Day Three - Evening” Stevens epiphany seems to be that Lord Darlington’s life was “at best, a sad waste.” However, Stevens’s rhetoric implies that he tries to desperately convince himself that his own life wasn’t, stating his own work was “first rate.” (201)
And finally on that note, to respond to Mary’s post about Stevens’s being advised to experience life before it is too late, I think it is too late for him to live a fulfilling life and that this book is his portrayal of regret. So, I’d like to leave you all with a rather pathetic and regretful quote from this novel:
“There was surely nothing to indicate at the time that such evidently small incidents would render whole dreamsforever irredeemable.” (179)
To respond to Kris10’s and jlam09’s posts, on the reoccurring note of dignity, Stevens’s beliefs are questioned when he meets Harry Smith at the village. Harry Smith believes that “dignity” is attainable by all and that it is about speaking up, having a voice and an opinion on important matters. This is contradictory to Stevens’s general outlook on life… Stevens claims that “There is, after all, a real limit to how much ordinary people can learn and know,” and that it is expected of all those who are not gentlemen to obey mindlessly. (194)
On another note, Stevens’s intentions with his relationship with Miss Kenton and his feelings towards her become ever more apparent in this section. Stevens flirts with Miss Kenton and has cocoa meetings with her. To emphasize that Miss Kenton and Steven’s relationship is a unique one for Stevens, it should be mentioned that Stevens seems to only be able to “banter” with Miss Kenton. Stevens often taunts- in a bantering way, of course –Miss Kenton for her threat to leave Darlington Hall. He comments on 150 as to saying “’Miss Kenton, I’d rather expected you to have handed in your notice by now,’ accompanying this with a light laugh. I did, I suppose, hope that she might finally relent a little and make some conciliatory response or other, allowing us once and for all to put the whole episode behind us.” From that passage, it is clear that Stevens wants to flirt with Miss Kenton (and wants her to flirt back) and wants to patch up the holes in their relationship. Also, Stevens is meticulous with his words when he discusses one of his “errors” and always makes himself appear not at fault. However, when discussing Lisa’s midnight-eloping with the footman. Stevens says, “You did wonders with that girl. What you managed with her proved many times over that it was in fact I who was in error.” (158) Shocker yes, Stevens admits he is not perfect and this time does not blame an error on a “staff shortage.” However, due to his extreme fear of intimacy, Stevens detaches himself from Miss Kenton and calls off the cocoa meetings. Also, when Miss Kenton catches Stevens with a romance novel, Stevens resolves “to set about reestablishing our professional relationship on a more proper basis.” Miss Kenton had gotten too close and Stevens felt the need to push her far enough away. However, he later regrets this decision and later “speculates” on page 177 as to what would have been if he had acted differently in the “turning points” of his life.
All of these aspects- Stevens’s inability to be honest with himself in his journal (which seems to me what “The Remains of the Day” resembles in form); his inability to show weakness; and his fear of intimacy- make Stevens a rather pathetic character… On page 173, Miss Kenton comments to Stevens, “It occurs to me you must be a well-contented man, Mr. Stevens… I really cannot imagine what more you might wish for in life.” So basically, because Stevens is an accomplished butler, he has nothing more to look forward to in life. His only goal and aspiration- in his one-and-only entire life mind you –was to see that his employer was well looked after. Nearing the end of “Day Three - Evening” Stevens epiphany seems to be that Lord Darlington’s life was “at best, a sad waste.” However, Stevens’s rhetoric implies that he tries to desperately convince himself that his own life wasn’t, stating his own work was “first rate.” (201)
And finally on that note, to respond to Mary’s post about Stevens’s being advised to experience life before it is too late, I think it is too late for him to live a fulfilling life and that this book is his portrayal of regret. So, I’d like to leave you all with a rather pathetic and regretful quote from this novel:
“There was surely nothing to indicate at the time that such evidently small incidents would render whole dreamsforever irredeemable.” (179)
Like Nessa, I noticed all of the long winding roads that Stevens has been journeying on. I feel that Stevens going to all these places represent things that he has missed out on and probably regrets. In the blog I posted about the first part of the book, I said that Miss Kenton was something he missed out on and had to see that beauty before it was too late. Through reading more of the book I noticed another thing that Stevens could have regret for - the relationship between him and his father. When he father was dying
To go along with my point, I agree with dario and how he said that Stevens pushed away Miss Kenton because she was getting too close and I think he did the same thing with his father. Stevens put his "dignity" and "great butler status" come before the people who cared for him.
I think the closest relationship that Stevens allowed himself to have was to Lord Darlington, but this was by no means truely a "close" relationship, but it seems to be the only thing that made Stevens comfortable because he looks back on Lord Darlington with the most respectful way.
In his post, Dario noted on some of Stevens' flaws: his inability to take blame for his errors, along with inability to show emotion and be honest with himself. Alongside is Stevens' concern with how the world around him views him; mostly worried about what people think of him in a professional sense. Stevens' life revolves around his career, and this causes his image to others to be of great concern to him.
Stevens takes this concern to almost an obsession at certain times, as when he described comically how he would force himself to think of witticisms to impress Mr. Farraday and others. While his sense of self-consciousness allows him to fully delve himself in his work, as in the incident where he was utterly embarrassed when Mr. Farraday stared at a fork for too long, thinking he didn't polish it enough (139). However, this causes the inconsistent relationship between Stevens and Miss Kenton. Stevens fears having more than a professional relationship with Miss Kenton because of how others would think of him, and because he can't trust himself, as Miss Kenton blatantly told him. (156)
Though it is a personal flaw, Stevens' self-consciousness provokes many of the book's themes, such as "greatness" and "dignity", as Stevens throughout the novel discusses what he believes makes someone great and dignified.
To start, I would just like to mention the sense of mysteriousness surrounding M. Dupont. You read of him chatting with Mr. Lewis and seem to view him as a man who could do no harm, but then you read about everyone keeping "a wary distance from M. Dupont...which seemed to underline all the more the feeling that it was M. Dupont who somehow held the key to the outcome of the following days" (91).
I have a question...what’s with M. Dupont and the whole bandage situation on page 105? Is it symbolic or just strange? This just makes him all the more mysterious.
On page 125, Stevens begins questioning how great of a man Lord Darlington actually was. Then on page 126 he seems to get defensive--trying to prove to everyone that he was proud of working for Lord Darlington. Finally, on page 137 he first says that there is no way that Lord Darlington was anti-Semitic, but then he presents an exception which he believes not to be a big deal. He seems to doubt that Lord Darlington was a gentleman.
To touch upon the relationship between Miss Kenton and Stevens, on page 147 he keeps trying to persuade the reader that the meetings with Miss Kenton were "professional." This may hint at a possible relationship in the future.
On page 117, Stevens describes his point of view on what really is a "great" butler:
"A 'great' butler can only be, surely, one who can point to his years of service and say that he has applied his talents to serving a great gentleman - and through the latter, to serving humanity."
When Stevens says this, I envision him as trying to transcend his body by lifting his being to touch the heavens, something great and glorious though ideological. A great butler is to somehow be a hand that turns the world round, and that through serving his master serves the world. And in order to do this, he must fulfill his role perfectly and with maximum efficiency, even if that means shutting off his emotions.
Unfortunately for our protagonist, that sacrifice makes him a little bit unhappy on the inside, as stevie wonder the second notes with Stevens's "dungeonlike" dwelling. This compromise is irritating and shifty, as a lot of people have noted before. And in turn, it affects our possible couple, Mr. Stevens and Miss Kenton. He's so busy with serving the world he doesn't have time to serve himself.
Another point that Mr. Stevens's, I must say, intense devotion brings up is his loyalty to Lord Darlington. Now, it has already been discussed that Lord Darlington was a Nazi sympathizer as gypsyloo alluded to and thalp predicted and stevie wonder the second stated. (For conciseness's sake, I'll quote one person from here on.) Stevens deals with this situation in many ways, including denial, downplay, and outright avoidance. I could see why he would do it; he has his life's ambition on the line. As I put out earlier, to be a great butler is to serve someone great, and Stevens already spent his life serving him so he had better be great. And when Darlington doesn't turn out to be great, well... Stevens is put in a tight position; either he admits that Darlington wasn't an honorable person, or he lets himself believe that Darlington was a good person and therefore lets himself believe that he himself was a great butler. Ultimately, this is a case of Stevens's pride.
And if we know Stevens's pride is a big, big thing, then what would stop him from denying other things as well? Kind of like the "thing" going on between himself and Miss Kenton? This would lead me to disagree with and the benefactor is... dario's view; Stevens is a noble but unreliable narrator.
Reading through everyone's posts in this section, it appears to me that one common thread is the discussion of Stevens' lack of emotion. Throughout the book there has not been, to my recollection, a single instance noted where Stevens had a proper emotional response to some kind of stimulus. A few instances come to mind, namely the greatly-discussed scene of his father's passing, and the overreaction at Miss Kenton's inquiry regarding the book Stevens was reading in his quarters. To me, these demonstrate two opposite extremes on the "emotional response spectrum", the former being an instance where there seemed to be a deficiency in emotion and the latter, where he seems to have been overly-emotional.
Stevens goes to great lengths in this novel to describe the "qualities of a truly great butler", which everyone has noticed. I have a sneaky suspicion, due to the sheer number of times these qualities have been referenced, that this explanation for Stevens' odd emotional behavior might be something of a cover-up or an excuse. It just seems to me that in some instances, all of a completely social nature, Stevens has acted quite inappropriately. Instances where his occupation of being a butler should not even matter.
I am also referencing to the fact that Stevens seems to have difficulty performing what he calls witticisms, or the improper usage of said witticisms, or unrelated events such as his lying about his relationships with his former employer Lord Darlington. It seems to me that Stevens is either a socially awkward individual, or there is something deeper going on.
Thalp made an interesting point that seems to support the notion of Lord Darlington secretly supporting the motives of Nazi Germany. I don't know how I overlooked the connection between his firing of the Jewish employees and his wish for reparations on Germany to be stopped. Maybe I was fooled like everyone else? Or maybe his intentions were pure after all? Stevens' odd behavior seems to hint at some sort of deep, dark secret, but speculation can only go so far!
Reading through the comments here, I agree with many of the ones about Mr.Darlington being a Nazi sympathizer. Although I think he was brainwashed just like the Germans were. Mr. Darlington wanted so desperately to see change in Germany, he like the Germans were fooled into thinking that the Jews were the main source of the problems in Germany. He was easily led 'astray' by the propaganda of the blackshirts. It also didn't help that one of his close associates, Mrs. Barnet was a member of the organization.
Stevens was very loyal to Mr. Darlngton because of the number of years that he served him and I don't particularly think that Mr. Darlington was of a bad sort. I simply consider him misguided.
But, getting back to Stevens here...He is very loyal and dedicated to his job as I have mentioned before in 'The Remains of the Day 1' and that dedication left him little room to pursue anything else adding to his atrocious social skills. Stevens touches upon dignity a number of times in the book and I find it a bit extreme. He's so dedicated and focused on achieving the highest level of dignity for his job that it interferes with his emotions. I read others mentioning here that he didn't even stop working to tend to his father or spend the last few minutes of his life with him. Although I know his father had the same values as him, I can't help but think that a father would want his son with him in his last few moments of life.
Well to start off I have to be honest in saying that this story is moving along quite slowly for me. I understand that the main point of Stevens' journey is to think back on his past but I would like to know more about what he is doing at the moment. Why is it that he is so troubled by his past that he cannot enjoy the present? Could it be that Stevens feels guilty for having served Lord Darlington...(after all, not stopping someone from doing something bad makes you just as much at fault as if you had done the action yourself). Maybe I have to keep reading further.
A few of you already mentioned this, but I also thought it was "interesting" how Stevens denied having worked for Lord Darlington. At first I was confused as to what was going on but then as I read further I realized it. If Stevens is all about "dignity" and pride in being a butler, then he should not have hidden the fact that he had worked for Lord Darlington.
Another thing that I have noticed (along with many of you) is that Stevens' character is unchanging. He continues to bottle up his emotions and even his employer, Mr. Farraday, has taken notice, such as in page 125.
One passage that really caught my eye was that on page 139. Stevens starts off the paragraph by saying, "But perhaps one should not be looking to the past so much." It is ironic that Stevens would say such a thing because throughout the entire novel, he dwells on what was rather than on what is. I think that maybe he is realizing something about his character and how the issues of the past or not letting him fully move on to the future.
One final part I wanted to comment on was when Stevens met up with some people in the village during his journey. Stevens was confused for a gentleman when in fact he is merely a butler. Why does Stevens not clarify the misconception? Is it because he would be ashamed if the people found out about his occupation? And if so, doesn't that completely contradict his entire "I take pride in being a butler" attitude?
Steven's loyal dedication suprises me to the fullest. All he thinks about is doing his job and getting better at it. It seems like that was the only lesson his dad taught him. Stevens only talked about him twice, once when he told the story about amazing butlers, and another time when he was dying. It is true what they say "like father, like son."
However I am getting annoyed at the fact that he can't get working out of the mind. I hoping that he would show more of his emotions and character development but it has not happened yet.
To answer what C-ROD said, I doubt Stevens felt guilty for serving Lord Darlington. He stated a couple times in the text that he enjoyed working with him even though some of his actions were questionable. He talks about Lord Darlington with so much pride it suprised me as well that he denied the fact that he worked for him. Its just his form of dignity.
First, I’d like to comment on what babaloo said (“I don't understand why Steven's wants to hire Miss Kenton if he believes her to be this crazed almost having OCD about things, to come work with him.”) I think Stevens almost likes that manner. I’d say he almost seems to have a case of OCD himself. He wants everything done and everything perfect, even when it means practically ignoring the death of his father. Also, that quote that Courtney can’t think of a cool display name chose annoyed me as well. It seems that Stevens was contradicting his own opinion by having an opinion on not having an opinion. Boy, that was a mouthful. I guess in a way he is almost right. Though everyone CAN have an opinion, there are so many billions of people that one opinion can’t change the whole world. Stevens really is a very odd man. He said he denied working for Lord Darlington in order to escape any unpleasant feelings that might surface. But does it really reflect on Stevens so much that he has to deny it? I think that there is more to it than that. I’m almost positive he has doubts otherwise about Lord Darlington. Stevens just wants to be such a perfectionist that he won’t admit that he saw faults in the man he worked for. The connection I made to this: The other day me, a friend, and my dad were watching something on TV where Mr. Brown was talking to some lady about the school. (Channel 3, one of those shows.) He was saying problems from our school aren’t like drugs and stuff like you see on TV, but some real problems are poverty. My friend was like “I had no idea.” My dad, who is a social worker, said it is a big problem, and he’s worked with people in our town who suffer from it, but no one wants to admit that their family has a problem. Stevens worked for Lord Darlington for so long, and it was like Lord Darlington made mistakes, and Stevens didn’t want anyone to know he came from someplace where there were mistakes made. I guess that connection is slightly far stretched, but does anyone see where I’m going with it?
Stevens can not take being out of Darlington Hall. Darlington hall represents his own security blanket. He is safe there he knows his role and what is expected of him. The outside world is unpredictable and he has a hard time dealing with that. He constantly is recounting memories from there and how it use to be. Also to build on my previous comment about his horrible social skills. When the man asks him if he actually use to "work for that Lord Darlington" (120). He never really answers him but simply says he's employed by the man who bought it. This confused me at first he is so proud of Darlington Hall and its Past why somewhat deny it? Then I realized however, becasue of his social awkwardness owning up to this question would have just opened the door for quesitons and conversations, which are unbearable for Stevens himself.
Miss Kenton is just a perfect example of his social habits. He mentions how he is only there for "professional" means but he brings her up so much. However as soon as he hints the slightest bit of emotional vulnerability he cancels the Cocoa meetings. I believe Stevens does want more that a "professional" relationship but has no idea how to go about so instead he becomes rather rude and hostile towards her.
In my opinion stevens is such a tricky character to grasp. He really confussed me with his actions towards Miss Kenton he has no real clue about how to interact with her he often has things to say about her flaws but always goes back to her in his mind. She gets under his skin in a way its almost as if being a buttler for so long has made him lose his ability to interact with those he is not serving. The fact that she wants so know what he is doing like about what book he was reading gets under his skin because he is used to being left alone and only bothered when needed i think stevens is convinced she has an angle for wanting to be close to him.
I would say that Stevens is in fact not a tricky person to understand. He may act opposite what most of us would think he would do in regards to Ms. Kenton, but he does so with reason. He puts his profession before his own self. While serving as a butler, he fully embodies the role, as is shown when his father passes away, he does not even stop serving to see to his father's last minutes. There is no way he would think of putting Ms. Kenton before his duty to the house.
I found it very interesting how Stevens kept constantly looking into the past. While I am impressed by Steven's eloquence in speech, I find him a bit arrogant and manipulative. I notice that he has a habit of introducing any topic by first asking a question and then answering it himself, which then gives off the illusion that he knows his subject as well as he knows more than on side of the topic. However his sense of dignity has hindered him from using his emotions thus obscuring him from truly understanding a topic and relating it to himself which makes it hard for him to truly communicate with another. It's a bit ironic how Stevens preaches about dignity and greatness (which in a sense can be a achieved by looking into the future) while most of the novel seems to have a nostalgic tone along with many anecdotes.
In response to valleygirl: I don't really think Stevens is ashamed of having worked at Darlington Hall. However, he mentioned that some of those people didn't like the owner, Lord Darlington. I don't think he feels shame or regret to have served him, for he did his best to please him, but he would rather not talk about it with those people that don't like him very much.
Something interesting that I noticed was that Stevens never has his own opinions. He goes along with whatever his employer thinks. However, Miss Kenton has her own opinion about everything, and I think that is something that Stevens secretly admires about her. And I think now he regrets it a bit that he sadly wasted his time working for Lord Darlington, who didn't leave a great reputation for Stevens to keep. This is one of the main reasons why he wants to befriend Miss Kenton again.
Wow, like 3 people commented before me while I was still writing my comment, so sorry that I didn't reply to them. I finished reading valley girl's comment.
Well Steven’s journey isn’t going exactly to plan, is it?
Side note, does anyone notice that despite he commented that Miss Kenton’s letter is now Mrs. Benn, he still refers to her as Miss Kenton? I sense some remaining affection for the lady perhaps. Also, Stevens is constantly starting out his day in the present, but ends up slipping to memories of the past.
The event in particular that he remembers on the second day in the afternoon is how he often denied working for Lord Darlington, in order to avoid “unpleasantness.” I found this rather interesting, as I expected him to rather defend the copious rumors of his previous employer, rather than simply deny it completely.
Also, Steven’s attempt with witty banter is quite amusing; the simple fact is that not everyone has his knowledge about certain things, and he seems to forget that often. It also happens to showcase how Stevens, despite being a “great” butler, is unable to adapt with the changing times. Whereas before the butler was able to complete all tasks, in the current day and age the fact is that there are many positions these days: task specific positions to be exact.
When the chauffer comments how there “can’t be many like you left, eh?” (119) he is completely and totally correct. It coincides actually, with how Giffen and Co. are closing. Before, polishing silver was a highly practice chore, in the olden days where men like Steven were common. However, as time moves on the chore becomes obsolete, and not as common anymore. In a sense, the same is with Steven; their kind is slowly becoming obsolete, and Steven is one of the few left.
In some odd way, I kind of wish there were more people like Steven around these days. Composed, intellectual, and dedicated; granted, more personality and emotion would be nice, but compared to some people today, a Steven here or there would be nice.
After reading more, the assumption that this "vacation" could be a journey becomes obvious. The day barely passes by and already he has owned up to his own mistakes.
In the second part of the story, I was able to see the way in which others respected a servant. At first when Stevens was glorifying his own profession I felt he was just being conceited. However, when he ran out of gas and was stuck in a small village, I was able to see the way in which others respected the butler's profession. He was treated with the same respect as the doctor of the village, and this doctor was the only one treated the same way. Another surprise to me because in today's society doctors are highly respected because of their hard work they went through to become one and the fact that they help others. To see Stevens placed on the same podium as the doctor was an eye opener.
Another thing, who is this Miss Kenton anyways? Why is she so important to have apart of the staff to go out so far of his way? Perhaps there is something more to it because Mr. Farraday had offered Stevens this opportunity before Miss Kenton sent the letter, and at that time he would not accept this "vacation". However, it seemed like as soon as he received this letter from this woman, he took the offer. Since he will be nearby, it would not hurt to stop by and see her, right? I really think there is more behind the story of Miss Kenton and Stevens, but we shall find out later, I'm probably just wrong and sound silly right now.
In Stevens trip there seems to be nothing big happening. But like Danny I go back and forth about whether or not to trust Stevens. At first I thought I could trust him, because he didn’t let his emotions interfere with his work and life. But now he seems to be hiding a past he’s shameful of. Even though Stevens speaks in a sophisticated way and worked for a very powerful leader, I don’t think I want to trust him. I don’t like the fact that he explains himself so much, that he’s afraid of showing his emotions, and that he is over taken by his work—everything he says and does involves him and his work. He’s too attached in his work to not be hiding a secret.
About Mr. Stevens and Miss Kenton, maybe it’s too early to say this, but I think that she really left because there was a strong attraction between her and Mr. Stevens. I think Mr. Stevens made her leave and now regret it and wants to bring her back.
The only reason I continue reading this book is because I want to know whether or not Miss Kenton returns (probably not… hence the title and cover) and how the conversation goes; oh and because it’s a grade. Stevens is such a monotone character; I bet he never heard of an exclamation point. The only parts that I find intriguing are when he writes about Miss Kenton and their encounters.
Mr. Stevens denies working for Lord Darlington… do I sense some regretful or shamefully emotions creeping up on Stevens? My, my, this book may have some nice twists after all!
To answer to Danny’s question about whether or not Stevens is a reliable character (and to agree with Dario): I do see Stevens as a trustworthy narrator. Perhaps he is a little sketchy-sketchy just because he does seem to have zero emotion (you can never trust a guy with no emotion… my momma told me), and when he’s explaining an event that has happened that may change our view of him, he gets into these extra (very extra) long explanations as to why he was motivated to do this, or why he did that the way he did, and his explanations somehow evolve into this completely different topic altogether. Because he goes to lengths to hide or explain simple emotions and desires it makes me believe that he’s hiding more than just simple emotions, and therefore cannot be trusted. But… the most powerful leaders of the country trusted him in the Darlington Mansion. They told secrets in front of him, and even to this day he does not give away their identity. If Darlington confided in him about decisions that would affect the country and he still hasn’t told the audience about all of them, I would consider this to be a very honest and reliable man.
One event that completely made me not like Stevens as a character was when his father died and the attitudes he took towards him. Not only did he neglect his father in the last minutes of his life, but he seemed more interested in the lives of strangers! I was disappointed with Stevens decisions to let his father die while he was filling drinks to people that did not care for him. On the other hand, he can now live up to his father’s expectations; nothing can stand in the way (no circumstances or emotions) of him being the great butler he always strived to be.
On page 139, Stevens says, “But perhaps one should not be looking to the past so much. After all, I still have before me many more years of service I am required to give… It is essential, then, to keep one’s attention focused on the present” which is completely contrary to what he does! This brings me to believe that Mr. Stevens is regretting a thing or two in his past—after reading this, I got the sense that his “secret” (as I put it) is not small, but a secret that is taking over his life. He keeps looking back and reminiscing on the better days he seemed to have. Which by the way, gets me thinking that because he thinks of Miss Kenton so much, maybe he has intense feelings for her… finally, I’m getting some emotion here! =)
This site will be the summer resource for students in Mr. Gallagher and Ms. Clapp's AP Literature courses. You'll come here to discuss summer reading, college searches and applications, and literary topics in general.
44 comments:
Stevens' journey so far wasn't what i would call, "a walk in the park." Nothing seems to be going his way. I truely believe his nerves are getting the best of him. He may play it off as if he is calm and collected, yet everything he interacts with relates back to Miss Kenton and Darlington Hall in some shape or form.
Stevens continues to talk about his "turning points" with Miss Kenton. The interesting part is, out of all the ones he explained, they all seemed to be his fault. He overreacted about Miss Kenton trying to brighten up his room, and he definately overreacted about her wanting to know what book he was reading. He seems to want things his way only when he is around her. In my opinion, he was being so dramatic when Miss Kenton was tired. He canceled all the meetings over Cocoa, just because she had a long week and was tired one of the nights. I mean come on, he does seem to talk alot. I would loose my attention towards him too.
I just finished reading the "Day three evening" section of the book and i found the people in the village to be kind of odd. Who is this Mr. Lindsay character they keep talking about. They say he proved he wasn't a gentlemen, but how? Also, they are treating Stevens as if he was a hero of some sort. I wasn't really sure why. I feel the whole village is a bit sketchy.
I am really interested to see how the rest of the book turns out. Does anyone have any feelings towards the people in the village? i would really like to know.
After getting through two thirds of the book, I'm continued to be impressed by Stevens' eloquence. However, Stevens continue to tell his story in a documentary-like style in which he conveys information of a more factual base rather then an emotional base. He continues to recollect his past memories at Darlington Hall under the employment of Lord Darlington. It seems to be a point being emphasized that as he recalls certain moments of his past, he reflects and discovers an aspect in which he had not recognized before. There seems to be moments in which he reconsiders past actions and goes through tiny revelations. “The nature of coming away on a trip such as this that one is prompted towards such surprising new perspectives on topics one imagined one had long ago thought through thoroughly.” (117)
Throughout his journey, though he says that he only has professional intentions in mind, it seems as though he is rather using it as an excuse to see Miss Kenton after the many years that has passed. His composure disallows him to even reveal his true emotions to readers. He has “spend some long minutes turning those passages over in [his mind]” (141), as he ponders the true meaning of Miss Kenton’s letter. I find that the reason for his self-control over expressing his emotions as a “normal” person would to be because it is connected to his definition of dignity and his view of what a “great butler” should be.
To respond to Kris10, I find that the village people help to bring new definitions to Stevens own debate on the word of dignity and what it embodies. They present a view from the “common people” and declare that “Dignity’s not just something for gentlemen”.
As I read, I continue to wonder about the title and its true significance. What do you guys think it means? Do we have enough information to know yet?
Later in the novel, the whole ambiance of the mirrors a political metaphor throughout the novel in which the protagonist is swept in the whole plot and also mixes Stevens in them as well.
One instance,in the lines on pg.86, when one United States Senator,one Mr.Lewis came into the conference, the author would describe his presence with an exasperated tone when the text would note him as a man with a "genial smile on his face"(85) and how the text would go on to speak of his presence: "His early arrival was clearly something of an inconvenience to his lordship and his colleagues"(85) soon the author would use subtle diction to describe Mr.Lewis's presence in the hall slightly unwelcoming and Ishigaro uses this to supplement his take on the allegory of How the
United States around the 1920's were insistent on being involved with European affairs and how their unexpected appearances would likely end up to have most European officials susceptible of the U.S. and their objectives.
Ishigaro then broadens the use of political allegory to explain the rest of the book's plot. Another would then fall on all those who were in Darlington Hall.The story artfully plays out a subtle animosity among the various maids ,butlers and footmen from different countries to give the reader a hint at the author's intention of the context.the maids and butlers are representing the common citizens of their country of the "working men and women" of their countries and how the follow their employees who represent world leaders. The author Ishigaro uses this style of allegory to how the Darlington Hall can can have a verisimilitude to Europe in the 1920's when nation were still trying repair the losses of World War One.
As I was finishing "Day Three, Morning", I found myself sitting with a slightly cynical smile on my face. This was specifically after reading about his worried thoughts about the witticisms and the silver. What does this guy do for fun? His social skills are atrocious. ;]
After reading that part I remember earlier in the story he recalled Miss Kenton trying to cheer his room up a bit with flowers, and rejecting her very harshly. His whole world is very dreary and lonely. The way he is lost in his thoughts throughout this trip makes me feel as if though he just doesn't know what to do with himself. Like a domesticated animal that doesn't want to be set free anymore. Also, I've found that whenever he speaks of Miss Kenton, it's nostalgically. Well, this whole story has been nostalgic so far. But specifically when he mentions that he rereads her letter and the passages of it run through his mind. It reminds me of the Odyssey and Odysseus's journey to his wife. Perhaps Stevens will have to fight off some men?
Stevens also reveals that he was part of a historic event, one of great political importance that contributed to the World War that was taking place then. Even though Stevens perpetually eulogizes Lord Darlington, it is made known that Lord Darlington was a highly controversial celebrity of the time. He recalls moments when people ask him what his master was "really like" and defends him on every aspect against those who supposedly slander his name. But after I read the back cover of the book, I'm beginning to doubt his master's "greatness" as well. Maybe Lord Darlington really was a traitor to England and the Allies?
gotta read the rest!
peace
On the same note as jlam09, when Stevens said that "it is perhaps in that nature of coming away on a trip such as this that one is prompted towards such surprising new perspectives on topics one imagined one had long ago thought through thorougly," it definitely confirmed my opinion that the trip to West Country is actually a "quest," on which Stevens discovers more about himself and the events that occurred in the past. Miss Kenton appears to be the "princess."
I also, definitely, agree with jlam09 that it appears as though Stevens wishes to see Miss Kenton for personal reasons rather than professional reasons. For example, he continously reminds the audience that the more he reads Miss Kenton's letter, the less it seems to actually signify any desire to return to Darlington's Place. Yet, he continues his trip anyways, insisting it was for the purpose of asking Miss Kenton to come back.
This also prompts the idea that Stevens' errors are not really due to employee shortages. He arrives at this conclusion after having received Miss Kenton's letter. He insists that his mistakes are due to a lack of employees, a reason why he is pursuing Miss Kenton. However, Miss Kenton does not express any desire to return to the place. This could be Stevens' lack of denial of the possibility of getting older, just as Stevens Sr. had.
Also, Stevens seems to always to be going down long roads, and winding ones as well. These roads always lead him to places where the people advise that he visit a place of beauty, before it gets too late and he'll regret not seeing them. These occurrences definitely symbolize something. It could be self-realization (analyzing his past again). What do you guys think?
One more thing! In the blog of Section One of this book, Kevin Vasquez asked about Stevens' politeness and attitude. In this section, we find out that Stevens speaks politely and with superiority because he is considered "a top-notch butler... from one of them top posh houses" (119).
Stevens' actions have become increasingly vexing. In his private musings, he ardently defends Lord Darlington yet publicly, denies any association with him. I.e. responding "I didn't madame, no," to the statement, "presumeably you must have worked for him," (123). As gypsyloo too noted, why did Stevens only privately revere Darlington? If he truly believed that the man was a respectable one, there should have been nothing to conceal. Further, I speculate that Darlington was a Nazi sympathizer based on his anti-semetic actions towards the Jewish housemaids, his desire to lessen German reparations, and his involvement in fascist groups.
The idea of regret was also explored in great depth. As Stevens sr. laid dying, Miss Kenton implored Stevens to visit him, noting, "But you must come now, Mr. Stevens, or else you may deeply regret it later" (104). Her statement seemed to warn generally of missed opportunities and such warnings seem to pervade the course of the book. As jlam09observed too, Stevens underwent an epiphany- that, had he acted in a different manner, especially with Miss Kenton, their relationship would not have deteriorated quite so much. This epiphany and the nostalgic way he discusses such "turning points" suggest that he does feel a level of remorse with the manner in which their communication ended.
Stevens' frequent dissections of "dignity" and what a great butler entails leads me to ponder- do you believe Stevens possesses dignity according to his own definition? And if so.. is it truly worth it?
To repond to thalp's question of Stevens' dignity: I found it ironic that, as thalp said, Stevens denied working for Lord Darlington. If anything, the more dignified thing would have been to defend his employer's honor, if he felt that Lord Darlington was worthy of it. It reminded me of how, earlier in the novel, Stevens Sr. "defended" his employer to the drunk men; becuase Stevens Sr. was new to the household and assumably knew little to nothing about his new employer, he really had no reason to consider his employer worthy of defending. I wonder if Stevens really finds Lord Darlington dignified or he feels it is his duty as a butler to at least pretend to find him so. So far, it seems as though we've seen few qualities in Lord Darlington that make him appear honorable.
I agree completely with jlam09 that Stevens is clearly using professional reasons as an excuse to see Miss Kenton; it seems convenient that the professional reasons to see her emerge just after her marriage has fallen apart. I don't know if Stevens will ever get past his inability to form relationships, even after being reunited with Miss Kenton.
Also, as thalp pointed out, Stevens does appear to have some feelings of regret. This seems to be one of the only clear emotions we have seen out of him thusfar.
I'd just like to say that having read all of your comments, I found myself looking through the chapter and rereading it again (that's the power of Literature, people!).
With that having been said, I want to respond to thalp's discussion of the "Mr. Stevens Sr." incident during the conference. This is where the author first yelled into my ear that something was wrong with the kind of isolating life that Mr. Stevens chose for himself. Despite all of Mr. Stevens's statements to the contrary, I do detect a note of nostalgia and remorse as Mr. Stevens recalls his relationship with Miss Kenton.
To Mr. Stevens, perhaps, attending dinner guests was far more important in establishing his "dignity" that comforting his dad as he died. Whenever anyone asked him whether he wanted to go upstairs to see his father, he invariably had the same answer:"I'm very busy..." (106) or "I'd best be getting back" (97), even when he recieved news that his father had just passed away. Now, in the modern reader's eyes, no matter how he justifies his actions by saying that his 'father would have wanted him to stay,' his decision still seems to lack an appropriate emotional response. Indeed, Stevens recalls that conference day ever after not as a sad, melancholy day, but as a triumphant occasion in which he proved his "dignity" despite the "pressures" of that day. Since when does a person regard a parent dying as only a "pressure"? Perhaps I'm wrong, but I saw a demonstration of Stevens' lack of emotional well being when he recalled his "triumph" in proving his "dignity" I love thalp's ending question: Is this "dignity" worth it? Is attaining "dignity" worth sacrificing his humanity?
Many people have pointed out Lord Darlington's questionable associations, with gypsyloo questioning his possible patriotism and Darlington's motives. The conference to which I refer to above is one where he urges the WWI Allies to ease the harshness of the Versailles treaty. Maybe he was in "cahoots" with Hitler's government. The book isn't entirely clear. What is clear is that he dismisses two Jewish maids on, basically, anti-Semetic grounds. Granted, Darlington did show remorse later. It does, however, raise the question of whether he was being manipulated by Mrs. Carolyn Barnet and the "blackshirts."
Darlington's dismissal of the Jewish workers also highlights Stevens' lack of a "proper" response. Miss Kenton responds with suitable outrage. Mr. Stevens, however, adopts the I-think-it's-wrong-but-the-employer's-always-right routine. Stevens also makes many excuses for Lord Darlington, and when discussing the dismissal a year after the fact, he calls Lord Darlington's anti-semetism a "terrible misunderstanding" (153) (surely a euphemism employed to take the bite out of the words "stupid mistake") As Miss Kenton responds (passionately) asking him why he kept his stiff upper lip attitude at that time, his responses on page 154 were almost too painful to read. Maybe Miss Kenton has feelings for him...
Mr. Stevens' lonely existence and service as butler is highlighted in, as gypsyloo mentioned, the description of the drabness and "dungeonlike" qualities of Mr. Stevens'rooms. There's even little light and condensation on the walls to complete the picture! I can't help feeling that, despite Stevens' claims of having a full and rewarding life, his life seems to be empty (in my viewpoint, of course!). I may be wrong...
The exchange between Stevens and Stevens Sr.
p. 97
'I hope I've been a good father to you.'
I laughed a little and said: 'I'm so glad you're feeling better now.'
'I'm so proud of you. A good son. I hope I've been a good father to you. I suppose I haven't.'
'I'm afraid we're extremely busy now, but we can talk again in the morning.'
My father was still looking at his hands as though he were faintly irritated by them.
'I'm so glad you're feeling better now,' i said again and took my leave.
Stevens is so indulged in this "professionalism" and "dignity" that he fails to show his emotions. I'm half and half that he does it intentionally to hide his emotions and the point that he may do such things inadvertently because he's involved in what he does. His father on the other hand, although he was cold to his son and they grew distant overtime, he makes an exert at the end of his life to reach his son. And this journey that Stevens is going on, is to make that realization early. To shed the "professional" or what i think of as emotional barrier and embrace life. And i assume that the event took place 20 or so years earlier and that may have been a message for Stevens.
The word "professionalism" is thrown around a lot. Stevens says,
'I consider the pressures contingent on me that night....For all its sad associations, whenever I recall that evening today, I find i do so with large sense of triumph.'
p. 110
As i read this passage, i spoke out loud the phrase, "professionalism through and through". Even though he had such pressures on him that night, i.e his father's last words on his death bed, he still kept to his job, even though it's stated that he did IN FACT cry.
And this professional aspect of Stevens stays. It just doesn't go away when he's given the "go" on certain situations. Like with Miss Kenton. Casting her off as a distraction. Even though he's very much interested in having a relationship but he keeps that feeling within and reads romance novels to fulfill that crave.
- - - - - - - - -
I myself indulge in such things. There was a connection there.
It seems to me that Mr. Stevens is all over the place now while on his trip. He begins to reminisce about his past experiences and most of them during the time he served Mr. Darlington.
I was actually a little appalled by his manner the day his father passed away. Miss Kenton informs Stevens of his father's case, but he seems very "formal" about it...I expected more out of him, being his father and all. But then, he clears my doubts about him when on page 106, he stops Miss Kenton midway up the stairs, "Miss Kenton, please don't think me unduly improper in not ascending to see my father in his deceased condition just at this moment. You see, I know my father would have wished me to carry on just now." The more I thought about, the more I saw where he was coming from. It's just, his reactions weren't all that convincing that he cared. But I do believe his father would indeed have wanted him to continue working while the guests were still present in the hall.
I also realized that when his car is experiencing some problems, he drives to a garage and meets a stranger. Just as the first stranger Stevens meets telling him to hike up the mountain, this stranger tells him to go visit the local pond. Both conclude that if he doesn't travel to these places, he'll regret it. I think that these are two instances that are not brought up for casual purposes, but as a foreshadowing to future events. Now, imagine if Stevens didn't take Mr. Farraday's advice and getting out for a bit...he would've missed out on all of these experiences...but perhaps it means more?
I also agree with jlam09 and emily that Mr. Stevens is using professional reasons as an excuse to go see Miss Kenton. It is true that he decides to go see her after her recent divorce, as emily says, but what could it all mean? When the two were working together during Mr. Darlington's day, they had all the time in the world to start something, if that is the case. But why now?
Last, it seems that the only two subjects he can really partake in are when it concerns some type of "professionalism" and "dignity". These two traits are quite essential to become a "great butler". Both words are used many times in the novel. One conversation he has is during the dinner Mr. and Mrs. Taylor host for him, as they secretly invited other guests to come. One of the men brings up a subject and Stevens seems pretty confident as he answers with "dignity". Noticing that these are again two importain qualities in a butler, he carries them with him at all times, and it shows in his personality (the way he speaks, his gestures, ect.).
***It's very late. 3:13 A.M.
As I keep reading, I've noticed that Stevens speaks frequently on traits of butlers, for example, what makes a great butler, what is greatness, and dignity. This proves that his life really does revolve around this work. When his father passed away, he felt that he had to be professional first than be emotional. This is understandable, but there were other butlers around. However, he didn't focus on his father finished his job first. How can he possibly have his own life?
To bring some history into the book, Lord Darlington, and Stevens were present at a historical event in the story, when representatives met to discuss making Germany's punishment for WWI to be less severe. Lord Darlington had spoken to Mr Lewis about the French in a negative way, thinking back, why would Lord Darlington say something at all during a meeting like this AND to get the French in his favor? I find it quite dumb, since it had resulted in Lord Darlington being called an amatuer.
Stevens says that he is not ashamed of serving Lord Darlington, yet he had, multiple times, denied serving him. His feelings contrast each other just to avoid unpleasantness. Stevens seems to care about people say, being all precise and neat in everything he does and also when Miss Kenton asks "Why, Mr. Stevens, why, why, why do you always have to pretend?" (154) to him when he admits too late his feelings of Lord Darlington dismissing Jewish maids solely on their religion.
I also wonder about the significant of the title. I think it relates to his trip, of what he expects and what he eventually discovers.
One thing that I think many of you have hit on here is whether we can really trust Stevens as a narrator. The idea of a "great" butler is mentioned a lot and what seems to be Stevens' idea of this great butler is one with absolute loyalty...again I will mention his father and the tiger story. So I guess the question is, if Stevens claims to be so great of a butler, and this greatness is defined by loyalty and dignity, than is he really a character trustworth of giving us the truth on his former master?
So in this case, if Lord Darlington was, as Thalp says, an anti-semetist, then I don't think Stevens would actually want us to know this information, and therefore may leave it out. Perhaps he describes Darlington with such high regards to the reader so as to provide an example of what this "greatness" (loyalty) really is, but if this is true then why would he deny knowing Darlington to the mechanic? Perhaps he is stretching the truth a bit. Afterall, Stevens does say "oh no, I am employed by Mr. John Farraday", which technically wouldn't be lying because at the time, he was employed by Farraday. I also seemed to notice inconsistency in his story when he mentioned a little while back Miss Kenton saying "these errors may be trivial in themselves, but you must yourself realize their larger significance." (60) He then added that it was actually Mr. Darlington who had said these words. In my opinion, perhaps Stevens changes this wording because it makes Miss Kenton appear very harsh. He does not want her to appear this way as he says, "I am not sure Miss Kenton spoke quite so boldly that day." (60). What i think...and again this may be pushing it, is that if Stevens really is in love with Kenton, he wouldn't want the audience to view her as a jerk, so he rearranged the wording of who said what, to make it appear less harsh. (He tells the story with Lord Darlington saying it in much less critical a manor than he does with Kenton).
If this is true, Stevens could easily be seen as untrustworthy, because he is changing his story. This seems to be the only logical reason I could see for him "messing up the story" this way. Either that...or it could just be a play on his old age? -maybe he forgot what was going on? I dunno. Well, we'll find out!
sorry...did I say mechanic? I meant chauffeur, sorry if that caused any confusion!
As Steven's trip progresses, he talks a lot about Miss Kenton. However, instead of exclaiming about her greatness, because he wants only the best to work at Darlington Hall, he points out many of her defaults. Why is it that Steven's wants Miss Kenton to work there if he does not fully trust her judgment. He depicts Miss Kenton as someone obsessive on being correct all the time and someone very pushy to say the least. An example would be when she freaks out over a placement of these china boxes, she cannot stop on the topic of the china boxes until she is redeemed correct about their placement. I don't understand why Steven's wants to hire Miss Kenton if he believes her to be this crazed almost having OCD about things, to come work with him. Her qualities do show some definiteness, however I do believe she might cause trouble. I'll just have to wait and read more...:-)
Alright, so after going back and looking through beginning part of the book,and reviewing Stevens' story, I think I was way off with the idea that Stevens might not be a trustworthy butler. Now that I think about it, it seems as though much time is put into making sure the reader does in fact, trust Stevens. Because he often plans out all of his actions before he does them and then analyzes/justifies his decisions with the audience, I think Stevens is supposed to be portrayed as a trustworthy man. So, to put this back into context of what we were talking about, perhaps Darlington was really an "anti-semetist" or something, I believe Stevens would lie about knowing him because he wouldn't want to stir up trouble and harsh critizism about his employeer, for that would be unprofessional. The reason I tihnk he would then work so hard to defend Darlington would then be to convince himself that he had been working for an honest man, because I don't think Stevens would want to accept the fact that he had worked for anything less. So perhaps Darlington wasn't a nice guy, but I think Stevens is, in fact honest, but just trying to convince himself that his work was for "the good of humanity", or however he phrased it.
Also to babaloo, I think maybe he still wants Kenton to come back and work at the mansion, because she probably symbolizes the old days to him, the days with the many workers and such at the house. Perhaps him journeying to find her, is Stevens' attempt to return to the past, and get things to be somewhat like they were before.
Again...just speculating. If someone has an argument against this, please enlighten my confused mind.
Well, I have to admit that I am enjoying the book so far which amazes me because Stevens is becoming increasingly irritating to me. Most recently Stevens' thoughts on Harry Smith's "pronouncements on the nature of 'dignity" have left me fuming. When Stevens says that, "up to a point, no doubt, there is some truth in what he says: in a country such as ours, people may indeed have a certain duty to think about great affairs and form their opinions. But life being what it is, how can ordinary people truly be expected to have 'strong opinions' on all manner of things..."(194). That is just ridiculous, anyone can have an opinion on something as long as they have an understanding of what is being conversed about. And if what Stevens says is true, then he shouldn't even be discussing the matters of dignity for he himself is simply a butler and as he himself said,"a butler's duty is to provide good service"(199).
Whoo...sorry about the rant.
Recently, I went to Harvard to have some R.E.S.T. (restricted environment stimulation therapy), where I was away from my cell phone, my laptop, television, and friends. The experience allowed me to reflect upon myself and life. I think Stevens is on his journey to get some R.E.S.T. (not just because Mr. Farraday insisted him to go), not really like the How to Read Literature like a Professor�s take on journey. He is on a journey away from Darlington Hall, and from his duties as a butler. Throughout his journey he reflects about himself and events that occurred in Darlington Hall. Two events that stuck out in my mind are when Stevens refused to say he previously worked for Lord Darlington when Mrs. Wakefield asked him; also when he fired two Jewish housemaids under the request of Lord Darlington when he was under the influence of Mrs. Barnet. Both of these incidents seemed to be a struggle of moral duty versus being professional. When Stevens refused to say he was a former employee of Lord Darlington, it was out of English custom for an employee to speak of his past employers. Stevens�s true feelings about Lord Darlington have been obviously that he believes Lord Darlington is a man of high esteem and that it is an honor working for him. On page 126, he says, ��and I am today nothing but proud and grateful to have been given such a privilege (of working for Lord Darlington)�. Rather than glorifying his former employer, like the great man he believes he is, Stevens gives the misconception that he is ashamed to have been associated with Lord Darlington, all because he wanted to be �professional�.
In the next instance, after he fired the housemaids, he discussed the issue with Miss Kenton. He says, ���The whole matter caused me great concern, great concern indeed. It is hardly the sort of thing I like to see happen in this house.�� (153). Stevens admits that he knew that firing the Jewish housemaids was morally wrong, but followed Lord Darlington�s order in firing them.
There were two quotes that stuck out to me in this section. One was right after he admitted that he knew firing the housemaids was unjust, which is when Miss Kenton says, ���Why, Mr Stevens, why, why, why do you always have to pretend?�� (154). When Miss Kenton accuses Stevens of pretending, I think this just exemplifies his struggle between his morals and being a great butler. Rather than being professional, Stevens just tries to cover up his true emotions. Another quote that sticks out in my mind is on page 139, where Stevens says, �But perhaps one should not be looking back to the past so much. After all, I still have before me many more years of service I am required to give.� Another part of my R.E.S.T., was to look back at my history, my ups and downs, to allow me to figure out how I can improve myself and what to do and not to do in the future. I think Stevens constantly look back into his past to understand the steps he will have to take to become a �great� butler.
As the book progresses, Stevens continues to allow his thoughts about Darlington Hall consume every aspect of his trip, which leads me to still believe that he is trying hard to hide very deep emotions. I am also beginning to wonder if he has embarked on this trip in order to discover something or to receive closure on certain situations. I agree with jlam09 with the idea that Stevens is using work as an excuse to visit Miss Kenton. Stevens finally admits that “one has to remember there is nothing stated specifically in Miss Kenton’s letter … to indicate unambiguously her desire to return to her former position” (140) and I speculate that this was the first time Stevens admitted this to himself, because as the day comes to an end, he really begins to put some deep thought into the details of Miss Kenton’s letter. Coincidently, this revelation comes about before he is to meet her within forty-eight hours, so he will probably use timing as another excuse as for why he did not call off the trip and go back to Darlington Hall.
Stevens seemed to have a closer relationship with Miss Kenton than he had with any other employee at Darlington Hall, but at the same time, they argue and seem to get under each others skin the longer the work together. For instance, Stevens was relaxing in his pantry, reading a romance novel when Miss Kenton unexpectedly entered the room. She was curious as to what Stevens was reading so she tried to grab the book from Stevens and suddenly, “the atmosphere underwent a peculiar change – almost as though the two of us had been suddenly thrust on to some other plane of being altogether.” (167). Their interaction and others such as those throughout the book thus far cause me to wonder, such as babaloo has, as to why Stevens wants Miss Kenton to return to work at Darlington Hall. It is clear that Stevens is the type of person who likes things to be very private and Miss Kenton does not seem to respect those boundaries. At the same time, when Miss Kenton advanced towards Stevens they made an unusual connection, and although Stevens says he is unable to understand what that interaction meant, I believe that Stevens may have feelings that go beyond a professional level for Miss Kenton but he is just too afraid to succumb to those feelings. If Stevens is searching for something more in their relationship, hopefully Miss Kenton feels the same way about him and he is not over analyzing the contact he recalls they made throughout the years they worked together, just as he may have done while reading her letter.
In earlier sections of the book, Stevens stated that Miss Kenton had gotten a divorce after a couple of years of marriage and I found that really ironic because as Stevens reminisced about Darlington Hall, he remembered the time when Lord Darlington asked Stevens to fire two Jewish maids simply because they were Jewish. After doing so, Miss Kenton and Stevens searched for a replacement and they found Lisa. Although she was not very qualified, they hired her anyway and Miss Kenton invested a tremendous amount of energy into making her an amazing housekeeper. Suddenly, Lisa ran off with the second footman because she proclaimed to be in love. Miss Kenton was extremely upset and she said that Lisa was “foolish” (159) and that “she’s bound to be let down” (159). Although Lisa and the second footman did not know each other for a very long time before they ran away together, I feel that Miss Kenton and Stevens are so consumed with their jobs that they cannot truly sympathize with Lisa’s feelings. Over the years, they have allowed themselves to become too afraid to take any risks and to experience life for what it’s worth - like falling in love and exploring things that go beyond Darlington Hall. Even though Miss Kenton finally took a chance and got married she soon divorced, but I wonder if the man she has been waiting for all along is in fact Stevens. I wonder what is too come in later parts of the book of their relationship; I anticipate the idea of Stevens finally letting his guard down and allowing Miss Kenton to become closer to him on a level that goes beyond being professional.
Hi everyone,
I’d like to start off by addressing one of the most interesting points made: the question by Danny as to whether or not Stevens is a reliable narrator. (Great question!)
Certainly, one can argue that Stevens, on the surface, might not resemble a trustworthy narrator. He often squelches his own beliefs and feelings to portray himself in a “dignified” manor (ie. his father’s death, his intensions with Miss Kenton, his attitude toward Lord Darlington’s decision to fire the Jewish maids, etc.) Stevens’s priority after all is his “professional duty” and “not [his] own foibles and sentiments.” (149)
However, Ishiguro shows us Stevens true intensions and feelings on a subject even through Stevens’s telling us otherwise. Stevens tells us on 147 that he had cocoa meetings with Miss Kenton, but then, as soon as he discloses this information, goes into an explanation about them, claiming they were “overwhelmingly professional in tone.” Every time Stevens comes close to discussing his true feelings or intensions, he always goes into lengthy explanations to defend his motives for such actions. This is Ishiguro’s way of letting us infer the truth even through Stevens’s shielding lies. Basically, because Stevens puts so much effort into defending his reasons for doing something (ie. having cocoa with Miss Kenton nightly) in a pathetic way, one can see that that is in actuality not his true intention. His lack of openness is due to his fear of intimacy and inadequacy with his job. Stevens believes he must portray himself as a dignified and professional butler. This of course does not leave any room for indulging in emotions, and when caught with the romantic novel, Stevens puts on a façade. He explains to the audience that his only reason for reading such a book instead of a scholarly article was simply to better his English so he may better his butlering. This, I believe, makes Stevens a credible and trustworthy narrator, for even though his words may tell otherwise, the reader can infer, through pattern and a bit of common sense, Stevens’s real feelings on a matter.
I agree with Thalp that Lord Darlington had very streamline Nazi beliefs on Judaism. On the pages around 146, Stevens keeps trying to convince himself that Lord Darlington wasn’t Anti-Semitic and that he had the best of intensions in doing everything he did. Stevens comments on Lord Darlington’s “…remarking: ‘Oh, you mean that Jewish propaganda sheet.’ And then… instructing me to cease giving donations to a particular local charity which regularly came to the door on the grounds that the management committee was ‘more or less homogeneously Jewish.’” (146) Stevens refers to these occasions as “extremely minor.” (146) However, it becomes increasingly obvious that Stevens knows that these incidents are anything but minor as he spends pages upon pages recollecting about Lord Darlington’s Anti-Semitism in firing the two Jewish maids. Stevens even makes it apparent that he was taken by surprise by his employer’s wishes; responding “I beg your pardon” when told he would have to “let them go.” (147) So, even though through his words he defends his employer’s decisions and morals, one can see that, through Ishiguro’s tone and diction, Stevens in fact questions these qualities.
To respond to Kris10’s and jlam09’s posts, on the reoccurring note of dignity, Stevens’s beliefs are questioned when he meets Harry Smith at the village. Harry Smith believes that “dignity” is attainable by all and that it is about speaking up, having a voice and an opinion on important matters. This is contradictory to Stevens’s general outlook on life… Stevens claims that “There is, after all, a real limit to how much ordinary people can learn and know,” and that it is expected of all those who are not gentlemen to obey mindlessly. (194)
On another note, Stevens’s intentions with his relationship with Miss Kenton and his feelings towards her become ever more apparent in this section. Stevens flirts with Miss Kenton and has cocoa meetings with her. To emphasize that Miss Kenton and Steven’s relationship is a unique one for Stevens, it should be mentioned that Stevens seems to only be able to “banter” with Miss Kenton. Stevens often taunts- in a bantering way, of course –Miss Kenton for her threat to leave Darlington Hall. He comments on 150 as to saying “’Miss Kenton, I’d rather expected you to have handed in your notice by now,’ accompanying this with a light laugh. I did, I suppose, hope that she might finally relent a little and make some conciliatory response or other, allowing us once and for all to put the whole episode behind us.” From that passage, it is clear that Stevens wants to flirt with Miss Kenton (and wants her to flirt back) and wants to patch up the holes in their relationship. Also, Stevens is meticulous with his words when he discusses one of his “errors” and always makes himself appear not at fault. However, when discussing Lisa’s midnight-eloping with the footman. Stevens says, “You did wonders with that girl. What you managed with her proved many times over that it was in fact I who was in error.” (158) Shocker yes, Stevens admits he is not perfect and this time does not blame an error on a “staff shortage.” However, due to his extreme fear of intimacy, Stevens detaches himself from Miss Kenton and calls off the cocoa meetings. Also, when Miss Kenton catches Stevens with a romance novel, Stevens resolves “to set about reestablishing our professional relationship on a more proper basis.” Miss Kenton had gotten too close and Stevens felt the need to push her far enough away. However, he later regrets this decision and later “speculates” on page 177 as to what would have been if he had acted differently in the “turning points” of his life.
All of these aspects- Stevens’s inability to be honest with himself in his journal (which seems to me what “The Remains of the Day” resembles in form); his inability to show weakness; and his fear of intimacy- make Stevens a rather pathetic character… On page 173, Miss Kenton comments to Stevens, “It occurs to me you must be a well-contented man, Mr. Stevens… I really cannot imagine what more you might wish for in life.” So basically, because Stevens is an accomplished butler, he has nothing more to look forward to in life. His only goal and aspiration- in his one-and-only entire life mind you –was to see that his employer was well looked after. Nearing the end of “Day Three - Evening” Stevens epiphany seems to be that Lord Darlington’s life was “at best, a sad waste.” However, Stevens’s rhetoric implies that he tries to desperately convince himself that his own life wasn’t, stating his own work was “first rate.” (201)
And finally on that note, to respond to Mary’s post about Stevens’s being advised to experience life before it is too late, I think it is too late for him to live a fulfilling life and that this book is his portrayal of regret. So, I’d like to leave you all with a rather pathetic and regretful quote from this novel:
“There was surely nothing to indicate at the time that such evidently small incidents would render whole dreams forever irredeemable.” (179)
To respond to Kris10’s and jlam09’s posts, on the reoccurring note of dignity, Stevens’s beliefs are questioned when he meets Harry Smith at the village. Harry Smith believes that “dignity” is attainable by all and that it is about speaking up, having a voice and an opinion on important matters. This is contradictory to Stevens’s general outlook on life… Stevens claims that “There is, after all, a real limit to how much ordinary people can learn and know,” and that it is expected of all those who are not gentlemen to obey mindlessly. (194)
On another note, Stevens’s intentions with his relationship with Miss Kenton and his feelings towards her become ever more apparent in this section. Stevens flirts with Miss Kenton and has cocoa meetings with her. To emphasize that Miss Kenton and Steven’s relationship is a unique one for Stevens, it should be mentioned that Stevens seems to only be able to “banter” with Miss Kenton. Stevens often taunts- in a bantering way, of course –Miss Kenton for her threat to leave Darlington Hall. He comments on 150 as to saying “’Miss Kenton, I’d rather expected you to have handed in your notice by now,’ accompanying this with a light laugh. I did, I suppose, hope that she might finally relent a little and make some conciliatory response or other, allowing us once and for all to put the whole episode behind us.” From that passage, it is clear that Stevens wants to flirt with Miss Kenton (and wants her to flirt back) and wants to patch up the holes in their relationship. Also, Stevens is meticulous with his words when he discusses one of his “errors” and always makes himself appear not at fault. However, when discussing Lisa’s midnight-eloping with the footman. Stevens says, “You did wonders with that girl. What you managed with her proved many times over that it was in fact I who was in error.” (158) Shocker yes, Stevens admits he is not perfect and this time does not blame an error on a “staff shortage.” However, due to his extreme fear of intimacy, Stevens detaches himself from Miss Kenton and calls off the cocoa meetings. Also, when Miss Kenton catches Stevens with a romance novel, Stevens resolves “to set about reestablishing our professional relationship on a more proper basis.” Miss Kenton had gotten too close and Stevens felt the need to push her far enough away. However, he later regrets this decision and later “speculates” on page 177 as to what would have been if he had acted differently in the “turning points” of his life.
All of these aspects- Stevens’s inability to be honest with himself in his journal (which seems to me what “The Remains of the Day” resembles in form); his inability to show weakness; and his fear of intimacy- make Stevens a rather pathetic character… On page 173, Miss Kenton comments to Stevens, “It occurs to me you must be a well-contented man, Mr. Stevens… I really cannot imagine what more you might wish for in life.” So basically, because Stevens is an accomplished butler, he has nothing more to look forward to in life. His only goal and aspiration- in his one-and-only entire life mind you –was to see that his employer was well looked after. Nearing the end of “Day Three - Evening” Stevens epiphany seems to be that Lord Darlington’s life was “at best, a sad waste.” However, Stevens’s rhetoric implies that he tries to desperately convince himself that his own life wasn’t, stating his own work was “first rate.” (201)
And finally on that note, to respond to Mary’s post about Stevens’s being advised to experience life before it is too late, I think it is too late for him to live a fulfilling life and that this book is his portrayal of regret. So, I’d like to leave you all with a rather pathetic and regretful quote from this novel:
“There was surely nothing to indicate at the time that such evidently small incidents would render whole dreams forever irredeemable.” (179)
Like Nessa, I noticed all of the long winding roads that Stevens has been journeying on. I feel that Stevens going to all these places represent things that he has missed out on and probably regrets. In the blog I posted about the first part of the book, I said that Miss Kenton was something he missed out on and had to see that beauty before it was too late. Through reading more of the book I noticed another thing that Stevens could have regret for - the relationship between him and his father. When he father was dying
To go along with my point, I agree with dario and how he said that Stevens pushed away Miss Kenton because she was getting too close and I think he did the same thing with his father. Stevens put his "dignity" and "great butler status" come before the people who cared for him.
I think the closest relationship that Stevens allowed himself to have was to Lord Darlington, but this was by no means truely a "close" relationship, but it seems to be the only thing that made Stevens comfortable because he looks back on Lord Darlington with the most respectful way.
In his post, Dario noted on some of Stevens' flaws: his inability to take blame for his errors, along with inability to show emotion and be honest with himself. Alongside is Stevens' concern with how the world around him views him; mostly worried about what people think of him in a professional sense. Stevens' life revolves around his career, and this causes his image to others to be of great concern to him.
Stevens takes this concern to almost an obsession at certain times, as when he described comically how he would force himself to think of witticisms to impress Mr. Farraday and others. While his sense of self-consciousness allows him to fully delve himself in his work, as in the incident where he was utterly embarrassed when Mr. Farraday stared at a fork for too long, thinking he didn't polish it enough (139). However, this causes the inconsistent relationship between Stevens and Miss Kenton. Stevens fears having more than a professional relationship with Miss Kenton because of how others would think of him, and because he can't trust himself, as Miss Kenton blatantly told him. (156)
Though it is a personal flaw, Stevens' self-consciousness provokes many of the book's themes, such as "greatness" and "dignity", as Stevens throughout the novel discusses what he believes makes someone great and dignified.
Hello.
To start, I would just like to mention the sense of mysteriousness surrounding M. Dupont. You read of him chatting with Mr. Lewis and seem to view him as a man who could do no harm, but then you read about everyone keeping "a wary distance from M. Dupont...which seemed to underline all the more the feeling that it was M. Dupont who somehow held the key to the outcome of the following days" (91).
I have a question...what’s with M. Dupont and the whole bandage situation on page 105? Is it symbolic or just strange? This just makes him all the more mysterious.
On page 125, Stevens begins questioning how great of a man Lord Darlington actually was. Then on page 126 he seems to get defensive--trying to prove to everyone that he was proud of working for Lord Darlington. Finally, on page 137 he first says that there is no way that Lord Darlington was anti-Semitic, but then he presents an exception which he believes not to be a big deal. He seems to doubt that Lord Darlington was a gentleman.
To touch upon the relationship between Miss Kenton and Stevens, on page 147 he keeps trying to persuade the reader that the meetings with Miss Kenton were "professional." This may hint at a possible relationship in the future.
Good evening!
On page 117, Stevens describes his point of view on what really is a "great" butler:
"A 'great' butler can only be, surely, one who can point to his years of service and say that he has applied his talents to serving a great gentleman - and through the latter, to serving humanity."
When Stevens says this, I envision him as trying to transcend his body by lifting his being to touch the heavens, something great and glorious though ideological. A great butler is to somehow be a hand that turns the world round, and that through serving his master serves the world. And in order to do this, he must fulfill his role perfectly and with maximum efficiency, even if that means shutting off his emotions.
Unfortunately for our protagonist, that sacrifice makes him a little bit unhappy on the inside, as stevie wonder the second notes with Stevens's "dungeonlike" dwelling. This compromise is irritating and shifty, as a lot of people have noted before. And in turn, it affects our possible couple, Mr. Stevens and Miss Kenton. He's so busy with serving the world he doesn't have time to serve himself.
Another point that Mr. Stevens's, I must say, intense devotion brings up is his loyalty to Lord Darlington. Now, it has already been discussed that Lord Darlington was a Nazi sympathizer as gypsyloo alluded to and thalp predicted and stevie wonder the second stated. (For conciseness's sake, I'll quote one person from here on.) Stevens deals with this situation in many ways, including denial, downplay, and outright avoidance. I could see why he would do it; he has his life's ambition on the line. As I put out earlier, to be a great butler is to serve someone great, and Stevens already spent his life serving him so he had better be great. And when Darlington doesn't turn out to be great, well... Stevens is put in a tight position; either he admits that Darlington wasn't an honorable person, or he lets himself believe that Darlington was a good person and therefore lets himself believe that he himself was a great butler. Ultimately, this is a case of Stevens's pride.
And if we know Stevens's pride is a big, big thing, then what would stop him from denying other things as well? Kind of like the "thing" going on between himself and Miss Kenton? This would lead me to disagree with and the benefactor is... dario's view; Stevens is a noble but unreliable narrator.
Reading through everyone's posts in this section, it appears to me that one common thread is the discussion of Stevens' lack of emotion. Throughout the book there has not been, to my recollection, a single instance noted where Stevens had a proper emotional response to some kind of stimulus. A few instances come to mind, namely the greatly-discussed scene of his father's passing, and the overreaction at Miss Kenton's inquiry regarding the book Stevens was reading in his quarters. To me, these demonstrate two opposite extremes on the "emotional response spectrum", the former being an instance where there seemed to be a deficiency in emotion and the latter, where he seems to have been overly-emotional.
Stevens goes to great lengths in this novel to describe the "qualities of a truly great butler", which everyone has noticed. I have a sneaky suspicion, due to the sheer number of times these qualities have been referenced, that this explanation for Stevens' odd emotional behavior might be something of a cover-up or an excuse. It just seems to me that in some instances, all of a completely social nature, Stevens has acted quite inappropriately. Instances where his occupation of being a butler should not even matter.
I am also referencing to the fact that Stevens seems to have difficulty performing what he calls witticisms, or the improper usage of said witticisms, or unrelated events such as his lying about his relationships with his former employer Lord Darlington. It seems to me that Stevens is either a socially awkward individual, or there is something deeper going on.
Thalp made an interesting point that seems to support the notion of Lord Darlington secretly supporting the motives of Nazi Germany. I don't know how I overlooked the connection between his firing of the Jewish employees and his wish for reparations on Germany to be stopped. Maybe I was fooled like everyone else? Or maybe his intentions were pure after all? Stevens' odd behavior seems to hint at some sort of deep, dark secret, but speculation can only go so far!
Hello.
Reading through the comments here, I agree with many of the ones about Mr.Darlington being a Nazi sympathizer. Although I think he was brainwashed just like the Germans were. Mr. Darlington wanted so desperately to see change in Germany, he like the Germans were fooled into thinking that the Jews were the main source of the problems in Germany. He was easily led 'astray' by the propaganda of the blackshirts. It also didn't help that one of his close associates, Mrs. Barnet was a member of the organization.
Stevens was very loyal to Mr. Darlngton because of the number of years that he served him and I don't particularly think that Mr. Darlington was of a bad sort. I simply consider him misguided.
But, getting back to Stevens here...He is very loyal and dedicated to his job as I have mentioned before in 'The Remains of the Day 1' and that dedication left him little room to pursue anything else adding to his atrocious social skills. Stevens touches upon dignity a number of times in the book and I find it a bit extreme. He's so dedicated and focused on achieving the highest level of dignity for his job that it interferes with his emotions. I read others mentioning here that he didn't even stop working to tend to his father or spend the last few minutes of his life with him. Although I know his father had the same values as him, I can't help but think that a father would want his son with him in his last few moments of life.
Howdy..yes computer access at last!!
Well to start off I have to be honest in saying that this story is moving along quite slowly for me. I understand that the main point of Stevens' journey is to think back on his past but I would like to know more about what he is doing at the moment. Why is it that he is so troubled by his past that he cannot enjoy the present? Could it be that Stevens feels guilty for having served Lord Darlington...(after all, not stopping someone from doing something bad makes you just as much at fault as if you had done the action yourself). Maybe I have to keep reading further.
A few of you already mentioned this, but I also thought it was "interesting" how Stevens denied having worked for Lord Darlington. At first I was confused as to what was going on but then as I read further I realized it. If Stevens is all about "dignity" and pride in being a butler, then he should not have hidden the fact that he had worked for Lord Darlington.
Another thing that I have noticed (along with many of you) is that Stevens' character is unchanging. He continues to bottle up his emotions and even his employer, Mr. Farraday, has taken notice, such as in page 125.
One passage that really caught my eye was that on page 139. Stevens starts off the paragraph by saying, "But perhaps one should not be looking to the past so much." It is ironic that Stevens would say such a thing because throughout the entire novel, he dwells on what was rather than on what is. I think that maybe he is realizing something about his character and how the issues of the past or not letting him fully move on to the future.
One final part I wanted to comment on was when Stevens met up with some people in the village during his journey. Stevens was confused for a gentleman when in fact he is merely a butler. Why does Stevens not clarify the misconception? Is it because he would be ashamed if the people found out about his occupation? And if so, doesn't that completely contradict his entire "I take pride in being a butler" attitude?
Hey guys,
Steven's loyal dedication suprises me to the fullest. All he thinks about is doing his job and getting better at it. It seems like that was the only lesson his dad taught him. Stevens only talked about him twice, once when he told the story about amazing butlers, and another time when he was dying. It is true what they say "like father, like son."
However I am getting annoyed at the fact that he can't get working out of the mind. I hoping that he would show more of his emotions and character development but it has not happened yet.
To answer what C-ROD said, I doubt Stevens felt guilty for serving Lord Darlington. He stated a couple times in the text that he enjoyed working with him even though some of his actions were questionable. He talks about Lord Darlington with so much pride it suprised me as well that he denied the fact that he worked for him. Its just his form of dignity.
First, I’d like to comment on what babaloo said (“I don't understand why Steven's wants to hire Miss Kenton if he believes her to be this crazed almost having OCD about things, to come work with him.”) I think Stevens almost likes that manner. I’d say he almost seems to have a case of OCD himself. He wants everything done and everything perfect, even when it means practically ignoring the death of his father.
Also, that quote that Courtney can’t think of a cool display name chose annoyed me as well. It seems that Stevens was contradicting his own opinion by having an opinion on not having an opinion. Boy, that was a mouthful. I guess in a way he is almost right. Though everyone CAN have an opinion, there are so many billions of people that one opinion can’t change the whole world.
Stevens really is a very odd man. He said he denied working for Lord Darlington in order to escape any unpleasant feelings that might surface. But does it really reflect on Stevens so much that he has to deny it? I think that there is more to it than that. I’m almost positive he has doubts otherwise about Lord Darlington. Stevens just wants to be such a perfectionist that he won’t admit that he saw faults in the man he worked for. The connection I made to this: The other day me, a friend, and my dad were watching something on TV where Mr. Brown was talking to some lady about the school. (Channel 3, one of those shows.) He was saying problems from our school aren’t like drugs and stuff like you see on TV, but some real problems are poverty. My friend was like “I had no idea.” My dad, who is a social worker, said it is a big problem, and he’s worked with people in our town who suffer from it, but no one wants to admit that their family has a problem. Stevens worked for Lord Darlington for so long, and it was like Lord Darlington made mistakes, and Stevens didn’t want anyone to know he came from someplace where there were mistakes made. I guess that connection is slightly far stretched, but does anyone see where I’m going with it?
Stevens can not take being out of Darlington Hall. Darlington hall represents his own security blanket. He is safe there he knows his role and what is expected of him. The outside world is unpredictable and he has a hard time dealing with that.
He constantly is recounting memories from there and how it use to be. Also to build on my previous comment about his horrible social skills. When the man asks him if he actually use to "work for that Lord Darlington" (120). He never really answers him but simply says he's employed by the man who bought it. This confused me at first he is so proud of Darlington Hall and its Past why somewhat deny it? Then I realized however, becasue of his social awkwardness owning up to this question would have just opened the door for quesitons and conversations, which are unbearable for Stevens himself.
Miss Kenton is just a perfect example of his social habits. He mentions how he is only there for "professional" means but he brings her up so much. However as soon as he hints the slightest bit of emotional vulnerability he cancels the Cocoa meetings.
I believe Stevens does want more that a "professional" relationship but has no idea how to go about so instead he becomes rather rude and hostile towards her.
In my opinion stevens is such a tricky character to grasp. He really confussed me with his actions towards Miss Kenton he has no real clue about how to interact with her he often has things to say about her flaws but always goes back to her in his mind. She gets under his skin in a way its almost as if being a buttler for so long has made him lose his ability to interact with those he is not serving. The fact that she wants so know what he is doing like about what book he was reading gets under his skin because he is used to being left alone and only bothered when needed i think stevens is convinced she has an angle for wanting to be close to him.
I would say that Stevens is in fact not a tricky person to understand. He may act opposite what most of us would think he would do in regards to Ms. Kenton, but he does so with reason. He puts his profession before his own self. While serving as a butler, he fully embodies the role, as is shown when his father passes away, he does not even stop serving to see to his father's last minutes. There is no way he would think of putting Ms. Kenton before his duty to the house.
I found it very interesting how Stevens kept constantly looking into the past. While I am impressed by Steven's eloquence in speech, I find him a bit arrogant and manipulative. I notice that he has a habit of introducing any topic by first asking a question and then answering it himself, which then gives off the illusion that he knows his subject as well as he knows more than on side of the topic. However his sense of dignity has hindered him from using his emotions thus obscuring him from truly understanding a topic and relating it to himself which makes it hard for him to truly communicate with another. It's a bit ironic how Stevens preaches about dignity and greatness (which in a sense can be a achieved by looking into the future) while most of the novel seems to have a nostalgic tone along with many anecdotes.
In response to valleygirl: I don't really think Stevens is ashamed of having worked at Darlington Hall. However, he mentioned that some of those people didn't like the owner, Lord Darlington. I don't think he feels shame or regret to have served him, for he did his best to please him, but he would rather not talk about it with those people that don't like him very much.
Something interesting that I noticed was that Stevens never has his own opinions. He goes along with whatever his employer thinks. However, Miss Kenton has her own opinion about everything, and I think that is something that Stevens secretly admires about her. And I think now he regrets it a bit that he sadly wasted his time working for Lord Darlington, who didn't leave a great reputation for Stevens to keep. This is one of the main reasons why he wants to befriend Miss Kenton again.
Wow, like 3 people commented before me while I was still writing my comment, so sorry that I didn't reply to them. I finished reading valley girl's comment.
Well Steven’s journey isn’t going exactly to plan, is it?
Side note, does anyone notice that despite he commented that Miss Kenton’s letter is now Mrs. Benn, he still refers to her as Miss Kenton? I sense some remaining affection for the lady perhaps. Also, Stevens is constantly starting out his day in the present, but ends up slipping to memories of the past.
The event in particular that he remembers on the second day in the afternoon is how he often denied working for Lord Darlington, in order to avoid “unpleasantness.” I found this rather interesting, as I expected him to rather defend the copious rumors of his previous employer, rather than simply deny it completely.
Also, Steven’s attempt with witty banter is quite amusing; the simple fact is that not everyone has his knowledge about certain things, and he seems to forget that often. It also happens to showcase how Stevens, despite being a “great” butler, is unable to adapt with the changing times. Whereas before the butler was able to complete all tasks, in the current day and age the fact is that there are many positions these days: task specific positions to be exact.
When the chauffer comments how there “can’t be many like you left, eh?” (119) he is completely and totally correct. It coincides actually, with how Giffen and Co. are closing. Before, polishing silver was a highly practice chore, in the olden days where men like Steven were common. However, as time moves on the chore becomes obsolete, and not as common anymore. In a sense, the same is with Steven; their kind is slowly becoming obsolete, and Steven is one of the few left.
In some odd way, I kind of wish there were more people like Steven around these days. Composed, intellectual, and dedicated; granted, more personality and emotion would be nice, but compared to some people today, a Steven here or there would be nice.
After reading more, the assumption that this "vacation" could be a journey becomes obvious. The day barely passes by and already he has owned up to his own mistakes.
In the second part of the story, I was able to see the way in which others respected a servant. At first when Stevens was glorifying his own profession I felt he was just being conceited. However, when he ran out of gas and was stuck in a small village, I was able to see the way in which others respected the butler's profession. He was treated with the same respect as the doctor of the village, and this doctor was the only one treated the same way. Another surprise to me because in today's society doctors are highly respected because of their hard work they went through to become one and the fact that they help others. To see Stevens placed on the same podium as the doctor was an eye opener.
Another thing, who is this Miss Kenton anyways? Why is she so important to have apart of the staff to go out so far of his way? Perhaps there is something more to it because Mr. Farraday had offered Stevens this opportunity before Miss Kenton sent the letter, and at that time he would not accept this "vacation". However, it seemed like as soon as he received this letter from this woman, he took the offer. Since he will be nearby, it would not hurt to stop by and see her, right? I really think there is more behind the story of Miss Kenton and Stevens, but we shall find out later, I'm probably just wrong and sound silly right now.
In Stevens trip there seems to be nothing big happening. But like Danny I go back and forth about whether or not to trust Stevens. At first I thought I could trust him, because he didn’t let his emotions interfere with his work and life. But now he seems to be hiding a past he’s shameful of. Even though Stevens speaks in a sophisticated way and worked for a very powerful leader, I don’t think I want to trust him. I don’t like the fact that he explains himself so much, that he’s afraid of showing his emotions, and that he is over taken by his work—everything he says and does involves him and his work. He’s too attached in his work to not be hiding a secret.
About Mr. Stevens and Miss Kenton, maybe it’s too early to say this, but I think that she really left because there was a strong attraction between her and Mr. Stevens. I think Mr. Stevens made her leave and now regret it and wants to bring her back.
The only reason I continue reading this book is because I want to know whether or not Miss Kenton returns (probably not… hence the title and cover) and how the conversation goes; oh and because it’s a grade. Stevens is such a monotone character; I bet he never heard of an exclamation point. The only parts that I find intriguing are when he writes about Miss Kenton and their encounters.
Mr. Stevens denies working for Lord Darlington… do I sense some regretful or shamefully emotions creeping up on Stevens? My, my, this book may have some nice twists after all!
To answer to Danny’s question about whether or not Stevens is a reliable character (and to agree with Dario): I do see Stevens as a trustworthy narrator. Perhaps he is a little sketchy-sketchy just because he does seem to have zero emotion (you can never trust a guy with no emotion… my momma told me), and when he’s explaining an event that has happened that may change our view of him, he gets into these extra (very extra) long explanations as to why he was motivated to do this, or why he did that the way he did, and his explanations somehow evolve into this completely different topic altogether. Because he goes to lengths to hide or explain simple emotions and desires it makes me believe that he’s hiding more than just simple emotions, and therefore cannot be trusted. But… the most powerful leaders of the country trusted him in the Darlington Mansion. They told secrets in front of him, and even to this day he does not give away their identity. If Darlington confided in him about decisions that would affect the country and he still hasn’t told the audience about all of them, I would consider this to be a very honest and reliable man.
One event that completely made me not like Stevens as a character was when his father died and the attitudes he took towards him. Not only did he neglect his father in the last minutes of his life, but he seemed more interested in the lives of strangers! I was disappointed with Stevens decisions to let his father die while he was filling drinks to people that did not care for him. On the other hand, he can now live up to his father’s expectations; nothing can stand in the way (no circumstances or emotions) of him being the great butler he always strived to be.
On page 139, Stevens says, “But perhaps one should not be looking to the past so much. After all, I still have before me many more years of service I am required to give… It is essential, then, to keep one’s attention focused on the present” which is completely contrary to what he does! This brings me to believe that Mr. Stevens is regretting a thing or two in his past—after reading this, I got the sense that his “secret” (as I put it) is not small, but a secret that is taking over his life. He keeps looking back and reminiscing on the better days he seemed to have. Which by the way, gets me thinking that because he thinks of Miss Kenton so much, maybe he has intense feelings for her… finally, I’m getting some emotion here! =)
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