My Summer Work- The Remains of the Day

Part I-
I find it strange that the main character is a butler. Like many have said, I believe Stevens is going on a journey. He has this idea in mind that he’ll see Miss Kenton and ask her about coming back and such matters, but what will really happen? I hope he becomes less stiff. Every story he tells is about keeping your emotions contained. The butler in India was very restrained when he saw the tiger, and Stevens definitely recalled that story with pride. Emotions are like a very negative thing for him. The relationship between Stevens and Mr. Farraday is a very strange one. I couldn’t exactly tell what Mr. Farraday thinks of Stevens, but I suppose he must like him since he was sending him on the trip and paying for expenses. The only reason I was confused is just how they joke. When Stevens tried to joke back, Mr. F was super confused. I just wasn’t sure if he was really confused, or if he was more like why are you joking with me? I agree that Stevens might have a bit of a crush on Miss Kenton. He still calls her MISS Kenton (maybe trying to block out the thoughts that she’s married?) and he also makes excuses for her it seems. He said in one breath that he was bothered when people left for marriage, but in the next breath he claimed that he was not bothered by Miss Kenton’s leave for she was always very professional. Is that reading too far into it, or does that make sense?

Part II-
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?

Part III-
This book really didn’t manage to make it even close to my top favorites. Perhaps it was the way Stevens talked, or perhaps it was because I couldn’t really relate to him.As many have mentioned, the part when Miss Kenton’s aunt passes away brings an odd, yet almost expected reaction from Stevens. He forgets to try and comfort her, or say he is sorry about the death, or anything of the sort. When he does remember, he wants to tell her, but since she was in her room, he assumed she was crying and didn’t want to interrupt a private matter such as that. Most people want comfort from their tears and sadness. This was all so foreign to Stevens that he had no idea that to comfort her might help. It just goes to show one more example of how strange and caged his emotions are. Also probably why Miss Kenton left to meet other people. Who would want to stay with someone so stiff, someone who only knows how to interact by giving orders or commenting on cleaning? That’s hardly even interaction. Also I feel like Stevens clings on to doing his job as a way to cope with having no social skills and losing Miss Kenton.I didn’t understand Stevens’ denial over having qualities of a gentleman. When Mr. Morgan asks what Stevens thinks a gentleman is, saying he must know because he is one, Stevens replied with “It is hardly for me to pronounce upon the qualities I may or may not possess.” (185) Does servanthood really run so deeply through him that he isn’t even allowed to think of himself as a gentleman? The last part of the book, day 6, really was sad. Stevens finally let his emotions (sort of) show, when talking to the man, who told him to stop looking back. His reunion with Miss Kenton was a bittersweet one, as he never told her how he felt. But in the end, he at least has the hope that he can go back and surprise Mr. Faraday. Even with that hope though, the final tone is rather sad.