Repressed Emotion Analysis as Found From Remain Of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

  

            

Repressed Emotion Analysis as Found From  Remain Of The

Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

By Lavilette Pine 

 

Remain  of The Day (1989)  is writen by the nobel prize winning British author, Kazuo Ishiguro. Kazuo is an English writer with a Japanese origin. Remain  of The Day (1989)  is the third book  and the winner  of the Man Booker Prize that allow the author to achieve  international fame. This novel first published in World War 1 at May 1989. Its write in past tense and a first-person narrative which the narrator acting as both obserer and protagonist in this novel.

The genre of Remain  of The Day (1989)  is historical novel. The title related to the English Kingdom culture. Its alludes to the waning of British Empire since this novel takes place during  the years leading up to World  Ward II. The historical itself about the effects of Nazism and World WarII on England that emphazise on decline of the English aristocacry. The Era where the social status views not from land possesion and noble titles, but from the acquisition of commersial wealth.

Remain  of The Day (1989)  also includes a real historical figures such as Herr Ribbentrop and Lord Halifax as visitor to Darlington Hall in the beginning of the story. The character of Lord Darlington also embraces historically was known as “appeasement”. The meeaning is the idea that Britain should have done everything that could resolve tensions with Germany peacefully rather than choosing into another war as devastating as World War I. In the novel also mention ‘The Versailles Treaty’. The Versailles Treaty’ is the peace treaty that Germany was forced to sign when lost from World War I. Perhaps, this genre concerned with Kazuo Ishiguro’s backgrund. Ishiguro’s mother survived the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki. Thus, Ishiguro and his family moved to England when he was five years old.

 This novel tell about the Steven’s life as a butlers and memories of that time, which are all that remains. Mr. Steven is the protagonist of this novel. He is a butlers who serving Lord Darlington. He works in   Darlington Hall for about 34 years.  He used to be loyal butler of Lord Darlington after the death of this latter, Mr. Farraday an American lord and owner of the house. Indeed, Stevens cannot get accustomed to Mr Farraday’s manner of talking and joking, so he faces some difficulties in interacting with  his new master. However, Mr. Farraday suggest to Stevens to take his holiday in summer. He order Stevens to take trip around England, a journey that would change Stevens’s whole life.

The plot of the novel begin with Mr . Stevens preparing  take a short trip through the English Countryside.  Mr Farraday suggestion him to take his vocation in Summer. On the afternoon, Stevens receives a letter from Miss. Kenton. Miss. Kenton is a former housekeeper in Darlington Hall. She works there for fifteen year and then got married. After twenty marriage, Kenton send a letter to Stevens stating that she is unhappy with her marriage and wants to come back in Darlington as a housekeeper again. Thus, Stevens decides to take a motoring trip to Cornwall, where Miss. Kenton lives to visit and make sure his condition after married.

Based on atlas entitled The Wonder of England, Stevens sets off his journey from Darlington Hall. Stevent record his journey in the diary for the next six days. Its kinda remains the event of the trip with recollections of the past. Stevens recorded stories sketch out his relationship with Lord Darlington and the evolution of his Lordship’s ionvolvement in political affairs. Its prove by a picture emerges of elaborate dinners, secret meetings, political intrigue and many things that the powerful politician do.  Its tell about Lord Darlington’s crushing attachment to foreign policy. It is clear that Lord Darlington sympathized with Nazi and  was Hiyler’s pawn in a diplomatic game to influence the British Government. However, Stevents loyally maintains that Lord Darlington wasn’t a bad man, no one trust with him.  Stevens feels engulfed by the sense his life has been wasted. He was too dissapointed.

Stevens have feelings for Miss Kenton depen over the course of her 14-year service. He recall entire conversation and all the momories they had. But, he hiden his feeling and maintain their relationship  on aprofessional footing only. Thats why, Miss Kento leaves Darlington Hall to marry another man. This make Stevens deep regret but not ackowledged.

The highlight of Steven’s journey is bittersweet.  He meets with Miss Kenton, now she called Mis Ben. Steven meet miss Ben for a tea in the afternoon. He lern that he was mistaken and realize on something. She  tells stevens that she loves his husband and  staying lived with him. She also admit that they’re marriage was fine and happy. She isn’t coming back to work, she just curious to Steven condition and she really miss him. She suggest  to Stevens that he should stop worying so much about the past.

The novels ends with Stevens making a stop at Weymouth pier on the way back to Darlington Hall. He spends his evening on Weymouth sitting, watching the pier lights come on. A few hours ago je had with another man on the bench beside him. Steves tell the man what just hapening, and begin to cry.  The man tried comfort him by telling him to keep looking forward. Now, stevens thingking over his life with regret. He decides its time to give up living the past, to enjoy his remaining days and to perfecct his bantering skills. He get plan to work harder to fulfill that professional requirement as best he can.

From the summary of Remain  of The Day (1989) above, the writer  will analyse about Repressed Emotion that occurs toward the main character  in this novel. Repressed emotion  can be elaborate to guilt and regret, loss, memory and  past and the principle of the butler . To end up the paper, the writer will sump up the discussion and gives a inspirative quotes.

According to Garsen (2007) emotional repression is all about avoiding emotional suffering. It is like a coping style used to hide and push away negative emotion. Emotional repression can be defines as a defense mechanism where people defend himself from the negatives amd focus instead on the positive aspect of who they are. Garsen (2007) states that emotional repression difference from emotional supression. Its concerned to one off act of avoiding negastive emotions rather than habitual coping strategy.

The writer will focused on analyse emotionally repressed butler Stevens lifetime of service in Darlington and how Stevens loyalty to Lord Dalington in the years  leading up to World War II realize too late how misguided his loyalty was to his lordly employer.  emotional repression associated with the relationship between Stevens and Miss Kenton. Stevens character are a confused and complicated personality, struggling to understand Miss Kento’s attempts at intimacy or deals with the feeling in normal humane manner. But, Miss Kento leavres him because bores relationship in Steven’s life.

In Remain  of The Day (1989), the relationship with his employer Lord Darlington, the ousekeeper Miss Kento and his father, William stevens, each of pictures potrayed is shadowed with guilt an regret.  Although Stevens never say what he think ‘regret’ may mean. Its become clear when he break down, upset and cry in the end of the novel. It happen when Miss Kento did not fully mean what she writes in her letter.  She had beeen complaining about her current situation. She just wanna to meet with him. Or,Steven realises

 

I may as well say here that having re-read the letter again tonight,

 I am incline believe I may well have read more into certain of

the lines that perhaps was wishes. (Ishiguro 1989: 189)

 

Its become clear that Miss Kenton will not be able nor willing to return work at Darlington Hall . the reason is she has received news that her daughter, Cathering is pregnant. Stevens feel really dissapointed and regret knowing Miss Kento never come back to Darlington Hall again. His regret makes him think to reevaluates his past action and decisions. He decides to look forward and leave the past behind. He trying to move on from Miss Kenton  and makes planning for his future plan. Stevens looks onward where he is thinking of his day serving Mr. Farraday. The overwhelming regrets of the ending is only slightly lifted by Steven’s resolve to perfect the art of bantering. He decides to stop life in the past and enjoy the rest of his life serving Mr Faraday better and learning his bantering skills. He end up his journey diary by let the past go and begin his new life.

The Stevens guilt also can be shows when denied being buler to Lord Darinton, who, he insist is a noble man. After World War II, Lord Darlington is labeled a Nazi sympathizer and get involves a diplomatic game to influence the British Government. Therefore, mr Darlington accused being traitor. Lord Darlington accused of being traitor in front of the public. Eventhough, he eventually dies in disgrace. Stevens loyalty serving his lordship during those years, he refuses to admit that Lord Darlington maybe  less than a great man. He says:

 

Lord Darlington wasn’t a bad man. He wasn’t a bad man at all.

  And at least he had the previlege of being able to say at the end of his life

that he made his own mistake. His lordship was a courageous man.

 He choose a certain path in life, it proved to be misguided one

. (Ishiguro 1989: 175)

 

Stevens relationship with his father are uncomfortable and complex. He respect his father buts he couldn’t closer to him as father beyond the proffesional butler. He learn many values and greatness standart butler by judges himself come from his father. However, stevens leaves his father who is dying in order to carry out his duties to Lord Darlington. The writer guess he prefer choose his work than his father. He is unable to deal with his father’s deth bed confession of pride in him. Then, escape into his servant’s role where emotion is not permitted. The only things he can express his feelings of guilt and regret  is to assert that he had done what his father would have expected.

Almost every character  in  Remain  of The Day (1989) had been loss someone. Stevens losses his father, Miss Kenton and eventually hope of bring Miss Kenton return to Darlington Hall. Miss Kenton losses his daughter and Stevens when ahe decides to resign his work and marry a ,am she doesn’t love. Lord Darlington losses his two friends, Herr Breman and  Sir David Canal  and his godson, Reginald Cardinal. Furhermore, Lord Darlington loses  his public good  reputation as a nobleman, accused as traitor and his sanity by the end of his life. So, perhaps its indicate the death of love.

Stevens losses Miss Kento forever. The writer guess perhaps its because the distiction between sexual desire and sexual repression. Stevens has managed to find a balance between her duties a butler and his own human qualities. When Stevens visit Miss Kenton, he cannot speak in tersm of love or human desire. Its seem like in the Darlington Hall. Stevens has many chance to get her attention or at least convincing his feeling. Everytime he want to talk or create romantically moment with Miss Kenton, he couldn’t do it because the servant’s role. He could do it only the context of work.

Stevens cannot  separate his human desire from work and figure out the other way of framing his own identity or sexuality without contextualizing it in work. Thats why, Miss Kenton leaves him and Darlington Hall, to find her soulmate. She want to spending the rest of his life in his family. So, she married with a  man who is good to her. A man she has come to love. Steven loses her forever and he is like a prisoner who spend the rst of his life alone at Darlington Hall and serving Mr. Farraday. Thus make Steven hopeless of life. And stevens notes when he sees her, the years have taken, and this loss has been replaced by touoch of weariness and sadness.

 

The spark which had once made her such a lively, and at times

 volatile person seemed now to have gone. (Ishiguro 1989: 168)

 

In  Remain  of The Day (1989) weaves together strands of memory from Stevens’s life in service at Darlington Hall.  Steven’s principal strands concern his employer, his father and his housekeper. Stevens recount his memory in some part by some events like Miss. Kenton’s letter. Each of pieces memories depict aboyt past as Stevens remember. But, its seem like subjectives, often faulty perspective memories.

Remain  of The Day (1989) is not only fictional memories.its an attempt to coordinate one’s personal memory with the incridible historical events. Stevens memory at the time about second world war (Germany affinity)  perspective toward the shift political ideologies. We see Lord Darlington as a symbol of confusion representing a subsection of the mass populace at that time. Its prove when Lord Darlington had not been initially so preoccupied with the peace treaty when it was drawn up at the end of the Great War. The writer think it is conected with his friendship, Herr Karl-Heinz Bremann and the tragic circumstances of his death. 

In the story, Mr. Darlington working hard with the purpose to try to influence dignitaries from all over the world, to make them  recognize the injustice being imposed on the German public by virtue of the utterly humiliating nature of the treaty. Steven’s rememberings of the past abut the Lord Darlington’s symphaty. Lord Darlington trying to spread  peaceful relations between Britain and the new German  under Hitler command. There’s also a subtext to strenghten argumen  that he like many other people of that time, had been fooled by the German propagand:

 

Over the last few years, his lordship has probably been the single most useful

pawn Herr Hitler has had in this country for his propaganda tricks. All the

better because he's sincere and honourable and doesn't recognize the true

nature of what he's doing. During the last three years alone, his lordship has

been crucially instrumental in establishing links between Berlin and over sixty of

the most influential citizens of this country.His lordship has been trying to

persuade the Prime Minister himself to accept an invitation to visit Herr Hitler.

(Ishiguro 1989: 164)

 

Then, the writer will elaborate the principles in Remain  of The Day (1989). The principles here  associated with dignity, duty and loyalty. Professional principles are the driving force in James Steven’s life. Stevens aims is to be recognize as a great butler. However, greatness gas a price.

This novel Stevens sets a number of example that shape the concept of dignity. His first sources about dignity come from the differents situation and memories about his profession as  butler. When he become a butler in Darlington Hall, he is unable to separate himself from the role and always is ‘on duty’ in presence of other.  So, these thing like dignity and loyalty which it appears matters  to Stevens in order to be the best butler he is inspires tobe.  Stevens say a matter of dignity as:

 

Dignity has to do crucially with butler’s ability not to do abandon The

  profesional being inhabbits.... something one can meaningfully stives for throughout one’s career.  (Ishiguro 1989: 33)

 

the dignity Stevens’s ideas was inspired by that of his father’s story about a butler’s behaviour and manner when he discovered  a tiger in the dining room. Stevens  whole perception of greatness revolves around the opinion whereas  the greatness of the butler lies in the moral worth of his employer. This is could  influence on the world. So, for that ensures the butler, through his actions, has made a mark. There are various instances in the novel when we see that Stevens justifies his behaviour to others due to the fact that he is bound by duty and professional activities. Actually, this seems like a misguided pursuit on numerous occasions, when we see blatant undignified actions on his part.

Steven’s doesn’t afford to his father the proper dignity while reducing his workload, damaging his self esteem to maintain his own professionalism. He doesn’t afford dignity to his father in death by reassuring him that his life was as fulfilling as it
could be and instead in his own selfishness to avoid dealing with his father’s illness, lets him believe that he was a bad father. Then he said slowly:

 

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 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. (Ishiguro 1989: 73)

 

To sum up, in  Remain  of The Day (1989) of Remain  of The Day (1989),  the writer focused repressed emotion  as the main theme. It can be elaborate to guilt and regret, loss, memory and  past and the principle of the butler. This novel makes people reflect on their past. Stevens realize he has been waste life to live in past.  However, we get a renewed sense of hope looking to our future as Stevens does when he hopes to adopt a more positive outlook and tries to make the best of what remains of his day.

 

“Such evidently small incidents... render whole dreams forever irredeemable”

James Stevens, Chaper 5

 

References 

Course Hero. (2021). The Remains Of The Day themes. Retrieved

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Garssen, B. (2007). Repression: finding our way in the maze of concepts. Journal of Behavioral               Medicine, 30(6), 471-481

Ghariri, Ashil. (2020). Persona in Kazuo Kazuo Ishiguro’s  The Remains Of  The Day. AWEJ                 for Translation and Literary Studies,  2(16), 221-232.

Ishiguro, Kazuo. (1989). The Remains Of The Day. Faber & Faber

Sinha, Swapnil. (2018). A political and Social analysis of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains Of                     The Day. Journals of Sciences and High Technologies,  9(2), 334-339.

Sarah, Siti. (2019). The repressed trauma of a devoted english butler in The Remains Of The                 Day. Journal of Language and Communication, 6(2).

            Sparknotes, (2021). The Remains Of The Day themes. Retrieved

https://www.lsparknotes.com/lit/remains/themes/