The Remains of the Day

The novel is beautifully written, entertaining and funny. The way it tells the story encourages the reader to think about it and question the subjectivity and unreliability of the narrator. It follows Mr Stevens, who is so devoted to his work that he doesn't appear to be human. And reading a story in such a perspective forces the reader to think about human behaviour and why someone would act a certain way, as Mr Stevens does not understand the people around him.


I truly enjoyed reading this novel, which tells the story of an English butler, Mr Stevens, who decides to go visit Miss Kenton, the former housekeeper of Darlington Hall. The novel discusses ‘dignity' which is crucial to being a ‘great butler' to Mr Stevens and ‘banter', a problem he is struggling to solve and master. Also, it touches upon the restrictions due to his profession, which keep him busy all the time that e.g. he doesn't think it is favourable to marry and his loyalty to Lord Darlington who surrounded himself with incriminating people and did some bad decisions because of it. Additionally, it shows the incapability of Mr Stevens to understand Miss Kenton's behaviour. He insists on having a professional relationship with her, which often crosses the line and they develop a friendship that he doesn't understand. Mr Stevens is always surprised when Miss Kenton acts as if they're friends and pushes her away. Due to the story being told completely in Mr Stevens' perspective, it is very subjective and as he does not understand her behaviour, the reader doesn't as well. But when reading between the lines, one can see that Mr Stevens cannot grasp the prospect of love. Only in the end does he express that he cares for Miss Kenton (Mrs Benns) and shares some advice, which is always useful.