Now that you've finished the novel, I want to add some additional questions and expand the conversation. Feel free to revisit anything we talked about in class; there were several students absent who will benefit from hearing your analysis.1. If you could choose three adjectives to describe Stevens, what would they be? Why?
2. What do you think of Stevens's definitions of "greatness" and "dignity"? Would you define these things in the same way? Are there any flaws in his definitions? In the end, do you think he is dignified?
3. In what sense is Stevens reliable as a narrator? In what sense is he unreliable? As you read the novel, did your level of trust in his narration change at all? Where?
4. Stevens's life could be called a symbol of a fading England in the midst of a changing, post-war Britain. If that is true, what are the characteristics of the England that is fading, and how do we see it exemplified in Stevens?
5. What does Stevens's discussion of the English landscape reveal about his worldview? What does it reveal about his own interior landscape?
6. This question is related to the last. Although this is a very reflective novel, and there are moments of apparent introspection throughout, I am curious to know how well, in your view, Stevens knows himself. Does he understand his own emotions? His own actions? His own experiences?
7. Why do you think Stevens denies having been Lord Darlington's butler? Do you believe his reasoning? How do you think Stevens ultimately feels about having been so closely associated with him?
8. Sometimes Stevens uses the first-person pronoun "I" to refer to himself, but at other times he speaks of himself in the third person, "one." Do you see any significance in this?
9. How do other characters in the novel work as foils for Stevens? How are they like him? How are they different?
10. Why doesn't Stevens tell Mrs. Benn (Miss Kenton) how he feels when she admits, at that rainy bus stop in Weymouth, that she often thinks about a life with him? Do you think she ever knows that he returns her feelings?
11. How has Stevens's journey (both physical and emotional) changed him? Or has it? In thinking about the arc of his character, what is your conclusion? Has he overcome anything, changed his ways or ways of thinking, come to terms with anything? How does the Stevens on the last page compare to the Stevens on page 1?
12. Some critics argue that The Remains of the Day is ultimately a tragedy. Do you agree?
See you on Tuesday.
1- Stevens: Robotic, Cold, DIGNIFIED! :)
ReplyDelete2- I think in the end Stevens is dignified, but I also think he way out-did himself in achieving it. He didn't have to create the life he did for him self and still be able to maintain the dignity he was searching for. He distanced himself from people, and that was not required for dignity.
3- He is unreliable in his narration because so often, especially in the beginning, because he is trying so hard to fool himself, and justify his own actions. These attempts are mostly transparent, but are still occasionally confusing to the reader, as he wants to believe what Stevens is saying. At the very end I felt like he was being completely honest.
4- The characteristics of Engalnd that are fading are those of Blue-Blood and formality. Life is so busy that Teatime would be a joke, and the highly formal social situations were on the way out.
5- Pass
6- I felt like at the very end of the book it was as though Stevens opened a door of emotion and feelings that he had never even acknowledged existed before that. It did not give him instant knowledge and understanding of himself, his feelings, and his life experiences... but it was a beginning and he instantly did recognize HE WAS FEELING, and began sifting through his thoughts and feelings. And for the first time he was beginning to recognize his motivations, and feelings. I felt like the author was implying he had years of reflection and self-discovery ahead of him.
7- He denies having been his butler because he is embarrassed at some of Lord Darlington's actions.
1. If you could choose three adjectives to describe Stevens, what would they be? Why? I would have to say he is an introvert, reserved, and stationary.
ReplyDelete2. What do you think of Stevens's definitions of "greatness" and "dignity"? Would you define these things in the same way? Are there any flaws in his definitions? In the end, do you think he is dignified? By keeping ones close on in public, I think he is talking about never loosing your head and always keeping your wits about you. I think he values temperance and fortitude. I do, however, think he missed the boat but not allowing any emotions to ever manifest themselves.
3. In what sense is Stevens reliable as a narrator? In what sense is he unreliable? As you read the novel, did your level of trust in his narration change at all? Where? The narrator is always tricky for me. You read the story then you decide in hindsight if the narrator was reliable. I think that in hindsight we find Stevens to be unreliable because his lack of manifest emotions cloud his decisions and ability to accurately asses a situation.
4. Stevens's life could be called a symbol of a fading England in the midst of a changing, post-war Britain. If that is true, what are the characteristics of the England that is fading, and how do we see it exemplified in Stevens?
5. What does Stevens's discussion of the English landscape reveal about his worldview? What does it reveal about his own interior landscape?
6. This question is related to the last. Although this is a very reflective novel, and there are moments of apparent introspection throughout, I am curious to know how well, in your view, Stevens knows himself. Does he understand his own emotions? His own actions? His own experiences? No. he understands his role as a butler and what that means and he chooses to exemplify that role. He wishes to perfect the role in a sort of way, but by so doing he loses his identity.
7. Why do you think Stevens denies having been Lord Darlington's butler? Do you believe his reasoning? How do you think Stevens ultimately feels about having been so closely associated with him? Similar to Peter and denying Christ, I think that in the moment he loses confidence because he doesn’t know who he is. He does not have an inner self motivating force. He is afraid.
8. Sometimes Stevens uses the first-person pronoun "I" to refer to himself, but at other times he speaks of himself in the third person, "one." Do you see any significance in this? The removal of himself is almost an example of his detachment from life.
9. How do other characters in the novel work as foils for Stevens? How are they like him? How are they different?
10. Why doesn't Stevens tell Mrs. Benn (Miss Kenton) how he feels when she admits, at that rainy bus stop in Weymouth, that she often thinks about a life with him? Do you think she ever knows that he returns her feelings? He is an adult and knows that in the moment that the “other life” sounds great, but he is such a realist and logical thinker that he knows that her leaving her husband and daughter would have long term consequences and she would eventually feel guilty and could never be fully happy. She may never know he feels, but in the end that is what is best for her, not him.
11. How has Stevens's journey (both physical and emotional) changed him? Or has it? In thinking about the arc of his character, what is your conclusion? Has he overcome anything, changed his ways or ways of thinking, come to terms with anything? How does the Stevens on the last page compare to the Stevens on page 1? A person who has not come to know themselves knows nothing in this life. Stevens journey of self discovery almost comes too late in his life, but it did come, and that makes all the difference. He is changed and if there was a sequal to the novel it might be called the “Beginning of the day”.
12. Some critics argue that The Remains of the Day is ultimately a tragedy. Do you agree?
The life lost is, but the life found, if pursued is not.
1. Obedient. Servant. Typical. This semester I've been thinking a lot about how each one of us are in some way or another unable to critically think on our own. Whether we realize it or not, we are blinded by other people's perceptions of reality, and we're servants to those perceptions. It's when we start thinking for ourselves and really start to question the status quo that things become interesting.
ReplyDelete2. To Stevens, he was being "great" and "dignified" the best way he knew how. Once his moral compass started to realign at the end of the novel, there really wasn't much he could do at that point except to make take baby steps to fix the wrong he felt was committed by serving loyally a corrupt master.
4. I would say "greatness" and "dignity". England realizes they are slipping in status as a top world power. They are being humbled.
6. It seems that Stevens, like most of us, is trying to figure out his emotions throughout the novel. He's just trying to make sense of it all. How well do each of us really know ourselves at any given point in our lives? Sometimes better, sometimes worse. Life is a chaos for us to make sense of.
7. He doesn't want to be associated with a boss who has a bad rep after serving him so loyally for so long. He justifies himself throughout the novel by saying he didn't really know what was going on/the affairs of Lord Darlington. He really just is blindly obedient to his master. He should've found out for himself the ideals of Lord Darlington and then decided whether or not it was moral.
8. After finishing the book, I found myself thinking in terms of the language of what I read. (Such as, "Perhaps one would be wise in doing this..."). I found it really annoying. LOL. I think Stevens was switching back and forth between using "I" and referring to himself in 3rd person because he was trying to distance himself from his actions, perhaps distancing himself from the ones he started to see as morally questionable.
10. She knows how he feels. He's just too prideful to admit the feelings he felt for her. That's why it didn't work out between the two of them. Pride and prejudice, baby...
11. I think he's starting to glimpse how he could have been different in his life. But the real question is what will he do now? We can't go back and change the past. All we really can do is keep moving forward. That's a question only Stevens can answer.
12. Yes and no. Like any of us, there are things we regret doing. Stevens is just at the point of recognizing these actions and seeing how they could've been different. The main thing is what will we do in the future?