APE Summer Writing Assignment

Analysis of Rain Symbolism in The Remains of the Day

In the novel The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro, the description of a steady downfall of rain is used to describe the setting and enhance the dreary mood of a meeting between a man and a woman who’s feelings for each other were never actualized. The rain, used as a potent symbol with many meanings, can be symbolically interpreted to express the sadness in their hearts, and at the same time as a cleansing force that is trying to wash away the regrets of the past. Without the bleak and reoccurring description of the rain, the reader would have less insight into the thoughts and feelings of the characters portrayed in the scene, and it would have a far smaller emotional impact on the reader.

The entire novel The Remains of the Day focuses on the dual journey of a butler in a prestigious household. This butler, who will be referred to as Stevens, is given an automobile and some vacation time by his employer Mr. Faraday, who is a wealthy American who came into possession of an English mansion named Darlington Hall. Stevens is instructed by Mr. Faraday to take the vacation time and the automobile and treat himself to a road-trip across the English countryside while he, himself, goes away and leaves the house unoccupied. Stevens takes this as an opportunity to go and visit a woman, Miss Kenton, who he worked with in serving the original owner of Darlington Hall, Lord Darlington. Now, Miss Kenton had left housekeeping at Darlington Hall many years before this venture took place to marry, but had been periodically writing to Stevens over the years.

Throughout the course of Stevens’ roadtrip, various recollections and flashbacks are written about that take the reader back in time to when Stevens and Miss Kenton had worked together. It is apparent in many a situation that Miss Kenton and Stevens had feelings for each other, and Miss Kenton seemed to openly express them on more than one occasion. Perhaps not always in the nicest way, but it is apparent by the way that the intensity of Miss Kenton’s emotions seemed to be multiplied exponentially around Stevens. For instance, towards the beginning of Miss Kenton’s career at Darlington Hall, she and Stevens had a common disagreement over the placement of certain items in the house, namely a statue. Because of this disagreement, where Stevens was not overly offensive or hostel in any way, Miss Kenton refused to speak to Stevens directly and even appointed a housemaid to mediate between the two of them. However, this is not the only instance of a clear emotional overreaction between these two individuals. Stevens also overreacted, the most notable occasion of which is when Miss Kenton inquired about a specific book that she had seen him reading in his private quarters one night. Stevens resister her inquiries bitterly and refuses to show her what he is reading. Perhaps because of this obvious resistance, Miss Kenton inquires further and even goes as far as to snatch the book out of Stevens’ hands. The book turned out to be nothing but a fictional romance novel. Events such as these were common between Stevens and Miss Kenton, more than hinting at their mutual feelings. But it was because of Stevens’ obsession with obtaining dignity in his profession that created the wall that prevented their relationship from developing further.

Because of the fact that Stevens was himself a prestigious butler of his time, he frequently suppressed his emotions in order to obtain dignity and greatness within the butlering community. When his father, noted to be one of the greatest butlers of his generation, suddenly became ill on the job one day, Stevens does not show much concern nor sympathy for his father who is now more-or-less out of a job. When Stevens’ father is eventually on his deathbed, Miss Kenton offers to stay with him and comfort him while Stevens continues with his duties. This is yet another example of how Miss Kenton’s actions betray her inner, secret feelings towards Stevens. Stevens takes her up on her offer, and continues waiting to a large dinner party while his own father is dying upstairs. This is because his experience over the years as a butler have rendered his professionally near impervious to outside influences. He simply does not feel badly about his father’s death, which happens after a short amount of time elapses. When Miss Kenton informs him of his father’s demise, stoic Stevens barely bats an eyelash. He gives her permission to close his father’s eyelids, and returns to duty. This outlines another key aspect of Stevens’ psyche that is imperative to understanding the final climactic meeting between Stevens and Miss Kenton.

Many, many years later after Miss Kenton does in fact leave Darlington Hall to tie the knot, she meets again with Stevens near the end of his journey. Their rondevoux point is at the Rose Garden Hotel in Little Compton, England, and one of the first things mentioned about the setting is that the “rain is falling steadily” (205) outside. This exact phrase is repeated in the novel, when Stevens reminisces two days later about his meeting with Miss Kenton. This obvious emphasis on the rain reveals that the rain is not simply a random atmospheric condition chosen at random by the author. The rain is a powerful symbol with a dual-meaning. During this meeting between old “friends”, Stevens repeatedly drops hints about his feelings towards Miss Kenton, urging her to return to Darlington Hall with him and questioning her relationship with her husband. He confines to the reader only, in a tone hinting at disappointment, that he learned that Miss Kenton’s marriage was not in as bad a state as he originally envisioned because of some of the letters she sent him in their time apart. After a long time of discussion and catching up with each other in the hotel parlor, Stevens and Miss Kenton disembark and Stevens insists on driving her to her bus stop. Even now, the rain is “still falling steadily” 237 as they hurry to take refuge under the bus shelter. It is here, in this rickety bus shelter, that the true meaning of the rain is revealed to the reader. Here, Stevens begins to inquire about Miss Kenton’s intentions of returning to Darlington Hall with him. He sheepishly asks her if she is “unhappy” (238) or if she has been “ill-treated in some way” (238), to which she gently reassures him that this is not the case. Miss Kenton then points out to Stevens that he appears to be “unsatisfied” (238) with her response, and Stevens replies that he is “mystified as to the cause of [her] unhappiness” (238). One can not help but notice the strong insinuation here. It appears as if Stevens has now finally gathered the courage to act on his feelings towards Miss Kenton, and his effort does not go unnoticed.

In this final meeting between Stevens and Miss Kenton, Miss Kenton finally admits that she still from time to time thinks “about a life [she] may have had with [Stevens].” (239) This is where the symbolism of the rain gains its power. Rain can be a refreshing, cleansing force used to wash away dirt and grime and reveal things that are normally hidden. In this instance, the revealing and cleansing power of the rain is used to mirror, and at the same time, represent the revelation between these two people that they both do, in fact, have feelings for each other after years of suppressing and hiding such feelings. But there love is not meant to be, as Miss Kenton soon reveals that even though she does have feelings for Stevens from time to time, her “rightful place is with [her] husband” (239). This is where the rain gains another meaning- one that is not as positive as the last. Because their final meeting did not turn out the way Stevens planned, and Miss Kenton did not return back to Darlington Hall with Stevens, and they never developed their potential relationship, the rain could also symbolize tears. The tears that Stevens cried on the inside when he learned that he and Miss Kenton could never actually be together. Stevens states that on the inside his “heart was breaking” (239), but he forced himself to smile anyway. The cleansing rain pouring down outside onto the bus shelter represents the revealing of emotions that have long been suppressed (by the metaphorical bus shelter), and the tears that were never cried over a relationship that never got off the ground.