Summer Reading Analysis - The Remains of the Day, Part III

I feel the need to be completely repetitive and state, as did almost everyone else, that this book was my personal favorite out of them all. The author has such an amazing grip on the English language, the reader really does become emotionally involved with Stevens. To reflect back on an earlier post that I made, and agree with a number of my fellow students, it seems that Stevens quest for "dignity" has robbed him of his basic, human, emotional being. He has put so much time and effort into embodying his profession to the highest degree that he has, it appears, developed some sort of psychological complex that hinders him from showing emotions easily.

For me, the part of the novel that speaks to me the most is none other than the meeting between Stevens and Miss Kenton. It is apparent through Steven's psychological "poking", "prodding", and inquiry of Miss Kenton's feelings towards her husband that he is "testing the waters", so to speak. He clearly has feelings for her, this grew more and more apparent to me throughout the novel the more he spoke about her. Now he wants to know if she reciprocates those feelings, but alas nothing romatic grows out of their interaction.I

t also crossed my mind many a time that Miss Kenton had feelings for Stevens while she was working with him in Darlington Hall. This brings up an interesting, yet tragic, idea. It seems to me like a sort of "too little, too late" situation, where the potential for a romace existed but was never acted upon until it was futile to pursue it. This brings up another point of mine.

Suppose the blame for this overlooked romance should be placed on Stevens' position as a butler? Perhaps because of the emotional restraint required by this position, along with Stevens' never ending quest for greatness and dignity, he lost contact with his heart. This sacrifice clearly does not go unnoticed, or without repercussions. Is it worth it, to dedicate your life so fully to fulfilling a task as to lose yourself in it?

Apparently it isn't, and the melancholy tone at the end of the novel can attest to that.