Ultimately he forgoes his father to focus on the guests, and ultimately misses his father's passing.

Much of the book, then, is dedicated to providing accounts of Stevens' exhibiting this professionalism at the expense of his human feelings.įor instance, during a great convention at Lord Darlington's house in 1923, Stevens had to handle his dying father in an upstairs room all the while managing the guests of the convention. It is this definition of dignity that most concerns Stevens - and he believes it reflects a man who maintains his professionalism no matter what the circumstances. In his eyes, a great butler is what the Hayes Society describes as a man of a distinguished household and a man of dignity.

He first reflects upon what makes a butler a 'great' one, something he clearly has aspirations to achieve. It's as if he's creating a mental diary of his life over this trip, aiming to come to terms with his life choices and his ultimate direction.

The book spans his one week trip to visit Miss Kenton and involves a mainly stream-of-consciousness 'moral inventory' of Stevens' life. An act of Parliament in England severely limited the power of the aristocracy and ultimately began to break up these huge estates - Darlington Hall is one of the last few. Specifically, Stevens has had trouble since the end of the second World War finding a large enough staff to handle the work at the estate. Twenty years ago, Miss Kenton and he worked at Darlington Hall together, he as butler, she as maid, but she left upon her marriage, and now twenty years later, she is divorced, and Stevens looks forward to bringing her back to Darlington Hall to help with his increasing staff problems.

Stevens believes the suggestion dovetails nicely with his desire to visit a former colleague at Darlington Hall - Miss Kenton, now Mrs. Farraday, an American gentleman who believes Stevens needs a break from his duties. At the start of the novel, he is encouraged to take a vacation by his employer, Mr. The book tells the story of Stevens, an English butler working at Darlington Hall. The Remains of the Day, the third novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, was published in 1989 to great acclaim, winning the Man Booker Prize for Literature.

The remains of the day book