Perspective is one of the most important tools that Kazuo Ishiguro employs in his novel The Remains of the Day in order to give his readers insight to the book’s deeper meaning. Not only is the entire story told through eyes of a very unreliable narrator, it also highlights the struggles of secondary characters with their own misperceptions. One of these characters is the great Lord Darlington, master of the narrator Stevens and owner of Darlington Hall. In The Remains if the Day, Ishiguro develops the reader's trust in Darlington and then exposes his undemocratic and anti semitic views to show the importance of fighting bias in one’s own life.
Because the reader only knows Darlington through Stevens’ eyes, Darlington is portrayed as a hero and master of the highest quality beginning in the book’s first pages. When speaking of Darlington creating new diplomatic ties, Stevens describes that “his desire to see an end to injustice and suffering was too deeply ingrained in his nature for him to have done otherwise” (Ishiguro, 74). Stevens’ extremely admiring view of Darlington is his only characterization throughout the book, so the reader has no choice but to share Stevens’ opinion of Darlington’s morals. Stevens’ continues his favorable descriptions at almost every opportunity, remarking on Lord Darlington’s “gentle” “commanding” and “respectable” manner. This is the image of Darlington that the reader takes on for the entirety of The Remains of the Day.
Despite the reader’s understanding of Lord Darlington through Stevens’ unreliable eyes, as the book progresses hints of Darlington’s questionable intentions make themselves known. For example, during his Versailles negotiations, Darlington is unexpectedly visited by a family member who he has known for decades. This family member provides an outside perspective, so when he expresses concern for Darlington’s political goals the reader realizes that Darlington may not have the best intentions in mind. Stevens is too biased to recognize Darlingtons concerning actions on his own, so this change of perspective is very valuable to reader. Despite Stevens’ bias, he also helps characterize Darlington’s questionable morals by challenging the general public’s opinion that Lord Darlington is anti semitic in his sympathy to Germany. The fact alone that Stevens feels so inclined to defend Darlington’s morals is evidence that an argument on the topic exists, weakening our reliance of Stevens’ view of Darlington in general.
The manner in which Ishiguro exposes Lord Darlington’s anti semitism is a message to his readers about making judgements and creating opinions in their own lives. At first he leads the reader to trust Darlington and believe that his actions are for the best, however Ishiguro slowly plants evidence to poke holes in the trust readers have developed. With this structure, Ishiguro not only shows the importance of not judging others based on first impressions, but also of developing opinions free from the bias we take on from others. This pursuit of perspective not only makes Ishiguro’s story more meaningful within the pages of the book, but also helps readers bring the lessons from The Remains of the Day into their own lives.
Because the reader only knows Darlington through Stevens’ eyes, Darlington is portrayed as a hero and master of the highest quality beginning in the book’s first pages. When speaking of Darlington creating new diplomatic ties, Stevens describes that “his desire to see an end to injustice and suffering was too deeply ingrained in his nature for him to have done otherwise” (Ishiguro, 74). Stevens’ extremely admiring view of Darlington is his only characterization throughout the book, so the reader has no choice but to share Stevens’ opinion of Darlington’s morals. Stevens’ continues his favorable descriptions at almost every opportunity, remarking on Lord Darlington’s “gentle” “commanding” and “respectable” manner. This is the image of Darlington that the reader takes on for the entirety of The Remains of the Day.
Despite the reader’s understanding of Lord Darlington through Stevens’ unreliable eyes, as the book progresses hints of Darlington’s questionable intentions make themselves known. For example, during his Versailles negotiations, Darlington is unexpectedly visited by a family member who he has known for decades. This family member provides an outside perspective, so when he expresses concern for Darlington’s political goals the reader realizes that Darlington may not have the best intentions in mind. Stevens is too biased to recognize Darlingtons concerning actions on his own, so this change of perspective is very valuable to reader. Despite Stevens’ bias, he also helps characterize Darlington’s questionable morals by challenging the general public’s opinion that Lord Darlington is anti semitic in his sympathy to Germany. The fact alone that Stevens feels so inclined to defend Darlington’s morals is evidence that an argument on the topic exists, weakening our reliance of Stevens’ view of Darlington in general.
The manner in which Ishiguro exposes Lord Darlington’s anti semitism is a message to his readers about making judgements and creating opinions in their own lives. At first he leads the reader to trust Darlington and believe that his actions are for the best, however Ishiguro slowly plants evidence to poke holes in the trust readers have developed. With this structure, Ishiguro not only shows the importance of not judging others based on first impressions, but also of developing opinions free from the bias we take on from others. This pursuit of perspective not only makes Ishiguro’s story more meaningful within the pages of the book, but also helps readers bring the lessons from The Remains of the Day into their own lives.
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