The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro

Stevens

Miss Kenton

Lord Darlington

Mr Farraday

William Stevens

Sir Reginald Cardinal

Herr Ribbentrop

Mr Lewis

Mr Dupont

Herr Breman

Who said this?

• “not my place to be curious about such matters”
• “democracy is something for a bygone era”
• “you are a bunch of naive dreamers”
• “why why do you always have to pretend?”
• “Mother Nature just carries on in her own sweet way”

DISCUSSION

(1) What does Stevens see as the greatest virtue of a butler?

(2) Consider the definitions of dignity we are given by Stevens  and then by Harry Smith at the Taylors dinner table. Which do you agree with?

(3) How do we judge Stevens ? Consider how he behaves at his father’s death and the dismissal of the Jewish maids.

(4) Would Miss kenton have been happy with Stevens? “I get to thinking of  life I might have had with you, Mr Stevens”

(5) Why does Stevens not confess his love to Miss Kenton  at the end of the novel?

(6) Are Lord Darlington and Stevens similar?

(7) “A butler who sacrificed body and soul to service in the years leading up to World War II realizes too late how misguided his loyalty was to his lordly employer”. Do you agree with this synopsis? Is it a tragic novel?

Kazuo Ishiguro on The Remains of the Day podcast