Eng426 20th century english literature

Techniques

Flashback: The Remains of the Day is mostly a form of review of events that took place in the past. The main character, Stevens tries to bring the reader up to date on the issues that led to the present-his impending trip to the United States of America and the state of affairs in Darlington Hall. As a result, there are series of flashbacks where he fills the reader in. This technique causes him to digress from one issue to another as he tries to explain himself. Being a dedicated butler and professional, he pays great attention to details including giving information on every aspect of the preparation for his journey. It is through the use of flashback that the reader gets to know that Stevens must have “overdone” his professionalism to the point that he fails to gain those things that are important to him in life. For example, when he recollects his working relationship with Miss Kenton, he discovers that he should probably have given her some attention when she showed interest in him.
Humour: In The Remains of the Day, Ishiguro introduces the issue of banter which is against the all serious and official nature of employer/ employee relationship in traditional English society. Stevens has always been a strict professional butler who thinks he should not be unnecessarily familiar with his boss or employer. Meanwhile, his American employer, Mr. Farraday, coming from a different culture thinks otherwise. The author plays on the cultural difference to poke fun at the rigidity of the English culture. It is banter that eventually infuses humour in the narrative. At the end of the novel, Steven changes his view and decides that banter is the key to human warmth
Fragmentation: The plot of The Remains of the Day is fragmented plot because of the diary form adopted in the narrative. There are so many different stories that are told to serve two purposes. The first is to let the reader know about things that have happened before the narration started. The second purpose that these stories serve is to explain Stevens’ values and character. For example when he views the serenity of Salisbury, he links the quietness of the environment to those qualities that he considers cardinal to his profession. He recalls stories that exemplify each quality. This invariably takes the reader from the present to some disjointed past. In addition, the novel has no chronological plot. Rather, all issues are subject to the drift that takes us from one strand to another. For instance, the record of Stevens' motoring trip is interjected by a lot of digressions.