The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro is a fictional novel about regrets and lost chances. This book is Ishiguro’s third published novel and has received the Man Booker Prize for fiction in 1989. The Remains of the Day uses several literary techniques such as tone, flashbacks, symbolism, and foreshadowing to emphasize the core themes of dignity, regret, and loyalty. The plot mainly revolves around human weaknesses and misjudgments.
The Remains of the Day is a first person narrative of an English butler named Stevens on 6-day trip to the English countryside. Stevens could be considered as the “perfect” butler due to his serious personality, exemplary work ethic, and strong sense of loyalty. Stevens has been working as a butler at
…show more content…
The author uses tone to emphasize Steven’s changing feelings regarding Lord Darlington as he looks back on his actions. Stevens tone is that of nostalgia and regret over things that he did and failed to do in the past. For example, in the fifth chapter of the novel entitled “Day Three—Evening/Moscombe, Near Tavistock, Devon,” Stevens recollects about an event where Lord Darlington requested him to fire two maids because of their religion. Stevens loyally followed Lord Darlington’s command and fired the maids, which in effect, angered Miss Kenton and worsened their relationship. It is later revealed that Stevens himself was hesitant towards firing the two maids and believed that if he had behaved differently it would have resulted in a more favorable outcome. The author also uses symbolism and foreshadowing to reflect Steven’s values and to show the many changes that occur during Steven’s life. One symbol used in the novel is the English landscape. While Stevens is traveling, he notices the beauty of the landscape and comments on what makes the landscape beautiful as shown in the following excerpt:
And yet what precisely is this 'greatness'? Just where, or in what, does it lie? I am quite aware it would take a far wiser head than mine to answer such a question, but if I were forced to hazard a guess, I would say that it is the very lack of obvious drama or spectacle that sets the beauty of our land apart. What is pertinent is the calmness of that beauty,
With the use of symbols, Byatt can make reference to problems with the girls or make a comment on the larger picture of war at the time. The three largest symbols that appear in the story are the mansion, the forest, and of course, the thing in the forest.
One of the more obvious symbols used in the novel is a tree. Cross-culturally, it
The United States is not the greatest country in the world. However, for a very long time, people have believed that the United States tops the list. This is because of the classic lifestyle and technological advancements portrayed in our daily media. The United States is portrayed as a country of peace and optimum harmony. Consequently, we get the impression that United States is the best place to be. The younger generation seems to enjoy life to the fullest with almost no regrets. After all, most of us can drive a car at the age of 16; compare that to other countries at 18. We have access to pretty much whatever we need. Most adults are not constantly monitoring and hovering over their children. They have jobs and financial prosperity is
The actions that Matsu does for Stephen, another pivotal character in the story, stand for their growing bond. The symbolism helps the reader understand the reason behind the actions and how it affects the story. This, consequently, enriches the analysis of the story. Symbols in the story also intensify the situations in the story. The weather in the story is a symbol for the events that happen in the story, and knowledge of the nature of the upcoming situations makes the situations enhanced. Tsukiyama’s use of symbolism enriches the characters, their situations, and the interpretations of the story.
The second device that is ubiquitous in this passage is symbolism. The symbols found in this passage include rain, sunlight, lightning, and the aroma of rain. A common theme in The Bean Trees is plants. This theme is introduced in the passage through the symbol of rain. Rain is a meaningful symbol due to the fact that rain is a key factor in the growth and development of plants. Since plants have symbolised both Taylor and Turtle, the rain that occurs in the passage creates a sense of growth for both characters as they are both in the process of growing and developing.
Larson uses tone to explain the good and bad between Burnham and Homes and to express to the readers how Holmes is the dark while Burnham is the light. “I was born with the devil in me, [Holmes] wrote” (109). Erik Larson wrote this to create a dark tone to show that Holmes happens to be deranged and ustable. Using this shows the readers a dark side of Holmes that they knew was there, but wasn't expressed until that point. ”Burnham had shown a level of compassion for his workers that was extraordinary for the time. He had paid them even when illness or injury kept them out of work and established an exposition hospital that provided free medical care”
In Night, by Elie Wiesel, one man tells his story of how he survived his terrible experience during the Holocaust. Wiesel takes you on a journey through his “night” of the Holocaust, and how he survived the world’s deadliest place, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Elie Wiesel will captivate you on his earth shattering journey through his endless night. Elie Wiesel’s book Night forces you to open your eyes to the real world by using; irony, diction, and repetition to prove that man does have the capability to create such a harsh reality.
Another powerful symbolisms was when Jim meets the girls for a picnic. The symbol of the plow against the powerful sun. The third symbol is the rattlesnake and it 's symbol of Jim becoming a man. The girls reminisce as does Jim at the picnic. The girls remember the beautiful wonderful memories of their homelands and contemplate they 're great struggles to make it in America. At the end of their picnic the silhouette of the pile against the setting sun symbolizes the plow like the pioneer spirit of strength, beauty in all inspiring greatness of nature like the sun. “Presently we saw a curious thing: there were no clouds, the sun was going down in a limpid, gold-wash sky. Just as the lower edge of the red disc rested on the high fields against the horizon, and black figure suddenly appeared on the face of the sun. We swing trophy, straining our eyes toward it. In a moment we realized what it was. And some upland farm, a pile have been left standing in the field. The sun was thinking just behind that to find across the distance was the horse on a light, it 's third against the sun, it was exactly contained within the circle of the disk; The handles, the tongue, the share-Black against the mountain ride. They are at wise, heroic in size, A picture the sun. Even while we were whispering about, our vision disappeared; The ball dropped and dropped until the red tip meet with the earth. The field below us was dark, the sky was growing pale, and that forgotten
Nobody wants to read such a morbid book as Night. There isn’t anybody (other than the Nazis and Neo-Nazis) who enjoys reading about things like the tortures, the starvation, and the beatings that people went through in the concentration camps. Night is a horrible tale of murder and of man’s inhumanity towards man. We must, however, read these kinds of books regardless. It is an indefinitely depressing subject, but because of its truthfulness and genuine historic value, it is a story that we must learn, simply because it is important never to forget. As Robert McAfee Brown states in the preface of the memoir “the world has had to hear a story it would have preferred not to hear- the story of how a cultured people
I chose to do my analysis on the short story, “The Story Of An Hour”. The themes I see in this story is the quest for identity/coming of age, romantic/love, birth, and death. It is about a woman named Mrs. Mallard. She was an elderly lady and had a heart complications. Her sister Josephine and her husband’s friend Richards had to break the news to her that her husband, Brently Mallard, has been killed in a railroad disaster. Mrs. Mallard was sorrowful and sobbed in her sisters’ arms. After her grieving process, she wanted to be alone, so she went to her room and locked herself in. As she sat in the window, she seem to be calmer and accepted her husband’s death. She was not distressed of what had happened. She began to say the words “free” and her heart
John Steinbeck uses symbolism to give alternate meanings to his short story “Chrysanthemums.'; A symbol is a device used to suggest more than its literary meaning. He uses these symbols to look further into the characters and their situations. The character Elisa has a garden, which is more than just a garden, and the chrysanthemums that she tends are more than just flowers. There are actions that she performs in the story, which also have other meanings.
The title of this book is significant because the most important and tragic events occurred at night. Also, since the title is simple and vague, it intrigues a reader to begin, and once they start, they get hooked by the imagery of Elie Wiesel.
There are more significant symbols in the novel such as The Boy. The Man and Boy fight to survive many hardships, but through the darkness there is light, The Boy. He is very mature and cares for every stray person they pass. One person he cares for is a man named Ely, an old man with nothing but the clothes on his back, until he meets The Boy and his father." 'You should thank him you know, I wouldn’t have given you anything' "(McCarthy 173). The Boy wants everyone to survive and is willing to share his supplies even if it means he won`t have all the things he needs to live.
“That Evening Sun” by William Faulkner is a good example of a great emotional turmoil transferred directly to the readers through the words of a narrator who does not seem to grasp the severity of the turmoil. It is a story of an African American laundress who lives in the fear of her common-law husband Jesus who suspects her of carrying a white man's child in her womb and seems hell bent on killing her.
Kazuo Ishiguro’s Remains of the Day is about the struggles one man, Mr. Stevens, has with relationships with his father, Miss Kenton and his employer, but the struggle he focuses on the most is to be a “great butler.” He pushes himself physically to work as hard as he can, as well as mentally to determine what makes a butler great. Stevens sacrifices all normal human encounters with those around him in order to be an emotionless person. “When one encounters them, one simply knows one is in the presence of greatness” (44). Stevens, through many trials, proves himself to be a “great butler.”