The incompatibility of self and service as presented in Kazuo Ishiguro’s ’The Remains of the Day’

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3 (A), language: English, abstract: Next, as were Servants, Masters at our Hands Expect Obedience to all just Commands; [] Purchasd by annual Wages, Cloaths and Meat, Theirs is our Time, our Hands, our Head, our Feet: We think, design and act at their Command, And, as their Pleasure varies, walk or stand [].1 This stanza of the poem Servitude, written by footman Robert Dodsley in 1728 incorporates the common image of the ideal servant at that time - and this may seem rather shocking to a reader at the beginning of the 21st century. Nowadays, handing over such a large part of an individuals personal freedom to a master seems very problematic or even unthinkable. Especially to let ones Head be purchasd and to think at another persons Command, that is to give up ones freedom of thought, contradicts basic human rights, which are highly valued in todays society. It becomes clear that servitude implies more than just dusting portraits, polishing silver and setting tables - namely restrictions of individual rights, of personal life and consequently of the servants sense of self. This topic has recently not only been discussed within historical and sociological research but also treated in film and literature, examples being Robert Altmans Gosford Park, Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, Marianne Frederikssons Hannahs Daughter and Margaret Fosters Ladys Maid. The butler Stevens is the protagonist in Kazuo Ishiguros novel The Remains of the Day. He tells about his service in a distinguished English manor, Darlington Hall, during the first half of the 20th century. Stevenss life in servitude is characterised by the complete lack of a personal realm. By examining the character Stevens, I want to determine which effects this incompatibility of self and service has on the individual. To begin with, I will briefly sketch the image of the ideal servant, as described by Stevens. By explaining the core values he is expected to incorporate I aim at determining where this incompatibility stems from in the first place. Following, the consequences this concept of domestic service has on the servants social relationships (both to his fellow servants, family, friends and to his master) will be analysed. Finally, I want to establish what impact it has on the servant himself, his sense of self and his personal identity.