A heartless butler

Literary Commentary The Remains of the Day pg. 110

Quote: "Of course, it is not for me to suggest that I am worthy of ever being placed alongside the likes of the 'great' butlers of our generation, such as Mr. Marshall or Mr. Lane- though it should be said there are those who, perhaps out of misguided generosity, tend to do just this. Let me make clear that when I say the conference of 1923, and that night in particular, constituted a turning point in my professional development, I am speaking very much in terms of my own more humble standards. Even so, if you consider the pressures contingent on me that night, you may not think I delude myself unduly if I go so far as to suggest that I did perhaps display, in the face of everything, at least in some modest degree a 'dignity' worthy of someone like Mr. Marshall- or come to that, my father. Indeed, why should I should deny it? For all its sad associations, whenever I recall that evening today, I find I do so with a large sense of triumph."

Literary Commentary:  The main speaker during this passage of the poem is Stevens, the butler of Darlington Hall and the protagonist of the novel. Here, he discusses his actions regarding a conference that he oversaw and that it is the quintessential example of his qualities as a "great" butler. However, the references and allusions reveal who the character is as a person as well as his priorities. Stevens' opinion on how "there are those who, perhaps out of misguided generosity, tend to (claim that they are a "great" butler)" reveals how he thinks extremely high of himself and seems to imply that he is much more self-absorbed and egotistical than he wants us to believe. Furthermore, the passage also reveals his priorities in life when he states that "For all its sad associations, whenever I recall that evening today, I find I do so with a large sense of triumph." One of these sad associations was the death of his father. He considers this night a triumph when his father died that day. This reveals how he considers his job, his occupation of the utmost importance, more important than the death of his father.

Moreover, the unusual syntax and prose also lends insight into the character of Stevens. Throughout the passage, there are several long sentences, but they are not run-on ones. These various sentence structures allows the reader to know that Stevens is very meticulous in his wording and seems to put care into every single word that he either utters or writes. It also reveals that Stevens is extremely cautious and hesitant in his manner as well. Another consequence of Stevens unique writing is that it makes the reader question the veracity of Stevens as a narrator because if he has to choose his words carefully, then there might be facts or ideas that are missing from the story.