Emotional Repression in Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day
This essay examines how Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day uses the character of Stevens, its protagonist and narrator, to explore the theme of emotional repression. Drawing on key passages from the novel, the paper argues that Stevens — shaped by an old-fashioned English ideal of reserve and professional dignity — suppresses powerful emotions throughout his life, whether concerning his complicity in Lord Darlington's misguided politics or his inability to engage warmly with his new employer, Mr. Farraday. The essay situates these observations within a broader thematic point about how adults learn to hide, rather than overcome, their feelings.
- Introduction: The Farmer Anecdote and the Theme of Hidden Emotion: Farmer anecdote introduces theme of hidden emotions
- Stevens and Lord Darlington: Shame Behind a Logical Facade: Stevens suppresses shame over Darlington's politics
- Stevens and Mr. Farraday: The Problem of Bantering: Stevens struggles to express warmth with Farraday
- Conclusion: A Life Distanced from Feeling: English reserve permanently distances Stevens from emotions
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What makes this paper effective
- The essay opens with a specific textual anecdote — the farmer's son crying — and uses it as a lens for the entire argument, giving the analysis a clear and memorable anchor.
- Each body paragraph is organized around a distinct relationship (Stevens/Darlington, Stevens/Farraday), keeping the argument focused and easy to follow.
- Direct quotations from the novel are integrated naturally and followed immediately by analytical commentary that ties them back to the central thesis.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates close reading: it selects brief but telling passages — including Stevens' own logical self-justification and his use of the word "bantering" — and unpacks how word choice and narrative voice reveal unconscious emotional states. This technique shows how surface language can contradict a character's stated self-understanding.
Structure breakdown
The essay follows a tight four-part structure: an introduction that establishes the central quotation and theme; two body paragraphs each devoted to a separate relationship that illustrates the thesis; and a short conclusion that synthesizes the argument. At roughly 450 words, it is a concise analytical essay suited to an undergraduate literary analysis assignment.
Introduction: The Farmer Anecdote and the Theme of Hidden Emotion
One of the most revealing passages in Kazuo Ishiguro's novel The Remains of the Day is the anecdote about farmers and their emotions regarding the slaughter of animals they have raised since birth. Emotions, and the way people deal with them, is one of the principal themes of Ishiguro's work. The crux of the anecdote is the claim that despite the assumption that farmers grow accustomed to killing their animals, in reality "that's just not true," and the son of a farmer "cried for days" (Ishiguro 169) following the death of an animal with which he had grown close. What this passage actually suggests is that most people — particularly adults — become very good at hiding their emotions. However, as the young boy's crying implies, they are merely concealing those emotions and still feel them powerfully, struggling to contain them. A number of passages throughout the novel support this interpretation, and the most effective ones concern Stevens, the protagonist and narrator, and his relationships with the men he serves.
Works Cited
Ishiguro, Kazuo. The Remains of the Day. New York: Vintage International, 1990. Print.
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