The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguru

Kazuo Ishigu, born in Japan and raised in Britain has an excellent command over words. In my last article we discussed butlers, and I mentioned the book The Remains of the Day. Kazuo wrote The Remains of the Day in 1988 and it won the Booker Prize in 1989. Kazuo Ishigu was born in Nagasaki, Japan in 1954 and moved to Britain in 1960 with his parents. His schooling background includes attending University of Kent at Canterbury and the University of East Anglia. He has written 5 books today, all with international acclaim.

A captivating book that discusses historical time frames without coming out and discussing them. This is an amazing book, one about a butler whose employer dies after a long time frame of service to him. As he embarks on a holiday he takes time to reflect back on his service to the employer. The Remains of the day takes you through time and creates a picture of life through the eyes of a butler, the perception of various historical events, very important political figures, and life in general. http://www.hewett.norfolk.sch.uk/curric/... discusses in depth the time frame in which the book is set, that of the Suez Canal Crisis. This is after the World War's and deals with a contract that expired in 1954. Kazuo has done an excellent job in intertwining literature and history. It is interesting to learn a little about what was occurring during the time frame in which the book is set.

The Butler, Steven's by name is nearer the age of retirement but does not want to stop serving, yet he knows that he is not nearly as good form as he once was. Near the end of the book, is a quote that has meaning today, for both the young and old alike. "...that I should cease looking back so much, that I should adopt a more positive outlook and try to make the best of what remains of my day. After all, what can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished? ...What is the point in worrying oneself too much about what one could or could not have done to control the course one's life took? Surely it is enough that the likes of you and I at least try to make our small contribution count for something true and worthy. And if some of us are prepared to sacrifice much in life in order to pursue such aspirations, surely that is in itself, whatever the outcome, cause for pride and contentment." (Pg. 244) Over and over again, you see through out literature, the underlying theme of trying to find the meaning of life, to try and determine why we do what we do and near the end of life do an assessment of what we have accomplished. The Remains of the Day does a great job in bringing this to a circular closer, allowing the reader to get an idea of one possible way to handle the remaining days of life upon entering into retirement.

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