59 Sophia Vincent – Darlington Hall: An Image of Britain’s Noble Decline
Sophia Vincent (she/her/hers), from Batesville, IN, is a first-year student majoring in Secondary Education with a concentration in English. The below paper is part of her ENG L346 class she completed in the fall semester of 2023, taught by Dr. Laverne Nishihara. It was one of the two large literary criticism papers she was required to write over a selection of 20th/21st century British fiction. For this paper, she chose to analyze Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day. Professor Laverne Nishihara notes, “In Fall 2023, although Sophia Vincent was in her first semester at IU East following high school, the level of her research, writing, and thinking exceeded that of most senior English majors. Her paper on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Remains of the Day skillfully explored the analogy between the decline of a nobleman’s British estate, and the decline of the British Empire during the interwar years. Sophia applied a judicious selection of literary theories and approaches, including a historical approach, to the novel. She truly engaged in an informed scholarly conversation with the literary critics, and with classmates whom she quoted, in her literary analysis. The writing and thinking were excellent. The paper illuminated the literature as the best literary criticism should, and it merits a wider audience.”
Darlington Hall: An Image of Britain’s Noble Decline
Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day (1989) is a prominent literary masterpiece that brings the decline of the British Empire to life through the eyes of Stevens, an old-fashioned butler. Utilizing the setting and characters, Ishiguro explores various national themes throughout the novel. By analyzing the historical context of the novel, its literary criticism, and its physical representations of the mechanisms of British nobility, the ramifications of the decay of the British Empire during the postwar period come to light in The Remains of the Day. Through a historical approach, I will demonstrate that Darlington Hall and the characters within can be interpreted as a microcosm for the broader British society during its imperial decline.
Our class has extensively discussed the fall of the British Empire as emphasized in Ishiguro’s novel. In our discussion on November 1, participants analyzed the historical context of The Remains of the Day, relating it to the events occurring within Darlington Hall. Elizabeth Hannah interpreted the novel’s setting during the Suez Crisis to represent the beginning of Britain’s slow decline. She explained that “this event marked a significant shift in British foreign policy and highlighted the declining influence of the British Empire.” Izzy King further contributed to the discussion, writing, “Politically speaking, Britain was going through a rough time during the 1900s, like the house was going through a rough time and did not have many workers.” I agree with Izzy’s claim that Darlington Hall follows the same patterns of decline that Britain experienced as a nation. However, I am taking her claim further and arguing that this pattern is repeated throughout the novel, creating a parallel between the nation’s status and the Darlington estate.
Literary analysis of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day often utilizes a historical approach, identifying aspects within the novel that resonate with the postcolonial values that shaped England during the postwar period. For example, John P. McCombe’s article analyzes the novel’s events from a purely historical perspective, focusing on its setting and political context. Additionally, Susie O’Brien focuses more on the subjective values that arose from the Suez Crisis rather than the historical facts. She analyzes Lord Darlington’s role in representing the Old-World values of Britain and juxtaposes it with Mr. Farraday’s ushering in of the new, Americanized values. Both O’Brien and McCombe emphasize the uncanny paternal relationship demonstrated by Stevens’ devotional behavior towards Lord Darlington and interpret this relationship as an example of the butler’s attachment to imperialist values. Meera Tamaya, however, takes the most direct analysis of the relationship between Lord Darlington and Stevens in her article “Ishiguro’s Remains of the Day: The Empire Strikes Back.”
Unlike the others’ historical analyses, Ryan Trimm takes a uniquely geopolitical approach to the novel. He draws attention to the national identity that arises from English landscapes and the stereotypical English estates that have come to represent the Old-World aristocracy and nobility. The article questions the direction of England’s identity in the postwar period after it had removed itself from its colonies. Trimm’s analysis of the novel’s physical setting rather than the historical context provides an astute perspective into the many ways that Britain’s colonies and its traditional social structure had defined its own identity and how the loss of this national identity contributed to Britain’s decline.
In my own analysis of the novel, I posit that Ishiguro expresses Britain’s national decline and its struggle to adjust to the modern world in The Remains of the Day, using Darlington Hall as a focal point for this allegory. The setting of the novel, Darlington Hall, is presented as the epitome of opulence and tradition within British society. As his title indicates, Lord Darlington is a member of the British nobility, a few steps below an aristocrat on the hierarchal ladder that establishes the imperial government. He lives in a grand estate in the English countryside, teeming with servants and rooms filled with guests. Though not directly a member of the British aristocracy that fell in the postwar period, Lord Darlington, as a noble figure, is a function of this downfall that Ishiguro illustrates in The Remains of the Day. In examining the novel, Meera Tamaya writes that Stevens “believes that Lord Darlington is a great man and Darlington Hall a noble house which, along with other stately homes, symbolizes the greatness of England” (50). Estates like Darlington Hall symbolize Britain’s national identity, reaffirming their dignity, grandeur, and affluence. These values once upheld the British Empire, along with the nation’s extensive system of control over colonies across the globe. This style of government and the rule of the aristocracy was destined to fall with the changing times, facilitated by two World Wars and the global spread of democracy. Britain experienced incalculable losses in its colonial possessions during the postwar period, and the nobility crumbled upon itself. Darlington Hall, home to Lord Darlington and his elaborate network of servants led by Stevens and Miss Kenton, symbolizes this identity collapse and the transition of British values. Thus, Darlington Hall was a physical embodiment of British nobility and its ideologies focusing on splendor and prosperity. Now, it serves as a reminder of Britain’s downfall as its values and identity have collapsed.
Lord Darlington himself experiences a considerable personal downfall alongside his estate. After years of grappling with the consequences of his misguided actions, Lord Darlington dies, and his estate is sold. Taking his place is the retired American businessman, Mr. Farraday. McCombe asserts that this was common between World War II and the Suez Crisis. He writes that many British nobles lost their homes due to a “downward economic spiral” (89). When Darlington Hall is sold, it loses its spirit and becomes a relic of the bygone aristocratic era. Unfortunately, Stevens falls victim to this same treatment inside the walls of Darlington Hall, as evident by Mr. Farraday’s behavior. Farraday questions him, “‘I mean to say, Stevens, this is a genuine grand old English house, isn’t it? That’s what I paid for. And you’re a genuine old-fashioned English butler, not some waiter pretending to be one. You’re the real thing, aren’t you? That’s what I wanted, isn’t that what I have?'” (Ishiguro 124). Farraday’s perspective of Stevens and his “genuine grand old English house” as assets to showcase to his Anglophile friends represents the end of Britain’s noble era. The houses themselves and the servants within no longer hold power or symbolize importance. Instead, they are commodities and antiquities meant only for appearance. Analyzing the role of British estates like Darlington’s in its national identity, Trimm states, “Now the great houses are no longer even English, and the ‘best’ have passed on” (184). Stevens similarly experiences a decaying identity, and he must accept his own “downward spiral” in importance within British culture. He is no longer the mainstay of Darlington Hall, the necessary cog that kept the machine breathing under Lord Darlington. Instead, he is simply a novelty of Britain’s former glory. While Britain, as a nation, had to adapt to a new style of living as it fell from the world stage to be replaced by the United States, so too did Stevens. His adaptation to a new American employer within the Hall reflects the same adjustment necessary for the Britons as imperial power could no longer uphold their country.
It is not just the change in ownership of Darlington Hall that illustrates the change rippling through Britain. The manor begins to crumble, its famous opulence losing its luster. Stevens often hints that the Hall is losing its appearance of British grandeur which had once charmed many British nobles and world representatives. One of Farraday’s guests, Mrs. Wakefield, takes it upon herself to analyze the authenticity of his estate. She critiques its architecture and addresses Stevens, saying, “‘This arch here looks seventeenth century, but isn’t it the case that it was built quite recently? . . . It’s very beautiful. But it is probably a kind of mock period piece done only a few years ago'” (Ishiguro 132). Mrs. Wakefield’s skepticism about the estate’s authenticity undermines the romanticized view of Darlington Hall and the great British nobility it represents. Mrs. Wakefield believes she is exposing the supposed “mock” grandeur of the estate, which illustrates the broader disillusionment with the traditional values of the British Empire. Even if Mrs. Wakefield is mistaken about the legitimacy of the arch, she is less trusting of the legacy left behind by Darlington, suspecting it to be fake and hesitating to give it the credit it deserves. Outside of the Hall, Britain’s constructed identity begins to fall, and Britons similarly express doubt about the legitimacy of their nation’s rule built on the backs of minorities and violent conquest. The imperial narrative of the nation comes into public scrutiny, revealing the flaws of an outdated aristocratic system behind its veil of affluence.
Similarly to the architecture, the servants also experience a significant decline in respect and prominence within Darlington Hall; this, too, can be seen on a broader scale as Britain adjusts to the new world. Servants, once a necessity of noble households, dwindle in number as their role becomes increasingly diminished. Regarding this occurrence, Stevens explains, “Recalling a time when I had had a staff of seventeen under me, and knowing how not so long ago a staff of twenty-eight had been employed here at Darlington Hall, the idea of devising a staff plan of four seemed, to say the least, daunting” (Ishiguro 7). This decline in the servant class in Darlington Hall and the surrounding society symbolizes the fading importance of the traditional hierarchies on which British nobility thrived. The rigid social structure that supported Britain’s imperial power began to crumble after the war, affecting the presence of the servant class and forcing the once-great nobles to rely on themselves and emerging technology rather than their power over the lower classes. The strong servant force once facilitated the prestige of Darlington Hall. Stevens recounts the glamorous events and their prestigious guests, reflecting on the former glory of Darlington Hall. As he recalls these memories, he comments, “Mr. Farraday had made it clear that he planned to hold only very rarely the sort of large social occasions Darlington Hall had seen frequently in the past” (Ishiguro 7). It is evident to Stevens that these opulent occasions are long gone, and the house has become a ghost of the mansion it used to be. The rooms have become empty, the servants have all left, and even the study has become “strangely bare” (Ishiguro 6). The absence of the tremendous social gatherings that once fueled Lord Darlington’s noble life creates a stark contrast from its vibrant past. This brutal difference between Lord Darlington’s reality and the postwar emptiness of his estate accentuates the significant decay of its physical grandeur and the status of the British nobility, now deteriorating with the era. Trimm affirms this concept as he writes, “The fall of Darlington, both in the form of the now disgraced aristocrat and the now deserted house possessed by an American, reflects the disintegration of the imperial network that had supported these treasure houses” (206). With the collapse of Darlington Hall’s servant class and its stereotypical structures of British dignity also comes the crumble of Britain itself and its destroyed imperial values.
In addition to Darlington Hall itself, Stevens and his manifestation of aristocratic values align with the Hall’s function as a representation of broader British society. Stevens is a powerful embodiment of aristocratic values maintained by British society, emphasizing the persistence of imperial values despite their outdated nature. As Darlington Hall and the British Empire fall around him, Stevens is a central anchor to the ideas perpetuated by the noble class. Susie O’Brien explains that the values emphasized by the British Empire revolve around “formality, repression, and self-effacement” (1). Stevens personifies these values and traditional ideas that were once key to service to the noble classes. His loyalty to Lord Darlington represents the sentiments of the aristocracy and echoes the times of Britain’s imperialism. Central to these ideas is the belief that only the higher levels of the social hierarchy have the power to make decisions for the whole. Despite representing the lower classes as a butler, Stevens blindly persists with this imperial attitude. He explains, “There is, after all, a real limit to how much ordinary people can learn and know, and to demand that every one of them contribute ‘strong opinions’ to the great debates of the day cannot, surely, be wise” (Ishiguro 194). With this statement directly attacking the New World’s core values and the nature of democracy, Stevens refuses to let go of his imperial ideologies. Even after Darlington’s death and the destruction of his reputation, Stevens clings to this way of thinking even in the modern world.
At the novel’s conclusion, Stevens appears to come to terms with his intrinsic struggle to adapt to the New World values. Even as he functions within an estate that has become a symbol of American possession rather than British dignity, he steadfastly refuses to part with the ideals of a disintegrated government that cannot be sustained in the changing world. Historian Robert Hewison points out that the Suez Crisis, which occurs in the novel’s backdrop, is a keystone event in which Britain had to “come to terms with her second-class status in the world” (qtd. in McCombe 79). This was difficult for the nation as it underwent a massive identity crisis after losing its hold on the colonies that had once defined it. The colonies provided a context for the English identity, giving it a pedestal to place its traditional and dignified values, all founded on its power over other nations. Stevens represents this conflict throughout the novel until its final moments. Given an opportunity to look back on Lord Darlington’s actions and his own in comparison with the new nation, Stevens states, “I gave my best to Lord Darlington. I gave him the very best I had to give, and now – well – I find I do not have a great deal more left to give” (Ishiguro 242). Trimm elaborates on Stevens’ last moments enjoying the remains of that day, likening the sunset to the setting of the metaphoric sun “on the social structures that had given his life meaning” (Trimm 205). This metaphor regards both Stevens’ career and the British Empire; both are hesitant to relinquish their long-held beliefs. Stevens can ultimately accept the consequences of his decades’ unquestioning loyalty to Lord Darlington, just as Britain must accept the sun’s setting on its former glory as a world power.
Ishiguro provides powerful insight into the British Empire and its downfall in The Remains of the Day. The novel’s portrayal of Darlington Hall and its inhabitants offers a profound symbol of the collapse of British identity and the transition of ideologies that occurred in the postwar period. The estate’s physical downfall and Stevens’ unwillingness to accept the changing times illustrate the erosion of Britain’s national prestige and the identity crisis that many noble members and citizens underwent as a result of these rapidly changing values. The parallel between the fall of Darlington Hall and the decline of Britain as a world power serves as a reminder of the ultimate impermanence of power structures and the necessity of nations to adapt to change. As Stevens grapples with the enduring legacy of his service to Lord Darlington and persistent devotion to the estate and its owners, Ishiguro reminds readers of the importance of reflecting on life and the significance of enjoying the remains of the day, regardless of where these reflections might take us.
Works Cited
Ishiguro, Kazuo. The Remains of the Day. Vintage International, 1993.
McCombe, John P. “The End of (Anthony) Eden: Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day and midcentury Anglo-American tensions.” Twentieth Century Literature, vol. 48, no. 1, 2002, pp. 77-99. ProQuest, proxyeast.uits.iu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/end-anthony-eden-ishiguros-remains-daymidcentury/docview/221522713/se-2.
O’Brien, Susie. “Serving a New World Order: Postcolonial Politics in Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day.” Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, Gale, 2008. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1100070807/LitRC?u=iulib_east&sid=bookmark-LitRC&xid=6b1cab81. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023. Originally published in Modern Fiction Studies, vol. 42, no. 4, 1996, pp. 787-806.
Tamaya, Meera. “Ishiguro’s Remains of the Day: The Empire Strikes Back.” Modern Language Studies, vol. 22, no. 2, 1992, pp. 45–56. JSTOR, doi.org/10.2307/3195017.Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.
Trimm, Ryan. “Telling Positions: Country, Countryside, and Narration in The Remains of the Day.” Papers on Language and Literature: A Journal for Scholars and Critics of Language and Literature, vol. 45, no. 2, 2009, pp. 180–211. EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=200958062&site=ehost-live&scope=site.