In the historical fiction novel, The Remains of The Day the protagonist and narrator of the story, Mr. Stevens is not your ideal butler. With Mr. Stevens as head butler of Darlington Hall, he follows in his father’s footsteps by spending nearly all his life as a butler which has shaped him into a tactless person. The novel gives the readers an objective level of insight overall. With Mr. Stevens being both the narrator and protagonist, he is in control of the level of insight he wants us to view which is an issue because of how reserved his feelings are already. The critical distance in the novel between the narrator and protagonist is nonexistent because they are the same person, which is another factor as for why the level of …show more content…
Stevens has some communication issues, there are a few blossoming strengths in his personality. While Mr. Stevens can be too reserved, the way he handles privacy can be admirable for one who is too over expressive. His desire to remain private about his life allows him to have majority control of how people perceive him. By giving others a specific level of insight, there is not much room left for one to judge him because of the little information he gives to society. Mr. Stevens is attempt at “bantering” or being more humorous shows that he is aware of his reserved personality. His willingness to grasp the skill of bantering shows that he can eventually become more open minded to acquire other positive traits and skills. Although bantering is not typically something that one learn, it is almost an accomplishment for Mr. Stevens because of his personality. Towards the end of the novel Mr. Stevens begins to come to terms with the mistakes he has made in life, saying : “ Perhaps, then, there is something to his advice 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 if 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?” (Ishiguro 244). Mr. Stevens looking back on the mistakes he has made and coming to terms with them and having a positive outlook show some of his …show more content…
Stevens is a semi static and semi dynamic character. For most of the story, Mr. Stevens was static because he had not developed into expressing himself better, and being so consumed with being a butler. At the end of the novel Mr. Stevens comes to terms with his life being only spent as a butler and it has not gotten him far. Mr. Stevens also acknowledges his regret for letting Ms. Kenton slipping away and aspires to get better at bantering, which will only improve his social skills. Mr. Stevens has allowed these series of unfortunate event push him to becoming a better person. The main conflict that Mr. Stevens faces is with him, exhibiting person vs person character conflict. Mr. Stevens clearly struggles with internal conflict, ideological struggle and is an abstract
In the novel “Your Question for Author Here” by Kate DiCamillo and Jon Scieszka the type of conflict in this story is man vs man. The main conflict of this story is Joe Jones needs to get about a C- on his author project to not be grounded. He is having trouble getting the information because of his negative attitude.
In the novel Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff, there are many examples of conflict. The self-conflict in this story is especially striking.
2) What is the main conflict in the book? Is it external or internal? How is this conflict resolved throughout the course of the book?
An individual’s mental well being can greatly affect their character and the way they perceive things. In the novels The Kite Runner and A Separate Peace, the protagonists are boys who are infested by internal conflicts such as insecurities and emotions. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, a boy lets his dad negatively affect his character, causing him to treat those around him in a cynical manner. Likewise, a boy from John Knowles’ A Separate Peace bases his character on whom he wishes to be, letting his unhealthy mental state consume him. Hence, explored through both novels, is how a person’s internal conflicts can lead to their downfall, whether as a result of their struggle with identity or their feelings towards others.
Prompt #3: “Most often, literary works have both internal conflict (individual v. self) and external conflict (individual v. individual, society, nature, or technology)”.
7. “Let me make sure you understand. Both you and this King character are on trial for felony murder which is about as serious as it gets...”-PG.12 O’BRIEN One major conflict within the book is obvious (to me anyways) Steve is accused of murder and could possibly have life sentence. This conflict is external (character vs. character) and Steve (protagonist) is fighting against those who are accusing him (Bobo, The State, Petrocelli etc.) they are the antagonists. “...It was me who wasn’t sure, it was me who lay on the cot wondering if I was fooling myself”- PG.148 STEVE. Another major conflict is Steve is struggling to find out who he really is , what did he do, what is real and what is a lie he made to comfort himself? Steve is also struggling to cope with who he has become. This is internal conflict. Steve is fighting with himself to find out who he has become and cope with that.
The story is concerned with the conflict between his conception of himself and the reality.
that there is “the beast within” us all. Stephenson suggests that all gentlemen keep secrets, suppress. emotions, desires, and hide their true inner self. In the story Mr Utterson is a great example of a gentleman (lawyer) needing to. suppress his less socially acceptable side for the sake of preserving his respectable standing in society.
Internal conflict is easily shown in this novel, as Gene must fight many of his own internal struggles. For example, when a difficult event would occur, Gene would overthink the situation, and question his morals. Eventually, some of the conflicts within
Conflict, by definition, is a back and forth struggle between two opposing forces. In the literary work, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, it is clear, the protagonist, George Milton, undergoes many conflicts that lead to the novel’s overall purpose. Steinbeck weaves together George’s conflicts with others, himself, and with society to illustrate what the true meaning of friendship is.
Kazuo Ishiguro’s Remains of the Day is about the struggles one man, Mr. Stevens, has with relationships with his father, Miss Kenton and his employer, but the struggle he focuses on the most is to be a “great butler.” He pushes himself physically to work as hard as he can, as well as mentally to determine what makes a butler great. Stevens sacrifices all normal human encounters with those around him in order to be an emotionless person. “When one encounters them, one simply knows one is in the presence of greatness” (44). Stevens, through many trials, proves himself to be a “great butler.”
However, The Remains of the Day is a book which believes in defining its characters to remarkable detail. Even minor characters are brought to life, using a variety of methods; some subtle, others more overt. This essay title does not refer to the whole novel, though - just the first eight pages. Many novels would still only be setting the scene at this point but, with The Remains of the Day, many of the main characters have already been described in a fair amount of detail.
"Well, one must be serious about something, if one wants to have any amusement in life. I happen to be serious about Bunburying. What on earth are you serious about I haven't got the remotest idea. About everything, I should fancy. You have an absolutely trivial nature."(50)
“The Snow Man,” by Wallace Stevens, dramatizes a metaphorical “mind of winter”, and introduces the idea that one must have a certain mindset in order to correctly perceive reality. The poet, or rather the Snow Man, is an interpreter of simple and ordinary things; “A cold wind, without interpretation, has no misery” (Poetry Genius). Through the use of imageries and metaphors relating to both wintery landscapes and the Snow Man itself, Stevens illustrates different ideas of human objectivity and the abstract concept of true nothingness. Looking through the eyes of the Snow Man, the readers are given an opportunity to perceive a reality that is free from objectivity; The Snow Man makes it clear that winter can possess qualities of beauty and also emptiness: both “natural wonder, and human misery”. He implies that winter can also be nothing at all: “just a bunch of solid water, dormant plants, and moving air.” (The Wondering Minstrels). “One must
When the townspeople mistake Stevens for a butler, he gladly takes up the facade of a gentleman in