Summary
The novel the remains of the day tells the story of a butler’s life in Oxford, England in 1920-50. He dedicated his life to his owner. Before the World WarⅡ, he had served to a British owner; load Darlington. After the war, his owner has changed to an American since load Darlington has passed away with notoriety, which he had helped Germany, and it effected on cause of the war. The butler reflected on his unshakable royalty, but he decides to start to serve new owner. Since the new owner encouraged him to take a vacation, he went to trip and he looks back to good old memory of 1920’s and 1930’s event in the darling house.
____________________________________
Response
When I graduated from University and just started work, I came across this novel unexpectedly. However, This novel taught me principles that guide my life, such as how to live a better life or what is work in society, and what is dignity.What impressed me the most was his royalty to the first owner: load Darlington. In the novel, Load Darlington was so generous that he thought the treaty of Versailles had forced Germany to pay too much compensation and he tried to reach more peaceful agreement. In the result of that, the part of the Germans took advantage of his generous, and started the World War Ⅱ. Even though being at the big changing of times and politics, the butler always got things done as a butler with absolute royalty. I thought in my future, there might be such aspects, and the way I believed might be wrong. However, I can retain our self-respect as long as doing all my best with royalty.
At the end of the novel, the butler called back whole his life while he was watching a beautiful sunset. He had given up his romance because of his work as a good butler, and he wondered if his own life has been good or not. When I read the last, I felt that people couldn’t look back their life in the hustle and bustle of daily life; people finally can do it after times passing. I was determined to spend my important day.
The novel taught me a lot of things.
Other interesting point is the historical background of the UK. It might be a true story. There was a class society and I could understand the nobility had played a big role in politics, and this was the first time for me to know the idea of “noblesse oblige” that means the people with wealth, power and prestige come responsibilities to society.
One of the good references to me was the British ways, which shows how to treat others, how to be gentle when you are extremely busy, they don't say too much and always imply something. I could not help stop getting emotionally attached to British characters.
This novel gave me a good guidance trough the life of butler who had dignity and had much proud of his work. After 25 years when I read the novel, this story is still the most memorable one for me.
____________________________________
With Junko's blog post on a story I also enjoyed when I saw the film version, my eye was caught be an article in The New York Times yesterday. In "The Man Who Predicted Nazi Germany," the author summarizes, reviews and responds to economist John Maynard Keynes book The Economic Consequences of the Peace, analysing the the Versailles treaty that imposed massive costs on Germany after the First World War, which Keynes argued would have disastrous consequences, a prediction borne out in World War Two only a few decades later.
ReplyDeleteAnd now I'm thinking that I might add the book to my reading list. Junko's summary and reflections on it have reminded me how much I enjoyed it as a challenging story that pushed me to reflect on things that matter.