remembrance of those times, and Stevens confronts the question of whether he chose the right values or whether his loyalty to Darlington was misplaced and whether he sacrificed to much of his own life in service to a dying world.

The purpose of the novel seems to be to document a slice of life recognizably English and undeniably lost. The reader might also draw from the novel contemplation of one's own choices in life and the melancholy consequences of making the wrong choice.

The overarching purpose of Ishiguro's novel is to document and describe the decline of the traditional English lifestyle, and he pays particular attention to the rapid changes that took place within the country's traditional class structure during the first half of the Twentieth Century. Stevens is particularly important in the novel because he represents a key component of the old, upper class establishment: the butler. As a butler, Stevens' entire existence relies upon serving his master and the gentry as a whole. In the process of this service, Stevens neglects all of his personal desires, subordinating them to the demands of his job and the needs of the wealthy. By the end of the novel, however, the old upper class has begun to fade away while the middle class rises to prominence, and so it's suggested that Stevens' sacrifice has been unnecessary. All in all, the main point of the novel is to not only describe a changing English class structure, but to also chronicle how this monumental change affects the individuals, such as Stevens, who have given their lives to the established order.

The butler at the center of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel The Remains of the Day is a product of his upbringing and of the culture in which he lived. It is difficult for many American students today to fully comprehend the class consciousness of England for much of its history, but that class consciousness was, and to a lesser extent remains, an integral part of the British character. Stevens' father is the butler to a succession of English aristocrats, and Stevens has followed in his father's footsteps, eventually usurping the older man's authorities and responsibilities due to the latter's declining health. For butlers functioning in such a rigid class system, however, the pride such individuals took in serving their employers cannot be overstated. Their jobs defined them to a great degree, and they considered themselves inseparable from those they served. As Stevens writes early in Ishiguro's novel, he and his ilk enjoyed a view of British society, despite their insular positions, out of proportion to those positions, ". . .placed as we were in houses where the greatest ladies and gentlemen of the land gathered."

As noted, butlers of the caliber of Stevens and his aging but still proud father occupied a special position in British society. ". . .you might think me merely biased if I say that my own father could in many ways be considered to rank with such men, and that is career is the one I have always scrutinized for a definition of 'dignity'." This sentiment exemplifies the notion of the servant attaining the regal bearing of the master, but it does not in itself explain the self-restraint such individuals routinely demonstrated. That self-restraint and discipline is an integral part of serving as a butler in the home of such aristocratic elites. Privy to a world few others observe, and witness at times to the behind-the-scenes machinations of which policies are often made, and, more importantly, witness to the personal trials and tribulations of those they serve, servants are required to conduct themselves with such restraint. Their emotions are kept to themselves; displays of disgust, joy, humor, sadness, or anger in response to comments heard or actions seen are simply not acceptable. Stevens has been raised to understand this, and has mastered the art of it all.