Oh, well Stevens and Miss Kenton end up admitting their love for one another and living happily ever after. Then they move to Tahiti.
Ha. Hahahaha. That is not what happens at the end of this novel.
The novel ends with Stevens on the pier at Weymouth, a stop on his way back to Darlington Hall… without Miss Kenton, er, Mrs. Benn. Why Weymouth? Well—history time!—Weymouth was an area that provided a launching ground for the Normandy invasions that were so key to the Allied forces' D-Day offensive and eventual victory against the Nazis. (Check out "Setting" for more information.)
So while Stevens begins his road trip at Darlington Hall, which in the 1930s hosted German diplomats and English Fascists, he ends his road trip in the area that was at the heart of the Allied offensive against the Germans.
In this highly significant location, Stevens finally comes around to admitting that he has to share some of the blame that was heaped on Lord Darlington for working with the Nazis. As Darlington's butler and trusted servant, Stevens could have tried to change Darlington's mind. When Darlington asked him to fire two Jewish maids, for example, Stevens could have refused.
But he didn't.
As he comes to terms with "what remains of [his] day," Stevens reaches a big turning point. He finally turns away from the traditions of the past (his service to Lord Darlington) and looks forward to an uncertain future with his new American employer, Mr. Farraday, whose casual ways are super different from Lord Darlington's.
While Stevens seems upbeat about his future, we can't be as sure. He still thinks of bantering as a skill to master, when all it really involves is being friendly and sociable. Stevens is a bit of a robot. Should Stevens be so optimistic? Can he excuse his past behavior so easily? Is he really content to just let Miss Kenton go?
These questions may well be the real "remains" of the day, the questions left unanswered by the book… and the ghosts that continue to haunt poor Mr. Stevens.