The Remains of the Day Memory and the Past Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

Anyone who implies that Lord Darlington was liaising covertly with a known enemy is just conveniently forgetting the true climate of those times. (5.21)

Stevens bemoans the fact that so many people could collectively forget the real "climate" of public opinion in the years leading up to World War II.

Quote #8

There was surely nothing to indicate at the time that such evidently small incidents would render whole dreams forever irredeemable. (6.200)

Stevens also remembers in order to try to understand how things came to be. It seems that events that seemed minor at the time—like Miss Kenton crying behind her door—become significant in hindsight.

Quote #9

But now, having thought further, I believe I may have been a little confused about this matter, that in fact this fragment of memory derives from events that took place on an evening at least a few months after the death of Miss Kenton's aunt. (7.33)

Like Quote #6, this quote provides an instance of Stevens correcting himself. Remembering the right context for an event is critical to understanding its true significance.