The uber-stratified society described in The Remains of the Day can seem a little foreign—a lot of us wouldn't be able to identify a gentleman if he hit us with his monocle. And yet all of the characters in the novel seem to recognize a gentleman when they see one.
In a world where gentlemen are distinguished from the common people, the novel explores whether true democracy is possible. Is "the ordinary man" capable of caring enough to intelligently consider important political questions (um, yes) and can gentlemen have an overinflated sense of their own capabilities (um, if this novel is any indication: yes).
Maybe if gentlemanliness is an ideal worth hanging on to, the novel suggests, it actually has nothing to do with birth, but rather with standing by principles such as democracy, justice, and equality. Hecky yes.
Questions About Society and Class
- Consider some of the "gentlemen" in the novel: Lord Darlington, Sir Cardinal and his son, Mr. Cardinal, Monsieur Dupont, and Mr. Spencer, among others. What qualities do they have in common? What are their attitudes toward the lower classes?
- Consider the characters who are not gentlemen in the novel: Stevens, Miss Kenton, Mr. Smith, the Taylors, and the stranger on the pier, among others. What qualities do they have in common? Do you think they are portrayed as intellectually inferior, as some "gentlemen" characters think they are? Or do they seem capable of participating in public affairs?
- What are the attitudes of various characters to democracy? Do you think the novel as a whole is sympathetic to democracy? Why or why not?
Chew on This
The society depicted in The Remains of the Day is so rigidly divided by class that true democracy seems totally impossible.
The working-class characters in The Remains of the Day display the same kind of friendship and interest in politics that other characters have defined as gentlemanly, English characteristics.