The Remains of the Day

Stevens is the aging butler at a stately home in Great Britain named Darlington Hall. His current employer is an American man named Mr. Farraday, who suggests that Stevens should “take the car and drive off somewhere for a few days” (5) while Farraday is away in the United States. Stevens eventually accepts the offer, but only when he decides to combine his “employer’s kindly meant suggestion” (6) with a visit to Miss Kenton. Miss Kenton was once the housekeeper at Darlington Hall and worked alongside Stevens. In her letter, Stevens believes that he can detect “distinct hints of her desire to return” (9). In recent months, Stevens’s thoughts have been preoccupied, and the previously high standards he demands of all the staff at Darlington Hall have slipped. He hopes to return the house to its former glory by offering Miss Kenton an opportunity to take up her old position. Currently, he works with Mr. Clement, Rosemary, and Agnes, but once, the house was home to more than a dozen servants. Mr. Farraday has less demand for their service as he does not host nearly as many guests as