Stevens Views On Dignity example essay topic

Heart of Darkness By Joseph Conrad Theme: The classic theme of good versus evil is found in the novel... It is represented by the idea of conflict between the civilize world and the savage world as well as the contrast of light and darkness. A minor theme is that everyone has their own 'heart of darkness' - the belief that within each individual there is an element of evil Plot: Exposition: The exposition serves to introduce the protagonist Complications: Though they occur, technically, over a period of six days, the complications oscillate continuously through Stevens' recollections of the past and descriptions of the present. In describing recollections, the author builds up to Stevens' emotional realization. Stevens' description of his father is used to show how he has molded himself in the image of his father. In gaining the false ideals of 'dignity' that he speaks of, Stevens' has become emotionally dead, hiding his feelings behind a mask of excessive professionalism.

The conference is used to highlight Stevens' views on dignity, contrasting his views of it being associated with emotional restraint and composure with his later views of it being pride. His father's death foreshadows this change in view. The silver at Darlington Hall symbolizes Stevens himself, being exceptionally well polished at the peak of his career, eventually becoming stained by the end. His need to replace Mr. Farraday's fork symbolizes the change in himself. Climax: The climax occurs with Miss Kenton tells Stevens' of how she had loved him.

Stevens reaches a point of realization where he understands that he lost her due to his inability to communicate his love for her. Had he expressed what he truly felt earlier, they would not have been separated. Resolution: While sitting and talking to the man on the pier, Stevens questions his life, realizing that his entire method of thinking has been wrong. He realizes that he has not been living as a human being, but rather as simply a butler. Characterization: Protagonist: Stevens is an emotionally dead butler with false ideals of what his work offers. In his inability to communicate, he loses his love and is unable to relate to his father.

Antagonist: The antagonist is Stevens' inability to express his emotions, hiding them behind a mask of excessive professionalism. He loses the woman he loves and is incapable of relating to his father due to this inability. Minor Characters: Miss Kenton is the woman who Stevens falls in love with. She too shares the inability to express her emotions, resulting in their being separated. Lord Darlington is Stevens' earlier employer whom Stevens admires. He refuses to acknowledge Darlington's corruption despite its being obvious.

Stevens idolizes his father, but in becoming like him he loses the ability to communicate with him, and is eventually unable to relate to him at all. Setting: The novel is set in rural England between the World Wars. The setting defines the plot as the complications occur alongside political issues of the time. Diction: The language used is formal, though structured casually. The diction personifies Stevens as he holds language as one of the most important characteristics of a gentleman. Method of Narration: The narrator writes in the first person, emphasizing his individual experience and his feelings about the events portrayed.

Biographical Details Kazuo Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1954 and moved to Britain in 1960. Ishiguro attended the University of Kent at Canterbury and the University of East Anglia. All three of his novels have received critical acclaim. His first novel, A Pale View of Hills, won the Winifred Holt by Prize of the Royal Society of Literature; his second, An Artist of the Floating World, won the 1986 Whitbread Book of the year Award; The Remains of the Day was awarded the 1989 Booker Prize.