One of the best novels featuring a character in self-denial — a masterpiece and one of my personal favorites — is The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. The story follows an English butler, Mr. Stevens, as he attempts to make sense of his life in a modernizing world, one where it’s become a novelty for homes to still have old-fashioned English butlers.
Stevens is clearly an unreliable narrator. Ishiguro writes the book in first person point-of-view across two timelines: Stevens serving his previous employer Lord Darlington in the years leading up to World War II and a decade later. By reexamining his memories of the past Stevens is able to begin overcoming his self-denial by the end of the story.
Readers learn early on that Stevens is emotionally crippled and has spent his entire adult life with his eyes closed to what’s really going on. Bits of the truth were present for him all along, he just refused to see them. Stevens’ unique case of self-denial is the byproduct of a rigid personal code and his failure to accept the truth about Lord Darlington. (Spoiler alert: Don’t read any further if you haven’t read the book and want to be surprised).
A Great Butler’s ‘Dignity’
To understand Stevens the character, the reader first has to learn about his father. Stevens admires his father, often describing him as one of the greatest butlers of his generation, exhibiting the type of “dignity” needed to be truly excellent in the profession.
In classic English fashion, the “dignity” his father so well exemplified is to never lose one’s composure. “And let me now posit this: ‘dignity’ has to do crucially with a butler’s ability not to abandon the professional being he inhabits.” According to this philosophy, there is no Stevens beyond his work. No emotions. No wife. No outside interests. No real life to speak of.
Stevens demonstrates this “dignity” multiple times throughout the story, working a shift when his father is on his deathbed, for instance, and later refusing a romantic relationship with a maid named Miss Kenton because it may interfere with his duties. The reader is aware that his perspective is unsound and his behavior will likely result in a miserable life, yet Stevens take pride in his extreme devotion to his employer.
Reconciling the Truth About Lord Darlington
By the mid-1950s Stevens is working for Mr. Farraday, a less formal American who purchased Darlington Hall because it was one of the few homes with a bona fide English butler. Stevens decides to take a few days off and drive across the English countryside to visit Miss Kenton. While the reader is aware that he still has feelings for Miss Kenton (clearly the true reason for his road trip), according to Stevens he is understaffed and plans to offer her a job.
On the road he has a chance to contemplate the scandal that had befallen Lord Darlington. Although its details are murky at the beginning of the novel, Stevens defends his previous employer whenever asked. “Whatever may be said about his lordship these days — and the great majority of it is, as I say, utter nonsense — I can declare that he was truly a good man at heart, a gentleman through and through, and one I am today proud to have given my best years of service to.” His perspective of Darlington eventually shifts.
Before World War II, Lord Darlington was a high level Nazi collaborator. He took multiple trips to Germany to meet with the ambassador and government officials, and was a vocal critic against what he perceived was the unjust way Germany was treated by the Allies after World War I. He helped the Reich in its plans to infiltrate Parliament and even began firing Jewish members of his home staff.
For Stevens — who prides himself on being a great butler with the “dignity” to serve a true gentleman — admitting this fact about Lord Darlington is tantamount to saying his years of service and sacrifice are worthless. That at the end of the day he wasn’t a great butler like his father.
It’s easy to understand why this character would be in self-denial. The good news is that by the end of the novel Stevens has a breakthrough, finally accepting his fate. “All those years I served him; I trusted I was doing something worthwhile. I can’t even say I made my own mistakes. Really — one has to ask oneself — what dignity is there in that?” He regrets spending the best years of his life serving Darlington and explains how he doesn’t have much else to give.
If you plan on writing a character in self-denial, whether they’re struggling with alcoholism, their authentic gender identity, or staying in an abusive relationship, The Remains of the Day is a fantastic resource for creating the necessary circumstances and mindset. It’s also a beautiful read!
