Unreliable Narrator

Unreliable narrators are commonly known as “omniscient” narrators, and only invented for the purpose of being a part of the story they are telling. The point of using an unreliable narrator in a piece of work is to expose in a more attention-grabbing way the gap between what seems to be, and the actual reality, which is a very human characteristic. It reveals how humans distort the truth. The narrator in kazoo Ishiguro’s novel, The Remains of the Day is an elderly butler from England who works at a wealthy estate that now belongs to a rich American. Encouraged by his new employer to take a short holiday in the West Country; Stevens intends to make contact with Miss Keaton, a housekeeper in order to persuade her out of retirement to solve an employment crisis at Darlington Hall. In the style of a typical butler, Stevens writes, and speaks without enthusiasm or originality. On his journey to find Miss Keaton, Stevens reminisce about past events such as his old employer Lord Darlington who was an amateur diplomat that gave support to fascism and anti-Semitism. He has kept this a secret from anyone for years, and takes pride in is flawless service. This same air of secrecy has made him unable to recognize his love for Miss Keaton, who desperately needs his affection after a loved one, has died suddenly. Later on we see his sensitive soul when he is concerned about intruding on Miss Keaton after he realizes that he didn’t offer his condolences. He believed that just on the other side of the door Miss Keaton might be crying. It isn’t until many pages later that we are introduced to the real reason why Miss Keaton was so upset. She was mortified after begin so callously rejected by Steven’s shy love.