A Foucaultdian Interpretation Of Stevens’s Tragedy In The Remains Of The Day

In1989, The Remains of the Day was rewarded English Booker Prize and helpedKazuo Ishiguro win international fame. Tragedy as a literary genre features TheRemains of the Day. Many critics like to owe the tragedy of protagonist Stevens to hispersonal stubbornness and narrowness, or his commitment to “dignity”, or even to hisblind loyalty to his master.This thesis explores Stevens’s tragedy by using Foucault’s theory andphilosophical thoughts. Based on the research of micro power in society, Foucault’stheory analyzes the operation of power in specific social practice. The thesis analyzesthe operation of power in Steven’s social practice. After interpreting the tragic livingstate of Stevens, I find that, under the control of power, Stevens’s life tragedy has anobjective cause and a subjective one. Objectively, dominated by power, he does notonly become vehicle and accessory of power, but a ruthless man and coward. Becauseof being made use of power, his humanity diminishes and he is lost in power society.The powerlessness of him does not allow him to speak truth, which distorts hispersonality and makes him live in lies. Subjectively, his realization of his mistakesafterwards does not rebuild confidence for him to resist power for justice. He keepsmaking mistakes and distances those who treat him equally. His behavior, whichdeeply reflects his sense of exclusion, makes him go too far on the wrong track.Therefore, through showing Stevens’s tragic life, the thesis presents a picture of amicro power society, in which lower class’s destiny is miserable. At the same time, thethesis is also intended to call upon more and more people to pay attention to the lowerclass, which just echoes Ishiguro’s purpose of writing the novel.