Similarly in “The Remains of the Day” the relationship between Miss Kenton and Stevens has to endure the repression of Stevens’s nature. Through Stevens Ishiguro presents a character that is obsessed with the idea of dignity, which to Stevens, is being able to contain emotion in any situation. Throughout the novel Miss Kenton repeatedly tries to provoke Stevens to give a reaction of any kind to move their relationship forward. Miss Kenton opens up to Stevens in the hope that he will do the same to her, but due to his repressive nature he never can. Miss Kenton explains to Stevens that she couldn’t leave Darlington Hall after the incident with the Jewish maids because she admits “I saw myself going out there and finding nobody who knew or cared about me.” Despite Miss Kenton admitting her inner-most feelings, Stevens can not emotionally respond as he believes it would be “undignified.” Due to Stevens highly repressive nature the relationship between him and Miss Kenton can not romantically develop, regardless of Miss Kenton’s repeated efforts to provoke an emotional response from Stevens.
Within both novels, the authors present relationships that are troubled by repression. However, Forster really presents the repressive society that Lucy has to battle against whereas Ishiguro really shows how the repressive personality Stevens has destroys the chances of a romantic relationship between him and Miss Kenton developing.
In “The Remains of the Day” and “A Room with a View” Ishiguro and Forster respectively present a third party to each of the relationships in their novels. However, the third party to each of the relationships have a very different impact in each of the novels.
In “A Room with a View” Forster presents Cecil as a barrier to the development of Lucy and George’s relationship but also as a socially acceptable alternative to George. Forster makes it clear to readers that Lucy is only with Cecil because she is unable to admit to herself that she is in love with George, this is particularly evident when Lucy finishes her relationship with Cecil by using George’s own words. Lucy tells Cecil that he’s “the sort that can’t know anyone intimately.” This is very symbolic as these are words that George has previously used to describe Cecil and now Lucy uses them to free herself from Cecil. Lucy uses Cecil to protect herself from her feelings for George which scare her immensely, so much so that she denies them completely. However, Forster makes it clear from the way in which Lucy finishes with Cecil that she and George have a connection and Lucy sees sense in George’s words and it is by using George’s words that Lucy makes herself free for George, even if she is doing this subconsciously.
The third party to Stevens and Miss Kenton’s relationship is Mr Benn, and Ishiguro presents him having an entirely different impact on their relationship to that of Cecil on George and Lucy’s relationship. Rather than using Mr Benn for protection, Miss Kenton hopes to provoke an emotional response from Stevens by associating with another man, this is particularly clear when Miss Kenton tells Stevens of Mr Benn’s proposal. Miss Kenton explains to Stevens that “He has asked me to marry him. I thought you had a right to know that.” And later tells him she is “still giving the matter thought.” It is evident to readers that Miss Kenton wants Stevens to react in someway to her news. By telling Stevens she is “giving the matter thought” she is leaving the situation open for Steven’s to at least have some input. However, it is not within Steven’s nature to respond, even if he did know how. It is because of Steven’s lack of ability to communicate that even Miss Kenton’s attempt to use Mr Benn to provoke a response fails. By including Mr Benn in his novel, Ishiguro presents his readers with a relationship that will never grow romantically as Steven’s can not even respond when there is clearly a third party standing in the way of a relationship between him and Miss Kenton developing.
Within both of the relationships that the two authors present there is a large emphasis on the idea of missed opportunities. In “A Room with a View” Forster clearly depicts Lucy very nearly missing the opportunity to have a happy ending with George. Repeatedly throughout the novel Lucy seems to be growing and becoming a more open character and the Forster presents her giving in to the repressive society she inhabits. Readers are presented with this perhaps most clearly when Lucy breaks off her engagement to Cecil. As a reader, one sees hope and think that she has finally realised that she is in love with George. However, at the end of the chapter, Forster presents his vision of an army of people that have denied love and Lucy has joined them. Forster presents Lucy as she “joined the vast army of the benighted, who follow neither the heart, nor the brain”. Forster explains that “Lucy joined this army when she pretended to George that she did not love him,” for readers Forster is presenting the idea of lost opportunity, at this point in the novel readers believe that there is almost no hope that Lucy and George’s relationship will grow and blossom as Lucy will not allow it to. Forster also emphasises this idea by saying in the army “their pleasantry and piety shows cracks,” which is a vision of Miss Bartlett who we know has denied love and we are very afraid Lucy will end up like this. However, although Forster presents the idea of lost opportunity within Lucy and George’s relationship, we know that Lucy is in fact able to save herself from the “army of the benighted.”
In contrast, Ishiguro presents the idea of lost opportunity through Stevens and Miss Kenton’s relationship as Stevens does lose his chance of ever becoming romantically involved with Miss Kenton. Although Stevens has many chances to save his and Miss Kenton’s relationship, his is unable to do so. Through the characterisation that Ishiguro give Stevens, Ishiguro presents a character with a complete inability to show or deal with emotion and this leads him to missing his opportunity to have a happy ending with Miss Kenton. Ishiguro portrays this extremely well when Miss Kenton tries to apologise to Stevens for mocking him and Stevens ignores her and later realises she is crying in her room. Ishiguro presents Stevens describing how Miss Kenton’s door had “light seeping around its edges” and he was “quite certain that if [he] were to knock and enter, [he] would discover her in tears”. The light seeping around the door is very symbolic of Stevens’s last hope of still experiencing a happy ending with Miss Kenton, Miss Kenton’s room has light within and Stevens is standing in “darkness”. However, Stevens is unable to bring himself to knock on Miss Kenton’s door and thus misses his opportunity to be happy with her and remains in darkness.
Both authors also use symbolism concerning light and darkness, the weather, the seasons and views to help present the growing and changing relationships of the two couples.
Forster uses views in particular to help symbolise Lucy and George’s relationship. Views are highly symbolic in their growing and changing relationship as they can both see clearly in close and important moments in their relationship. This is very clearly illustrated to readers just before George kisses Lucy for the first time. Forster describes how from Lucy’s feet “the ground sloped sharply into the view, and violets ran down in rivulets”. The view Forster describes is very beautiful and full of references to nature which is symbolic of how Lucy and George’s relationship is very open and natural. The symbolism of views is also emphasised by Forster, as in the final chapter of the novel when Lucy and George finally come together George “carried [Lucy] to the window, so that she, too, saw all the view.” Whenever Lucy can see a view her mind is open and it has a positive effect on her relationship with George. Within his novel Forster also uses stormy weather as symbolism of hopelessness within reference to George and Lucy’s relationship. Close to the end of the novel when Lucy has finished with Cecil but is still insisting she will escape to Greece, the weather is particularly dark. Forster repeatedly illustrates for his readers how “it had poured all day.” The dark and depressing weather symbolises Lucy almost hopeless situation.
Ishiguro also uses views to help symbolise the growing and changing relationship between Stevens and Miss Kenton. This is particularly evident when Stevens talks to Miss Kenton about the dismissal of the Jewish maids. Stevens tells Miss Kenton he thinks its “funny” as she was “still insisting [she was] going to resign” over the issue. Instead of responding to Stevens, Miss Kenton “was gazing through the glass at the great expanse of fog outside.” Miss Kenton’s view here is very symbolic of the hopelessness she feels about her and Stevens’s relationship. She wishes he were able to communicate with her but all she sees is a sea of fog that is stopping them being able to have a clear and open relationship.
In both “A Room with a View” and “The Remains of the Day” Forster and Ishiguro present to the readers two very different but troubled relationships. Forster, through his 3rd person narrative, presents George, and Lucy in particular, who have to overcome the repressive nature of the society they inhabit in order to have their happy ending. Ishiguro, similarly, presents Miss Kenton who desperately tries to relax Stevens’s repressive nature so that they will be able to communicate and be open with each other so that they have a chance of developing a more open relationship. However, Forster presents his readers with an essentially classic love story, and George and Lucy are able to overcome the repression they face, in contrast, Steven’s repressive nature is so strong it leads to him being completely unable to open up and communicate that he loses his opportunity with Miss Kenton completely. Both authors also present the idea of lost opportunities; however Lucy very nearly loses her chance of a happy ending, whereas Stevens actually does. Through the symbolism that both authors use they are able to present the barriers that both couples are facing. Both use views to present their readers with either open mindedness or a link between the couple when they can see a clear view, or fog and bad weather to show hopelessness and repression within the relationship.
